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The Current Nature of Agriculture in the Provinces: Implications for Extension and New Policy Guidelines. Dr. Francois Lategan University of Fort Hare. From an extension point of view …. Agriculture is about people and their interaction (culture) with the land (agri-).
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The Current Nature of Agriculture in the Provinces: Implications for Extension and New Policy Guidelines Dr. Francois Lategan University of Fort Hare
From an extension point of view … Agriculture is about people and their interaction (culture) with the land (agri-) Agricultural production efficiency is determined by the efficiency of skills application (competencies) in the production process – coming as result of conscious decision making.
Points to ponder (1) • Poverty most important cause for a multitude of social and economic disasters – affects 70% of the world population • In Africa, per capita food production has declined in most years since 1970 and is reflected in recurrent famine
Points to ponder (2) • While agricultural output is growing in Africa, productivity, as measured by the average productivity of agricultural land and labor, has declined over most of the last two decades. • Africa’s share of total world agricultural trade fell from 8 percent in 1965 to 3 percent in 1996.
Dwindling agricultural growth relative to the GDP Construction sector Financial services sector Transport sector Wholesale and retail sector Manufacturing sector Mining sector Agricultural sector (2.9%)
Agriculture is in a destructive spiral… • Lack of technical knowledge and managerial skills Increased irrelevance …
By implication the extension challenge must recognize… DETERMINANTS OF BEHAVIOUR (production environmental factors) BEHAVIOUR (Practice Adoption) RESULTS OF BEHAVIOUR (Efficiency of production) Human Aspects Agricultural – Economic Aspects Practice Adoption P1 P2 P3 P4 “ Px Needs / aspirations / values Perception Knowledge Personal and Environmental Factors Physical efficiency Economic Efficiency Social Impact Human development/Capacity Building
If we now combine this … Decision making environment of farmer Decision making dimension Interpretation dimension Monitoring and evaluation dimension Human (Psychological) Economic - Technical Production environment Mediating variables Production Behaviour Production outcomes Personal, production, infrastructural, institutional and environmental factors Adoption of Practices (P) – Production, Utilization and Financial Perception, Needs / aspirations, Knowledge Yield, Product quality, Profitability, Sustainability 2. 3. 1. Agri-technical research environment Direct sphere of influence of agricultural policy The extension challenge is to integrate human behavior and the natural environment to achieve sustainable and efficient agricultural growth and development
Commercialization as continuum of outcomes… • Small scale production environment • lack of efficient production models • an increasing emphasis on survival orientated production methods • very little to no sustainability • Fully commercialized, market orientated production environment • clearly definable and researched driven production models • increasing emphasis on efficiency and sustainability of production models continuum of processes and model development Efficiency of production models and scale of production will determine positioning on the continuum.
Specific challenges: • Government: (National priorities; post 1994) 1. Poverty Alleviation 2. Job Creation • No “industry” to drive development: • Lack sustainable production models for small-scale farmers • Addresses challenges for only 3% of communal farmers • Development: • Has become a “paper–world” • Technical questions of agricultural production have largely been answered, but the challenges of marketing and value addition remains unsolved.
ALICE – a typical rural town, with limited markets and economy
Economic reality of resource poor small-scale producers in SA:
Crucial paradigm shifts … 1 2 3 4
Agricultural Innovation Growth Spiral Challenge (ERP must add momentum)… Social and Human Capital Absorptive capacity Research capacity Technological and Innovative performance
FARMERS AND THE AGRIBUSINESSES OF THE 21 CENTURY EXTENSION RECOVERY PLAN Provision of ICT infrastructure and other resources Recruitment of 1000 personnel over the MTEF Promote professionalism and improve the image Re skilling and re orientation of extension Ensure accountability and visibility of extension IMPLEMENTATION BASED ON 5 PILLARS
Important features… • Establishment of a unit responsible for managing extension at all levels • Develop a service charter outlining the role of extension and responsibilities of farmers including communication protocols • Establish an Extension Recovery Plan Forum • Review the norms and standards and turn them into a National Policy on Extension (going beyond public sector extension) • Establish a statutory body to guide and uphold the image of extension as a profession • Enroll extension personnel in competence based skills programmes from technical (hard) to soft skills programmes
Important features… • Design and facilitate the implementation of compulsory education and training programmes for extension practitioners and support personnel • Develop capacity building programmes on knowledge and information management • Provide extension personnel with Decision Support Systems in line with the farming practice in a given geographical locality
Can the Extension Recovery Plan … • Support the identification, training and mentoring of suitable small scale entrepreneurs to become competitive and economically successful farmers, managers, consultants and agribusiness entrepreneurs – greater participation in mainstream agricultural activities?
