Empowering smallholder farmers’ organizations through non-public extension service providers: A case study and lessons from Mozambique

Empowering smallholder farmers’ organizations through non-public extension service providers: A case study and lessons from Mozambique PDF Author: Gêmo, Hélder R.
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 27

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Book Description
The role and impact of non-state extension services providers have not been studied adequately. In this paper, we assess the performance of the non-State extension service provision through farmers organization (FOs) in Mozambique. Using participating methods, focused group discussions, and key informant interviews, we provide an assessment of extension services provision to FOs. The result indicates only 3% of the 1264 surveyed FOs were categorized as "type A", the highest FOs rating scale used by services providers (SPs) in the three regions of the country. Effective monitoring and evaluation (regular, analytical, participatory) at field level and close working interaction between the Public Agricultural Extension Services (PAES) and the SPs were of paramount importance to track the progress made in empowering the FOs. SPs' pro-activeness and competence were critical factors to adequately address the various training needs of the different categories of FOs and local services providers. SPs' financial autonomy was key to compensate for the delays in the disbursements by the PAES. The selection criteria for the participating farmers (trainees) from targeted FOs makes a difference. Younger and more literate farmers (including women) have shown greater motivation and engagement in the training sessions. Outsourcing can be a valuable alternative for the provision of extension services if it targets specific intervention areas (for example, training for FOs), a limited number of activities, well-defined deliverables (including quality and sustainability issues) and timelines. Post-training (and post-project) actions at the policy level and extension services providers are required to contribute to the sustainability of the investment made. Based on these findings, the paper documents several operational lessons from the implementation of the program.

Empowering smallholder farmers’ organizations through non-public extension service providers: A case study and lessons from Mozambique

Empowering smallholder farmers’ organizations through non-public extension service providers: A case study and lessons from Mozambique PDF Author: Gêmo, Hélder R.
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 27

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Book Description
The role and impact of non-state extension services providers have not been studied adequately. In this paper, we assess the performance of the non-State extension service provision through farmers organization (FOs) in Mozambique. Using participating methods, focused group discussions, and key informant interviews, we provide an assessment of extension services provision to FOs. The result indicates only 3% of the 1264 surveyed FOs were categorized as "type A", the highest FOs rating scale used by services providers (SPs) in the three regions of the country. Effective monitoring and evaluation (regular, analytical, participatory) at field level and close working interaction between the Public Agricultural Extension Services (PAES) and the SPs were of paramount importance to track the progress made in empowering the FOs. SPs' pro-activeness and competence were critical factors to adequately address the various training needs of the different categories of FOs and local services providers. SPs' financial autonomy was key to compensate for the delays in the disbursements by the PAES. The selection criteria for the participating farmers (trainees) from targeted FOs makes a difference. Younger and more literate farmers (including women) have shown greater motivation and engagement in the training sessions. Outsourcing can be a valuable alternative for the provision of extension services if it targets specific intervention areas (for example, training for FOs), a limited number of activities, well-defined deliverables (including quality and sustainability issues) and timelines. Post-training (and post-project) actions at the policy level and extension services providers are required to contribute to the sustainability of the investment made. Based on these findings, the paper documents several operational lessons from the implementation of the program.

Empowering Smallholder Farmers' Organizations Through Non-public Extension Service Providers

Empowering Smallholder Farmers' Organizations Through Non-public Extension Service Providers PDF Author: Hélder R. Gêmo
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description


Agricultural extension and rural advisory services: What have we learned? What’s next?

