What will agricultural extension look like in 10-20 years?

4-5 March 2020. This knowledge event was co-organized by the Feed the Future Developing Local Extension Capacity Project, AgReach initiative (University of Illinois), the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM), and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

The event explored the question: “What will agricultural extension look like in 10-20 years?” It included a combination of presentations, panel discussions, lightning talks, and posters to discuss:

• what will and won’t change
• what the extension ecosystem and the future extension worker will look like in the future
• what we are already learning that relates to that future, and what we could be doing to enable that future

See program of the event with links to the presentations. Poster session materials are available here.

Engaging Youth in Extension and Advisory Services

• Suresh Babu, IFPRI: Can promoting youth entrepreneurship help with extension innovation? Lessons from Bangladesh, India and Nigeria (presentation)
• Raphael Rurangwa, Developing Local Extension Capacity (DLEC): Youth engagement in private sector extension and advisory services: Experiences from Rwanda and Uganda (presentation)
• Patrice Djamen, DLEC: Why and how of fostering youth engagement in providing agricultural extension services (presentation)
• Peter Saling, Winrock International: AVENIR: Youth catalysts for agricultural modernization in Guinea (presentation)
• Chair: Jane Lowicki-Zucca, USAID

Systems Approach to Strengthening Extension

• Clodina Chowa, AgReach: Assessing the functionality of the District Agricultural Extension Services System (DAESS) stakeholder platforms: The case of Malawi (presentation)
• Kinfe Asayehegn, Hawassa University: Alternative approach for demand driven agricultural extension services: What the current challenges tell us about the future of extension in Ethiopia (presentation)
• Margaret Najjingo Mangheni, Makerere University: Analysis of Uganda’s 5-10-year agricultural development strategy context: Implications for agricultural extension and advisory services functions, opportunities and challenges (presentation)
• Paul McNamara, AgReach: Does Strengthening Extension at the Meso Level Improve Quality at the Village Level? Evidence from the USAID Strengthening Agricultural and Nutrition Extension (SANE) Activity (presentation)
• Chair: Austen Moore, Catholic Relief Services

Digital Extension presentations

• Ian Pringle, Farm Radio International: Targeting scale: Evidence forradio and ICT-based innovations in audience-focused digital extension andadvisory services
• Henry Kinyua, Digital Green: Private sector embedded extension: A case for private input companies providing extension in Makueni county Kenya and Video Enabled Extension in South Sudan 
• Joseph Molnar, Auburn University: Will mobile phone applicationstransform advisory services in Africa? The experience of a working mobileapplication in East Africa aquaculture