Extension Policy: Lessons from Recent MEAS Experience

Paul E. McNamara

Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural and Consumer

Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Director,

Modernizing Extension and Advisory Services Project (MEAS

East Africa Extension Policy Meeting

Kampala, Uganda

AFAAS/GFRAS/GIZ/MEAS

June 16-18, 2015

What do you want to know about extension policy?

1. How do we define extension policy? 2. What extension policy is needed for Africa? Do we need a particular policy or policy options? What is a right policy? 3. How does RAS policy fit with agricultural policy and capacity development policy? 4. What are the existing policies in EAS? Are there stand alone extension policies in East and Southern Africa?

What else do you want to know about extension policy?

5. How to make a good workable policy that will improve people’s lives?

- policy formulation and ensuring its sustainability in RAS

- an outline or guidelines for extension policy, and policy development

- elements of a framework to improve RAS- what is the policy development process? - role of private sector and other

stakeholders in policy development process, who designs policy?

What in addition do you want to know about extension policy?

6. How should policy be articulated and validated? 7. Who is policy designed to guide? (Private? Public? Leaders? Actors?) 8. How are the private sector and other stakeholders integrated into public extension services via policy? 9. Implementation? How extension policy is implemented at the field level? 10. Why is it difficult to put policy into practice? 11. How can policy improve extension effectiveness? Examples?

What in addition do you want to know about extension policy?

12. Evaluating policy - how to evaluate extension policy?- how to measure impact and effectiveness

of extension policy? - what evidence is there that connects

policy with outcomes?

Agricultural growth is effective in reducing poverty

“Overall, growth originating from agriculture has been two to four times more effective at reducing poverty than growth originating from other sectors.” (World Bank, 2015)

A Sierra Leonean woman farmer expanded this rice field with a micro-loan

Reducing poverty linked to agricultural productivity increases

From Ending Poverty and Hunger by 2030, World Bank, 2015

Why invest in extension? An irrigation innovation in West Africa (photo Jim Stipe)

“Investing in extension so that it helps more farmers in more places – women as well as men, smallholders as well as commercial farmers – is the only way to reap the full benefit of innovation.” (Gates Letter, 2015)

Consortium Partners

SAFE

MEAS

Project Objectives: to define and disseminate good extension management strategies that will help establish efficient, effective and financially sustainable extension and advisory service systems in selected developing countries.

Leader with an Associate (LWA) Project over 5 years, funded by

Goal: to help transform and modernize extension and advisory systems, so they can play a key role in both increasing farm incomes and enhancing the livelihoods of the rural poor, especially farm women.

LEARN

APPLY

TEACH

C1 - TEACH

Develop training modules

Conduct training

Develop and disseminate

technical notes

C2 - LEARN

Best Fit Review

Case Studies

Evaluations

Pilot Action Research

C3 – APPLY

Country or regional Extension System

Assessments

USAID Mission field-buy in to

conduct country specific

assignments

MEAS – 3 Key Components

TEACH - Disseminating Modern Approaches to Extension

LEARN - Documenting Lessons Learned and Good Practice

APPLY - Designing Extension and Advisory Service Programs

MEAS Associate Awards

Tajikistan: FAST

• Farmer Advisory Services Tajikistan• About $5 million • July 18, 2013 to December 31, 2015• COP: Don Van Atta; Partner: PO RUYO

Rep. of Georgia: SEAS

• Strengthening Extension and Advisory Services activity• $2.3 million• October 15, 2013 to October 14, 2015• COP: Roland Smith; Partner: Ministry of Agriculture

INGENAES: Integrating Gender and Nutrition into Agricultural Extension Systems

• Targets eight Feed the Future (or aligned) countries • $7 million• October 2014 to September 2017

INGENAES

• At the country level improve access to extension services and technologies and finance for women farmers

• Integrate gender-sensitive and nutrition-sensitive approaches into extension programs

• Use networks, partnerships, mentoring, action-research and training in the approachA Liberian farmer explains her

needs for extension services at the Margibi County Agricultural Office

FAST (Farmer Advisory Services in Tajikistan)

Real time design and implementation of an extension program aimed at household farms. Policy support in the areas of agricultural policy, land policy and water policy. Special issues of post-Soviet, post-conflict, and post-colonial status. FAST has two UIUC staff on the ground in Tajikistan: Dr. Don van Atta, COP, and Dr. Patrick Ludgate, DCOP. FAST works with the Tajikistan NGO PO Ruyo to deliver the extension program.

SEAS (Strengthening Extension and Advisory Services – Rep. of Georgia)

Extension system strengthening through design and policy level technical assistance and a training program for newly hired agricultural consultants (extension agents). Texas A&M is a key partner on this project and Dr. Roland Smith is the COP. Winrock International assists as the local business entity for the project. Emphases in year 2 include ICTs and additional training and a high-level conference on extension in Georgia.