Agricultural extension and rural advisory services: What have we learned? What’s next? PDF Author: Davis, Kristin E.
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 14

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Book Description
Agricultural extension provides the critical connection from agricultural innovation and discovery to durable improvements at scale, as farmers and other actors in the rural economy learn, adapt, and innovate with new technologies and practices. However, lack of capacity and performance of agricultural extension in lower- and middle-income countries is an ongoing concern. Research on agricultural extension and advisory services (in short, extension) has been an integral part of the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM) since its inception. This brief synthesizes key findings from research funded by and linked to PIM from 2012 to 2021, presenting lessons learned and a vision for the future of extension. A list of all PIM-related extension and advisory services research is provided at the end. Designing and implementing effective provision of extension is complex, and efforts to strengthen extension services often fall into a trap of adopting “best practice” blueprint approaches that are not well-tailored to local conditions. An expansive literature examines the promises and pitfalls of common approaches, including training-and-visit extension systems, farmer field schools, and many others (Anderson and Feder 2004; Anderson et al. 2006; Waddington and White 2014; Scoones and Thompson 2009). To understand extension systems and build evidence for what works and where, the “best-fit” framework, a widely recognized approach developed by Birner and colleagues (2009) and adapted by Davis and Spielman (2017), offers a simple impact chain approach (Figure 1). The framework focuses on a defined set of extension service characteristics that affect performance: governance structures and funding; organizational and management capacities and cultures; methods; and community engagement — all of which are subject to external factors such as the policy environment, agroecological conditions, and farming-system heterogeneity. To enhance extension performance and, ultimately, a wide range of outcomes and impacts, new and innovative interventions can be applied and adapted within this set of extension characteristics.

Access to markets for smallholder farmers in Alto Molócue and Molumbo, Mozambique: Mid-term impact evaluation of INOVAGRO II

Access to markets for smallholder farmers in Alto Molócue and Molumbo, Mozambique: Mid-term impact evaluation of INOVAGRO II PDF Author: Hosaena Ghebru
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 38

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Book Description
The Innovation for Agribusiness (InovAgro) project, which launched with its first three year phase in 2010, uses a market system development (MSD) approach towards the goal of increasing incomes of men and women small-scale farmers in northern Mozambique. InovAgro interventions promote improved agricultural productivity, participation in selected high-potential value chains and the development of inclusive and sustainable market systems, such that impacts are expected to last long beyond the termination of the project. This paper presents results from a midline quantitative impact evaluation of the second phase of the InovAgro project interventions (2014-2017). In it, we use a carefully designed and executed quasi-experimental study design to credibly attribute changes in market engagement and welfare of participating farmers to exposure to the InovAgro II project, identifying and testing in what respects the intervention was most successful, and what regard it had less impact. Although InovAgro II projects operate in 11 districts of Zambézia and Cabo Delgado provinces, this impact evaluation focuses on two districts in Zambézia province (Alto Molócue and Molumbo), and in terms of value chains, focuses on the soybean and pigeon pea high-potential value chains, while the InovAgro II project interventions focus on these in addition to maize, sesame and groundnut. A baseline survey was undertaken in 2015 covering the 2014/2015 agricultural season and a midline follow-up survey was conducted in 2017, covering the 2016/2017 agricultural season and reaching 1,749 households of the original 1,886 households interviewed in the baseline survey. Using difference-in-difference estimation and propensity score matching, we find that exposure to the InovAgro II project is associated with an increase in the proportion of households selling soybean and pigeon pea by approximately 5% and 16%, respectively (significant at the .01 level). Exposure to the InovAgro II project also results in significantly higher shares of smallholder farmers using improved seed for soybean and pigeon pea (an increase of 6% for soybean and 2% for pigeon pea). We find that the InovAgro II project is also associated with significant increases in access to agricultural output market information from formal sources (5%) and hired labor for farming activities (8%). Despite the significant impacts on short term outcome variables, exposure to the InovAgro II project had limited impact on long term outcome variables, such as on rural-urban migration as well as engagement in the non-farm sector (two proxies for assessing potential welfare implications of the project) however this finding is not surprising given the impact evaluation covers only two years-a short period of time to bring about the long-term impacts expected to eventually emanate from an MSD project.

