This Power Point Presentation gives an overview of the 2012 FAO report "The State of Food and Agriculture", which focuses on investment in agriculture for a better future.

The FAO publication, "The State of Food and Agriculture" carries a special report each year on a major theme in world agriculture, from the perspective of food insecurity and poverty.

This is a presentation on the Agricultural Extension Policies in Nigeria and Ghana.

As part of SOW, identify and review at least three examples of existing agricultural extension policy documents from other countries in Africa and consult with experts who have been involved in preparing those documents.

Vickie Sigman, University of Illinois, USA, 2012

As part of SOW, identify and review at least three examples of existing agricultural extension policy documents from other countries in Africa and consult with experts who have been involved in preparing those documents. Although Bangladesh is not in Africa, its policy is selected for review because follow-up studies provide useful lessons learned and weaknesses of the policy which can be used to inform Liberia’s policy.

Vickie Sigman, University of Illinois, USA, 2012

The Case of Uganda’s Extension Reform Process 1996 – 2011

For those policy-makers who would like to refresh their knowledge of the concept of extension, this is a practical guide to provide need- and demand-based knowledge and skills to rural men, women and youth in a non-formal,  participatory manner, with the objective of improving their quality of life. The function of extension may be applied to several subjects, both agricultural  and non-agricultural,  such as health; when it is applied to agriculture, it is called agricultural extension.

Linking knowledge to policy and action for food and livelihoods

Charlie Pye-Smith, CTA, 2012 

Policy Brief on a bill for protecting and empowering farmers in Indonesia.

This paper reviews the features of agricultural extension models and policy in selected sub- Saharan Africa countries. This is based on the premise that the discussion of extension policy in SSA countries can not be isolated from the extension models that are applied in these countries. While the models are direct products of the type of policy that has been adopted, the policy dictates the models to be used in each country.

This paper analyzes the features of agricultural extension models and policy in 27 sub- Saharan Africa (SSA) countries. This is based on the premise that the discussion of extension policy in SSA countries cannot be isolated from the extension models that are applied in these countries. While the models are direct products of the type of policy that has been adopted, the policy dictates the models to be used in each country. 

Policy influence and advocacy are increasingly regarded as a means of creating sustainable policy change in international development. It is often also seen as a difficult area to monitor and evaluate. Yet there is an increasingly rich strand of innovation in options to monitor, evaluate and learn from both the successes and failures of policy influence and advocacy interventions. This paper explores current trends in monitoring and evaluating policy influence and advocacy; discusses different theories of how policy influence happens; and presents a number of options to monitor and evaluate different aspects of advocacy interventions. Case studies describe how some organisations have used these options in practice to understand their impact and improve their advocacy strategies.

ODI Working Paper 395.

Power Point Presentation held at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Policy Seminar at the Washington DC launch of FAO's State of Food and Agriculture 2012: Investing in Agriculture for a Better Future on 22 January 2013.

This Presentation was held at the Institute of Development Studies on 6-7 December 2012.

This paper provides an overview of approaches to monitoring and evaluating policy influence, based on an exploratory review of the literature and selected interviews with expert informants, as well as ongoing discussions and advisory projects for policy-makers and practitioners who also face the challenges of monitoring and evaluation. There are a number of lessons that can be learned, and tools that can be used, that provide workable solutions to these challenges.

ODI Background Note