Lessons Learned: Agriculture Extension

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Lessons Learned Agriculture Extension
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A good extension service

• Must be need-driven
• Based on a collaborative model that will use
  traditional agribusiness and education approaches.

• It must rely on participatory
• approaches that illuminate
• the dynamism and constant evolution of rural
• communities, human activities, environmental
• change, market outlets (including access to
• sustainable markets)

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182 demo plots established by CARE projects
(SLAR, CIP) in 2007-2008.

• Among them
• 67 plant cultivation
• 48 cattle breeding
• 43 mixed (cattle breeding/fodder production)
• 3 drip irrigation
• 2 horticulture and 19 apiculture
• Projects carried out
• Over 4000 individual trainings/consultations
• 244 group trainings
• 19 cross visits
• 48 open days
• 2 market studies, 6 farmers manuals, 29
  articles/brochure

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• What is the effectiveness, impact and
  consistency of on-farm demonstrations?

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• Effectiveness

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• 94 of the respondents to a survey of
  demonstration plots in spring 2008 either agreed
  (50) or completely agreed (44) that everybody
  benefits from the introduction of agricultural
  technology and practices applied by the demo
  farmer, since that will help them to increase
  household income .

Graph 1. Do you now have an adequate level of
knowledge of how to use properly tested seeds,
seedlings, and fertilizers?
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How much were the demonstrations or consultation
useful to you?
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How would you evaluate the importance of the
following extension services in terms of making
you money and improving the efficiency of your
operation?
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Impact
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• Average yields (2008)
• Potato - 3.55 Mt/0.1 Ha (2006 baseline - 1.58 Mt,
  125 increase)
• Veg-s - 2.03 Mt/0.1 Ha (2006 baseline 0.79 Mt,
  157 increase)
• Milk 1,944 lit/cow/season (2006 1,028 lit,
  89 increase).
• 92 farmers report that bookkeeping improved their
  ability to manage farm.
• 745 farmers were directly supported in marketing
  of farm produce.
• Total cost of inputs delivered by CIP is 55,000.
  Out of this amount, 44,000 is covered through
  demo-farmers pre-paid contributions.
• Participation average 38 farmers visited each
  demo plot. Self-identified 16.7 direct
  beneficiaries are going to take part in education
  activities in the next crop year.
• 94 of client participants will apply themselves
  and advise others to apply recommended technology
  in future

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• A substantial increase in income was also
  observed on average 39.6 (self-estimation)
• In calculations we took the mid-point of the
  ranges, 7.5 for 5 to 10 percent and so on and
  for greater than 60 percent figure, used a
  reasonable top percentage of 65 percent, and
  broke down the distribution of frequencies as
  follows

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• Consistency

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• CARE is testing two approached for sustaining the
  extension services in rural areas
• Partnership with private businesses through
  Consolidation Centers
• 2 contracts with business partners state that
  Consolidation Centers (Milk/Cheese and Honey)
  will spend 20 and 30 of profit to fund
  extension services for client farmers.
• Non-commercial Rural Advisory Service (RAS)
• RAS owns the input supply shop and the revenue
  is used for extension activities, not
  registering profit.

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Input Supply Shop Farmer

• Shop offers over 500 products and related
  consultancies including
• Seeds
• Vet medications
• Farm equipment and tools
• Fertilizers
• Pesticides

Over 12,000 customers Annual turnover
282,000 Gel Gross profit of 31,000 Gel.
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Data sources

• Base line survey of 450 Households along the BTC
  pipeline winter of 2006 / 2007
• Final evaluation survey of 1,000 Households under
  the SLAR project December 2008
• RAS Customer Survey December 2008
• Evaluation On-Farm Demonstration Plots March
  2008
• Thank you.