Toward Effective Agricultural Extension Services for Small-scale Farmers

Toward Effective Agricultural Extension Services for Small-scale Farmers PDF Author: Hiroko Sasaki
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description


Access to markets for smallholder farmers in Alto Molócue and Molumbo, Mozambique

Access to markets for smallholder farmers in Alto Molócue and Molumbo, Mozambique PDF Author: Erman, Alvina
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 48

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Book Description
This report presents the data from a baseline data collection effort as part of the impact evaluation of Phase II of the Innovation for Agribusiness (INOVAGRO II) intervention in northern Mozambique. INOVAGRO II is a development program intended to decrease rural poverty by improving the connectedness of farmers to market systems. The baseline data were collected before the intervention began in two districts in Zambezia province – Alto Molócue and Molumbo – during the months of August and September 2015. The questionnaire focused on agricultural production and market access, in particular on the INOVAGRO value chain crops – soybean, pigeon pea, and maize. The purpose of the report is to describe the data, focusing on key variables.

Farmers taking the lead: thirty years of farmer field schools

Farmers taking the lead: thirty years of farmer field schools PDF Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
ISBN: 9251315698
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 72

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Book Description
The Farmer Field School (FFS) has been one of the most successful approaches developed and promoted by FAO over the past three decades, empowering farmers to become better decision makers in their own farming systems. Initiated by FAO in 1989, and subsequently adopted by many other organizations and institutions, the FFS programs constitute one of the most important “results of the collective action of millions of small-scale farmers” that FAO has supported. FFS is an interactive and participatory learning by doing approach that offers farmers, pastoralists, fisherfolks, foresters and their communities a place where they can learn from each other,share experiences, co-create knowledge and try new ways of doing. Participants enhance their understanding of agro-ecosystems, resulting in production systems that are more resilient and optimize the use of available resources. FFS aims to improve farmers’ livelihoods and recognize their role as innovators and guardians of natural environments. FFS has attained plenty of outstanding achievements in all aspects of agriculture and rural development.

Outsourcing Agricultural Advisory Services

Outsourcing Agricultural Advisory Services PDF Author: Willem Heemskerk
Publisher: Kit Pub
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 156

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Book Description
This Bulletin presents the findings from case studies on outsourcing advisory services in Tanzania, Mozambique, Uganda and Mali.

Impacts of the innovation for agribusiness (InovAgro II) project in northern Mozambique

Impacts of the innovation for agribusiness (InovAgro II) project in northern Mozambique PDF Author: Ghebru, Hosaena
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 5

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Book Description
This brief presents descriptive information and prelimi-nary results from an impact evaluation of the second phase of the Innovation for Agribusiness (InovAgro II) project interventions in northern Mozambique. InovAgro II is a development program intended to decrease rural poverty by improving the connectedness of farmers to market systems. The InovAgro project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI) in partnership with COWI1. The InovAgro project operates in 11 districts—namely Mocuba, Ile, Namarroi, Molumbo, Gurúe and Alto Molócue in Zambézia prov-ince; Malema, Ribáuè and Erati in Nampula province; and Namuno and Chiúre in Cabo Delgado province. In-dependent impact evaluation of the project, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), is being implemented by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) using primary data coming from two InovAgro-focus districts in Zambézia prov-ince (Alto Molócue and Molumbo) focusing on three of the five targeted value chain crops by the InovAgro project, namely: soybean, pigeon pea and maize.

Assessing and strengthening Malawi’s pluralistic agricultural extension system: Evidence and lessons from a three-year research study

Assessing and strengthening Malawi’s pluralistic agricultural extension system: Evidence and lessons from a three-year research study PDF Author: Ragasa, Catherine
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 12

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Book Description
In July 2016, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and partners launched a three-year evidence-based policy support project to analyze demand for and supply of agricultural extension services in Malawi and help design activities to strengthen service providers’ capacity to address farmers’ demands for information. For this project, IFPRI partnered with Wadonda Consult and the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) to conduct the household survey and qualitative interviews. Funding came from the Government of Flanders, the U.S. Agency for International Development through the Strengthening Agricultural and Nutrition Extension (SANE), the German Agency for International Cooperation [GIZ]), and the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM). The project collected two rounds of nationally representative panel data of 2,880 households (2016 and 2018), two rounds of focus group discussions (FGDs), census of extension service providers in 15 districts, and a series of in-depth interviews. This note summarizes the main findings from 10 reports completed to analyze and draw conclusions from the stories behind these datasets.