Can the Extension Recovery Plan … • Strengthen and support the strongly commercialized section of the agricultural sector to maintain its global competitiveness? • Support the agricultural commercialization process through the provision of supportive extension inputs to all farmers at all levels?
Can the Extension Recovery Plan … • Assist farmers in interpreting scale and complexity of the agricultural production environment? • Manage the dependence of farmers on the wider policy environment and other industry functions – especially problems created by institutional frameworks and other discriminatory and unfavorable measures?
Can the Extension Recovery Plan … • Monitor agricultural input and output to manage the inability to conclusively trace cause and effect of farming production? • Offer sufficient commitment and political support to facilitate implementation and financial support? • Assure full accountability in terms of support and servicing to farmers?
Can the Extension Recovery Plan … • Offer full support to the whole farming community beyond agricultural knowledge and information transfer? • Ensure sufficient interaction with knowledge generation processes to influence competition for power and financial resources between extension and research?
Implications for the ERP decision making mechanism Institutional accountability Industry growth accountability ERP management decision making process Interaction between ERP and agricultural environment Leadership qualities in the ERP ERP activities implemented Results of implementation Interpretation dimension Monitoring and evaluation dimension • Impact of the ERP on: • Economic prosperity; • Environmental quality; • Social equity Vision, commitment and dedication of leadership corps to the Extension Recovery Plan Internal capacity of the Extension Recovery Plan • Implementation of mechanisms for: • Quality assurance • Equity requirements • Financial sustainability • Effective support systems • Optimising outputs • Comprehensive ability to purposefully and effectively: • Analyse and evaluate the agricultural extension environment locally, nationally and internationally; • Manage competing forces and requirements • Manage resources, people and systems • Interpret extension policies and priorities; • Implement extension monitoring and evaluation strategies • Knowledge, skill and understanding to actively conduct and participate in: • Accurately evaluating extension programmeswithin set priorities system; • Conducting ongoing communication interaction programmes with extension practitioners and the agricultural industry and fostering linkages; • Offer options and advice in the programme approval process; • Clear, concise, accurate and structured monitoring and evaluation reporting to promote a more efficient and effective extension planning, implementing and monitoring process; • Relating developments in the national and international agricultural institutional and extension environments to the effective functioning of the ERP – lateral thinking. • Knowledge, skill and understanding to actively conduct and participate in : • Agri-technical extension implementation and monitoring and evaluation programmes; • Offering perspectives and planning inputs in the design and prioritization of extension programmes; • Attending and offering continuous agri-technical extension courses in order to effectively lead the process; • Maintaining linkages with role players and building extension data base.
Institutionalizing the Extension Recovery Plan … Exposure to intensive agricultural skills and academic training programmes * Continuous production of suitable NEW entrants to agriculture ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT PROTOCOLinteracting, implementing and managing of training, partnering and extension activities to maintain partnering environment (Industry to interact with ERP)* Techo-scientific/experiential learning / socially acceptable / sustainable agriculture promoting / change oriented agricultural SERVICING PROTOCOL to communities * Selection of suitable extension people for IN SERVICE TRAINING– process of selection for continuous training and development In service activity TRAINING PROTOCOL (rotating placement with commodity production models to promote diverse and lateral thinking) MENTORING PROTOCOL (continuous interaction with Industry mentors – continuous creation and implementation of learning experiences) OUTPUTwill determine success of activities – continuous evaluation to maintain efficient and effective servicing in the ERP* * Continuous research and development programmes to be implemented