Country Date Team Notes

Bangladesh February 2011

B. Swanson Assessment of Bangladesh’s Pluralistic Extension System: A MEAS Rapid Scoping Rapid Mission

Bihar, India November 2013

B. Simpson, K.M. Singh, A. Singh, M. Sinha

Strengthening the Pluralistic Extension System in Bihar

Nepal March 2012

M. Suvedi, P. McNamara

Strengthening the Pluralistic Extension System in Nepal

Tajikistan October 2011

B. Swanson, E. Meyer, W. van Weperen

Strengthening the Pluralistic Agricultural Extension System in Tajikistan

Egypt August 2011

S. Christiansen, A. Swelam, J. Hill, S. Gasteyer, B. Swanson

Scoping Mission: Assessment of Agricultural Advisory Services in Upper Egypt

Country Date Team Notes

Mali January 2011

B. Simpson, K Dembele

Rapid scoping mission to assess Mali’s agricultural extension and advisory services

Liberia August 2011

P. McNamara, B. Swanson, B. Simpson

Rapid scoping mission – Rebuilding and strengthening the pluralistic extension system in Liberia

Rwanda September 2011

B. Swanson, J. Mutimba et al.

Comprehensive assessment of extension services in Rwanda, team of five in country for about 3 weeks

Malawi April 2012 B. Simpson, G. Heinrich, G. Malindi

Strengthening pluralistic agricultural extension in Malawi

Sierra Leone

September 2013

P. McNamara, S. Deen

(for World Bank WAAPP) an assessment of extension services and an analysis of policy strengthening measures

Ghana January 2014

P. McNamara et al.

Strengthening pluralistic agricultural extension in Ghana

Malawi July 2014 V. Sigman et al.

Assessment of agricultural extension, nutrition education, and integrated agricultural-nutrition extension services in FtF Zone in Malawi

How do we conduct a MEAS country assessment?

• Purpose– To document the state of the extension system (pluralistic)

• to identify strengths and extension assets, point out weak spots• to specify measures that would strengthen the system

– Formative more than summative – not a quantitative impact evaluation

– In specific countries we tailor the analysis to topics and geographic zones identified by USAID and partners

• Team composition– Usually a mix of team members, familiarity with

international agricultural extension systems and programs as well as with “best fit” practices important

– Local resource person(s) extremely important to interpret context, arrange meetings and facilitate interviews

Outline of our approach to conducting a MEAS country assessment

• A thorough document and literature review (all key members of the team) – policy documents, previous project reports, extension reports and white papers on the country or extension programs

• Before they start the field work so the work is well-informed• In-depth key informant interviews, focus groups and group

discussions• Public sector extension staff, leaders, researchers• NGOs active in extension, private sector extension, input

dealers, etc.• Farmers, growers, farm association leaders and members, farm

group leaders• Human capacity side – universities, colleges, training programs,

pre-service and in-service training• Discuss and debate amongst the team and write• Present in-country the preliminary findings and write • Write, edit and incorporate feedback -- finalize

Partial listing of question topics in an extension system assessment at the country level

• Organization and structure of extension system

• Staffing – Min of Ag at various levels by training and sex and age; other extension organizations

• Extension and research linkages

• Who is doing what? Where? How?

• Models, approaches used by Min of Ag and by other extension organizations

• Roles, coordination, communication and links across extension programs and organizations

• Financing of extension services

• Training, pre-service training, in-service training

• Supplies, transportation, communication, recurrent costs in extension

• Linkages with farmer groups and associations – farmer voice

• Monitoring and evaluation system – induces performance? Used?

• Gender imbalances in staffing and programming, access to services

• Production focus? Market orientation? NRM? Agriculture as a business? How are topics determined?

• ICTs• Performance issues in public sector• Public/Private partnerships

Extension Policy • MEAS engagements in Liberia, Cambodia, Ghana, and inputs

into many others – policy reviews, support of national extension policy development processes, background work

• Importance of enabling environment for extension – Government role in rural education, health, and infrastructure– Investment climate, business climate, land institutions– Overall macro policy, agricultural policy– Ag research, funding and quality of ag training/education institutions,

regulation

• Extension policy domains– Extension approach– Coordination, Terms and conditions of service for extension workers– Financing– Targeting – small-holders or larger commercial farmer– Service delivery, human resources development– Gender, vulnerable groups

MEAS Symposium 2015

June 4

“Public Sector Service Provision, Policy

Making, and Enabling Environment”

Along the Policy Path:Reviewing Ghana’s Agricultural Extension

Policy

Vickie Sigman Sr. Agricultural Extension Policy

SpecialistMEAS, University of Illinois

What & Why

Participants: Ghana Agricultural Extension Policy Forum

HOW

• Background and input• Forum itself: highly participatory

– Small Groups, Themes, and Exercises

Review

Summarize

Report Out

Analyze Progress, Constraints,Gaps, & Changes

Report Out

Develop prioritized

recom-mendation

s

Report Out

Group Exercises by Policy Theme

Outcomes

• Highest Priority Recommendations– Target resources to women providers & beneficiaries– Fund public extension services adequately– Clarify extension capacity development funding– Update extension policy on emerging issues– Update Farmer-Based Organizations Policy and

Strategy

• Groups to support the policy process forward– Extension Policy Standing Committee and Champions

• Next Step– Revise the agricultural extension policy to reflect

recommendations

What was learned along the path?

