Agriculture is multi-functional, producing economic goods including food, feed, fibre, and fuel, as well as providing several intangible or non-tradable services to society free of cost. Non-tradable services, unlike economic goods, remain unpriced; as a result, farmers are not compensated monetarily for the benefits of the several non-tradable services they provide through agriculture. Recognizing the monetary value of non-tradable ecosystem services is crucial to incentivize farmers to adopt eco-friendly technologies and practices for the sustainable development of agriculture. Through a meta-analysis of the existing evidence on ecosystem services, this study attempts to estimate the value of ecosystem services by using direct and indirect valuation methods—for example, carbon sequestration, methane emission, nutrient availability, biological nitrogen fixation, and water saving—generated by several important technological and agronomic interventions, namely the direct seeding of rice (DSR), zero-tillage in wheat, leguminous crops, organic manure, integrated nutrient management, and agroforestry, based on studies conducted in India.

Agricultural advisory services are the most important knowledge-delivery institutions for accelerating the adoption of advanced technologies, and for improving farmers’ learning abilities for their implementation. These technologies have implications for the larger goal of agricultural development and farmers’ welfare. This study explores the spillover effects of an innovative public-sector program in India that provides agricultural advisory services. At the Farm Science Centre (known locally as Krishi Vigyan Kendra [KVK]), scientists demonstrate modern technologies and develop capacity-building programs. This paper examines the extent of direct and spillover benefits of KVKs. It also evaluates the impact of KVKs on the adoption of improved technologies for primary beneficiaries (those who receive the benefits directly from KVKs), and for those farmers who receive information flow from them.

This study assessed the performance of extension services in efforts to maintain the food security of paddy-rice farmers households in Bondowoso, Indonesia. The farmers satisfaction with extension services is very closely related to the management of extension services that can be identified through feedback from farmers as users of extension services. This study was aimed to analyze the performance of extension services and promote the development strategies. The survey method was used to determine the level of innovation needs and availability of innovations through extension services as well as the level of farmer satisfaction with the performance of extension services. Data obtained from structured interviews with 200 respondents and the observation process. The strategy that needs to be developed in improving the quality of extension services is to increase the competency of extension workers in accessing technology and management of farmer groups.

This paper examines the determinants of farmers’ access to agricultural extension services and adoption of technical inputs. It also attempts to identify what works best for Indian agriculture. Based upon all-India unit-level data of 35,200 farming households surveyed by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) under the 70th round in 2013, it applies the binary logistic regression model. The study underlines that the ‘Access’ to agricultural extension services does not guarantee ‘Adoption’ of the technologies or better farm practices, as all the variables emerging as significant in case of ‘Access’ do not emerge as significant for ‘Adoption’. The study finds the strong influence of personal and household characteristics on both ‘Access’ and ‘Adoption’. However, socioeconomic and technology variables such as caste, gender, religion, and usage of ICT are found to be important for ‘Access’ but not for the ‘Adoption’. The paper underlines that physical forms of extension services are far more important than the modern ICT driven services in the developing countries like India. It, therefore, recommends significant strengthening of these services with more generous government support.

The creation of Competitive Research Grants (CRGs) is globally recognized as an institutional innovation for improving the effectiveness of agricultural research. Unlike block grants for research, CRGs are expected to bring in many top-quality proposals from a wide range of actors, selecting the best out of them and thus getting more value for money. The Government of Bangladesh established the Krishi Gobeshona Foundation (KGF) in 2007 as an agency to administer and promote competitive research grants in agriculture. Beyond this, KGF was also tasked with building partnerships and strengthening research capacities. Over the last 15 years, KGF has funded 10 basic research proposals and 260 Competitive Grant Proposals (CGPs). It has also supported several short-term projects/studies. KGF, over the years, has also promoted pluralism in agricultural research and multi-institutional research functioning. Along the way, it also made several changes in its governance and rules related to grant making as well as management processes. In this Good Practice Note, Dr Wais Kabir, reflects on the performance of KGF over the years, its success and challenges and he draws several lessons for all those who are trying to initiate and promote CRGs in agriculture.

This study assesses the use and benefits of the Plantwise Knowledge Bank (PWKB) using mixed methods. Focusing on website activity for 2021, study findings show that the PWKB has diverse users within national plant health ecosystems from both Plantwise and non-Plantwise countries. Plantwise countries are countries who have implemented elements of CABI’s Plantwise programme. Most users in 2021 were from Plantwise countries in Asia, with users from other regions also contributing significantly to the site traffic. Furthermore, there was an increase in number of users, visits and page views as compared to past years, with the site having more men than women, visitors. Most users were repeat visitors who found the site organically via mobile phones.

