Extension and Advisory Services in 10 Developing Countries: A Cross-country Analysis

Abstract

The purpose of the report is to present results of a cross-country-analysis of ten published DLEC diagnostic reports to draw out lessons for extension globally. The country reports include Honduras, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Malawi, Liberia, Guinea, Rwanda, Senegal, Mozambique and Mali. The report uses the best-fit framework (Birner et al., 2009) to guide analyses, and findings are presented according to the framework areas. This report is aimed at project implementers, policymakers and others interested in improving EAS in their countries and projects. Some key take-aways: •Pluralism is the norm but coordination and “projectization” are challenges to such systems •Human resources need to be professionalized •A few countries are experimenting with innovative methods of sustaining and scaling their human resources through training youth volunteers or using farmer extension agents •Many methods are being used, but there are several needs for improving the effectiveness of extension approaches: oDevelop, test, and evaluate ICT methods oIntegrate complementary methods (especially ICT with face-to-face methods) oConduct research to identify ways to improve the effectiveness of existing methods •There is huge potential for improving EAS by sharing lessons and experiences within and among countries, and national EAS forums, which exist in most of the countries, can greatly assist in facilitating the sharing of experiences within countries, just as regional forums can help promote exchanges between countries; donors and national forums can support such exchanges