Review is but one step:ALSO NEED• Companion costed & timed plan for

carrying-out revisions• Finance and political will for

implementation & monitoring of revised policy

• Greater involvement in and awareness of process by farmers

1. Implementation

• Pressman and Wildavsky – implementation actually establishes policy• Key point -- without implementation

the policy is simply a hollow statement

• Simplicity and directness is a great virtue for implementation

2. Process

• Does the policy development process reflect the policy?

• If we say that farmer-led extension is the objective, are farmers engaged significantly in the policy development process?

• Market oriented? Are any private sector dealers and firms involved in the process?

• Pluralistic? Are a mix of providers involved?

3. Broaden the Base of Support

• Does extension have support beyond the people who are paid to deliver the programs (Min Ag staff, iNGOs, NGOs, paid advisors, etc.)?

• Do other government ministries care whether or not the program exists?

• Do farmers/clients value the services?• Example of nutrition coalitions (eg

Thailand and others)• Key role of national level forums

4. Financing, Budget and Performance

1. Need to mobilize more finance into extension – public/donor funds, NGO, farmer funds, private sector2. Projectization3. Broken link between budgeting and performance

– Often farmers and farmer groups have very little input into extension programming

– Often hires and placements are made centrally or by District level leaders

– Farmers report not seeing an extension agent after the project has ended

– Little transparency on flow of funds– Lack of link discourages active field staff

5. Quality and Resources• “The quality of spending to

agriculture is more important than the overall level of spending.” Akroyd and Smith, 2007

• Feedback loops– Quality promotes support --

advocacy strategy– Quality promotes demand for

services from farmers• Is program quality emphasized in

policy? Delivery? Farmer feedback?• Implications for monitoring and

evaluation• Institutional innovations to boost

quality – public/private partnerships – Kenya, Ghana

Training on soil testing and analysis for Ministry of Agriculture consultants (field staff) in Georgia by USAID-funded SEAS project

• Agricultural growth averaged 2.9% through the 1990s, and 6.2% in the 2000s

• Factors producing growth include– Roads and improved electricity generation– Political will– Productive Safety Net Program – rural employment

using cash and food for building local infrastructure –roads, water retention structures

– Macroeconomic stability – but a period of high inflation in 2007/08 and a foreign exchange shortage in 2009/10

– Increased extension contributed to lowering of poverty and increased rural consumption

Ethiopia – sustained agricultural growth has led to poverty reductions

• Ravallion – Are there Lessons for Africa from China’s Success against Poverty? 2008

• In 1981 two out of three mainland Chinese lived below $1 a day compared to 40% of people in SSA at the same time

• Trend for poverty reduction was 1.9% (1981-2004) versus 0.1% in SSA

• Despite obvious differences – population density, birth rates, income inequality, strength of governance – two lessons– Productivity growth in smallholder agriculture– “strong leadership and a capable public administration at

all levels of government”

China – Broad Agricultural Growth

Bright spots in international extension

• Devolution and decentralization offers an environment for new approaches and more local voice into extension– Kenya, Ghana – District-level strengthening program with NGO/MinAg

• Innovative ICT approaches and programs – potential is huge• Public/Private Partnerships and private sector extension models

– Social entrepreneurship models like One Acre Fund and others– ICT approaches from private companies – Esoko, Monsanto, etc.– Bottom of the pyramid private sector farm advisors – working on shares and

small payments– Successes of large scale farmer based organizations in India, some in

Africa, and in Latin America

• In some countries a renewed commitment by government for rural development and extension – Latin America examples

• Increased recognition of the importance of extension for poverty reduction and agricultural productivity

Conclusions

• Starting with the end in mind helps shape the policy development process and the policy• Implementation• Groups engaged in the process

• Developing the policy takes real resources of time, effort, and funds

• What is hoped to be gained?

Disclaimer

This presentation was made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International

Development, USAID. The contents are the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States

Government.

Group work – discuss together

1. What is a goal or objective of your engagement in the policy process around agricultural extension in your country?

2. If you and others engage seriously in policy work over the five to ten years, what is a reasonable good outcome to expect from the process?

3. Knowing what you know now, (e.g. the status quo, challenges, opportunities, lessons from elsewhere etc.); what can you commit to do in your own capacity to (champion) influence the AEAS policy processes in your country?

(Drawing experience from other sectors and other countries)