Le conseil agricole est l'un des instruments le plus importants de la politique agricole marocaine. Il contribue grâce à l'accompagnement des agriculteurs et la profession à la modernisation de l'agriculture et à l'amélioration de sa productivité et de sa valeur ajoutée.

Ce guide méthodologique a le mérit de rassembler et synthétiser les démarches du conseil agricole et de clarifier les concepts, les méthodes et les approches de vulgarisation et de conseil agricole au Maroc. Il rappele également l'evolution et les axes repères du système national du conseil agricole depuis l'indépendence et donne un aperçu sur le programme de formation complémentaire aux futures conseillers agricoles privés qui será assure par notre Etablissement.

Planning for quality programmes

Since the development of the farmer field school (FFS) approach in the late 80s in Asia, thousands of FFS have since been implemented across the world, in over 90 countries and across a varied range of contexts and thematic areas. Demand for FFS programmes is increasing, and in several countries the approach is now institutionalized within public extension systems and NGO programmes. It is estimated that by 2015 millions of farmers and agro-pastoralists had benefitted from the unique ability of FFS programmes to address the technological, social and economic needs of smallholder farmers and land users.

This FFS Guidance Document focuses on the process and critical decisions that are necessary when starting a new FFS programme, and guides the reader through the essential steps required to establish a solid basis for such programmes, in tune with the specific local conditions. It also defines the essential elements and processes required to ensure programme relevance, quality, growth and sustainability. The document differs from most of the FFS manuals and guidelines available in that it focuses on providing support to FFS programme managers and formulators, as opposed to FFS field facilitators or trainers, who are the primary target group for most existing manuals

Loin de présenter une méthode applicable en toutes circonstances, ce guide propose des principes pour construire une méthode et des outils adaptés aux conditions de chaque situation, en étroite collaboration avec des paysans motivés et leurs organisations, pour renforcer des compétences utiles au conseil, pour négocier et mettre en place des dispositifs d’appui-conseil. Ces principes sont issus d’une réflexion collective sur diverses expériences de conseil en Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre. Cet ouvrage, illustré par de nombreux exemples, s’adresse en priorité à des techniciens et des responsables paysans qui souhaiteraient approfondir ces principes méthodologiques, maîtriser des outils et construire des dispositifs d’appui-conseil.

In today’s fast-changing world, agricultural producers need support to innovate as well as reliable sources of information, knowledge, skills and technologies along the entire value chain in farming, livestock and fish production. One of the core functions of extension and rural advisory services is to facilitate the access of farmers, their organizations and other market actors to knowledge, information and technologies/practices. To carry out these multi-faceted functions, extension professionals and their organizations need to utilize a broad range of methods and approaches. While nearly every extension and rural advisory service program and project has developed guidelines on how to use and evaluate extension methods and approaches, there is a lack of detailed information and guidance on what factors need to be considered when selecting extension/advisory methods and approaches which are most suited for which purpose and content. The inappropriate selection and use of extension methods may limit the effectiveness of service provision, resulting in diminished impact and a failure to meet clients’ needs and demands. This decision guide is intended to help extension professionals and their organizations make informed decisions about which extension method and approach to use for providing information, technologies and services to rural producers and to facilitate interactions and knowledge flow. Expected users include field-based rural advisors, extension managers and programme planners

A growing variety of public and private rural advisory services (Box 1) are available today, leading to increasingly “pluralistic service systems” (PSS), where advisory services are provided by different actors and funded from different sources (Wongtschowski et al., 2013). This is generally regarded as an important step forwards, away from reliance on monolithic, mostly state-led service systems. 

PSS have the potential to overcome constraints related to funding, staffing and expertise, and to make advisory services more demand-driven. But are they really able to reach the hundreds of millions of small-scale farmers in need of services? 

Reality seems to indicate that too many farmers still fall through the cracks between service providers and remain without any services at all. The inclusive aspect of PSS thus warrants closer attention.

The Latin American Network for Rural Extension Services (RELASER) was created in October of 2010 as an institutional space for the promotion and strengthening of Rural Extension and Advisory Services (REAS) in Latin America. It promotes dialogue and cooperation to generate approaches, strategies, policies, methodologies and tools for REAS, agricultural innovation and rural development. The network works through the exchange of experiences, information and knowledge.

A key element of the strategy of RELASER and GFRAS is building and strengthening Country Fora (CF) of the network at the country level. The Country Fora of RELASER have the objective of highlighting the topic of extension in the national debate towards its improvement. They work by identifying, classifying and articulating relevant actors to jointly develop a Work Plan to influence the country's policies.