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Private Extension Service Delivery in the Vegetable Sector. Hanson Arthur GhanaVeg Fund Manager and Monitoring Expert 19 June, 2014. Background. Ghana’s vegetable sector characterized by: Low availability and knowledge of improved inputs Limited agronomic skills and practices
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Private Extension Service Delivery in the Vegetable Sector Hanson Arthur GhanaVeg Fund Manager and Monitoring Expert 19 June, 2014
Background Ghana’s vegetable sector characterized by: • Low availability and knowledge of improved inputs • Limited agronomic skills and practices • Poor food safety for both domestic and export market • Poor postharvest management practices => Ideally all these are easy for extension to address
…but how’s Ghana’s extension system doing? • Government’s dominate role post-independence diminishing... • Production orientation and general recommendation; no longer helpful to the commercial farmer • Only about 10% of farmers reached by extension agents1 • 1: 1,300 ratio of AEA to farmer woefully inadequate1 • Government under pressure to be efficient and reduce costs 1SEND Ghana, 2014
ToR Requirements • Study the feasibility of a private sector-led extension system for the vegetable sector • If feasible, define specific models most in demand within the sector • Outline clear economic viability and cost recovery approaches for most preferred model(s) • Profile existing private sector companies, assess their capacity and willingness to provide this service on a purely commercial basis
Deliverables • A Project Proposal detailing the key activities and how they would be carried out, and the key milestones • A Study Report, that clearly includes: • The feasibility, cost-effectiveness and sustainability of a sector led extension regime • A proposed model(s) of extension service delivery adaptable to the Ghanaian context with the underpinning reasons for such a model(s) • A matrix of potential private sector companies capable and willing to provide such extension services • A demonstration of how this system will be funded and be made commercially viable • A Sample BO Call that can be used to support such a project
Are there any examples? • Syngenta Advisory Services in Pakistan • Divides country into 4 zones • Each zone divided into 3-5 regions • Each region divided 5-15 territories depending on scale of targeted crops grown • Territory staff made of Technical Sales Officer (TSOs) and several Field Officers (FOs) • FOs have 12 years of education and prior experienceoffarmingin the area, but trained regularly in crop management and pesticide use • Company selects and trains host farmers (50-100) per territory to enhance outreach
What the advisory services entail • Introducing new pesticides • Providing technical services to progressive farmers at their doorsteps • Free demonstration trials on progressive farmers’ fields • arranging field days to show results of pesticides / IPM methods on crops