Strengthening Extension Systems in Developing Countries: University of Illinois Experience and Capacity

1. Strengthening extension systems in developing countries: University of Illinois experience and capacity from MEAS, FAST, SEAS and INGENAES 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) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of ACES, Office of International Programs February 9, 2015

2. A major development challenge: quality extension services “A major and as yet unresolved challenge is to develop cost-effective and demand-driven advisory services through effective partnerships among farmers, public agencies, and civil society.”(World Bank, Awakening Africa’s Sleeping Giant, 2009, p. 18) Innovative farmer in Liberia

3. Extension is critical for agricultural growth “Agricultural extension, or agricultural advisory, is increasingly recognized as playing a vital role in improving agricultural growth.” (p. 1 Glendenning and Babu, IFPRI, 2011) Targeting women with high value horticulture training and marketing support in Nepal

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

5. Outline • University of Illinois international extension capacity related to MEAS • Overview of MEAS, FAST, SEAS and INGENAES • Examples of extension strengthening activities and impacts

6. MEAS Team Members Dr. Paul E. McNamara Associate Professor, Agric. & Consumer Economics, Principal Investigator MEAS, SEAS FAST, INGENAES Dr. Austen Moore Post Doctoral Fellow MEAS Benjamin Mueller Project Manager FAST, SEAS Dr. Joyous Tata Post Doctoral Fellow MEAS, INGENAES Andrea Bohn Project Manager MEAS INGENAES Oliver Ferguson International Programs Coordinator MEAS Maria Jones Project Specialist INGENAES Kathryn Heinz Communications Specialist MEAS, INGENAES ALSO: Illinois Interns for Agricultural Extension and Food Security (to be selected this week).

7. MEAS Collaborators at University of Illinois Dr. Scott Poole Director of I-CRASS MEAS: Research and Evaluation of Agricultural Extension IT in Bangladesh, Sept 2014- August 2015 Dr. Michael L. Black Post Doctoral Research, Assistant Director of I-CRASS Research Assistant MEAS Dr. Juan Andrade Assistant Professor, Food Science and Human Nutrition, FSHN, INGENAES (Honduras) Dr. Burt E. Swanson Original PI, Professor Emeritus, and International Extension Specialist, MEAS Dr. Mohammed Bobadoost Professor and Extension Specialist, Plant Pathology SEAS, FAST Dr. Mosbah Kushad Professor and Extension Specialist, Food Crops SEAS Festus Amadu NRES Phd Student, MEAS – Grameen CKW Evaluation Dr. Gail Summerfield Director, Women and Gender in Global Perspective (retired) MEAS Paul Hixton MEAS: ICT in Extension, training in Malawi 2011 Dr. Lulu Rodriguez Associate Professor, Agricultural Communications, NRES, INGENAES ALSO: Dr. Michael Culbertson (was a PhD student in Educ Psych and Statistics), MEAS Grameen CKW RCT Evaluation, and Daniel Anderson, assisted with the MEAS Summer Institute

8. MEAS • Leader with an Associate (LWA) Project, $12 million 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. 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.

9. Consortium Partners SAFE

10. Defining Extension • “Extension is defined broadly to include • all systems that facilitate access of farmers, their organizations and other market actors to knowledge, information and technologies; • facilitate their interaction with partners in research, education, agri-business, and other relevant institutions; • and assistthem to develop their own technical, organizational and management skills and practices.” • Ian Christoplos, FAO, 2010 (emphasis added)

11. MEAS – 3 Key Components TEACH - Disseminating Modern Approaches to Extension LEARN - Documenting Lessons Learned and Good Practice APPLY - Designing Extension and Advisory Service Programs

12. MEAS Associate Awards • • Will target four Feed the Future (or aligned) countries initially • • $7 million • • October 2014 to September 2017

13. 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 approach A Liberian farmer explains her needs for extension services at the Margibi County Agricultural Office

14. FAST 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 academic professionals on the ground in Tajikistan: Dr. Don van Atta, COP, and Dr. Patrick Ludgate, DCOP.

15. SEAS 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.

16. Key Elements of Extension Reform Include:

17. MEAS Country Level Observations • Recurring themes: • Pluralistic, many partners, coordinating issues, projectization, politicization • Budget challenges and recurrent cost problem • Broken links: research & extension; budgeting and performance • Gender imbalances in staffing and programming • Focus on production and less on agriculture as a business • Performance issues in public sector • Public/Private partnerships • Staff needing upgrading in skills • ICT interest – no proven, scaled internet extension, some under development

18. MEAS Country Level Observations -- Continued • Extension often is working in the most challenging enabling environment in the country • Cultural and gender factors • Infrastructure needs – rural areas have poor roads and communications networks • Staffing challenges in remote villages and Districts • Policy level – need for coordination and clearer roles, finances for logistics and support and at scale • A need for solid evidence about what is working and why, especially within public sector • Need for more direct input and control by farmers of extension services

19. MEAS Country Level Observations – Some bright spots • Devolution and decentralization offers an environment for new approaches and more local voice into extension • Kenya • Ghana • Innovative ICT approaches and programs • Public/Private Partnerships and private sector extension models • 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

20. Examples of MEAS Impact in the field • Randomized controlled trial of an extension program in Uganda (Grameenwith Gates Foundation funding) → program redesign and strengthening • Assessment of National Coffee Growers Federation in Columbia → tighter links between research and extension and improved extension quality that benefits 500,000 farmers and their families • MEAS investment in CRS Farmbook and Smartskills ICT tools → improved program quality directly benefitting more than 700,000 smallholders • MEAS assessment in Bangladesh → helped shape the design of a $20 million USAID investment into ICT-based extension

21. Conclusions • Top extension issues appear at the levels of management, financing, political • MEAS, INGENAES, FAST, SEAS emphasize extension systems management, process, capacity and implementation to reduce rural poverty and increase agricultural productivity • University of Illinois has substantial institutional experience and capacity in leading projects and networks devoted to strengthening extension for development • Opportunity to leverage this experience with new funding partners and in new countries