Carl Larsen is GFRAS’ new Executive Secretary
Carl Erik Schou Larsen is the new Executive Secretary of the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services. Dr. Larsen holds a Ph.D. and Master Degree in Tropical Animal Husbandry from the University of Copenhagen and a Master of Public Administration from Copenhagen Business School in Denmark. He worked in Ethiopia and Kenya with the International Livestock Research Institute and has experience with both the private sector and NGOs in the agricultural field.
Larsen previously worked as a Senior Agriculture Education consultant for the World Bank’s Global Practice for Education and Global Practice for Agriculture as well as FAO’s Investment Centre. He specializes in institutional and human performance enhancement within agriculture research and extension as well as within higher education and has extensive experience in design, supervision, and evaluation of agriculture projects.
His broad international experience makes him able to quickly understand local contexts and needs in new settings and situations. Coupled with his ability to give constructive advice based on updated academic knowledge/information, this makes him a valuable external evaluator and resource person.
Click here to read a brief interview with him:
RELASER officially becomes a TAP partner
RELASER - Red Latinoamericana de Servicios de Extensíon Rural - has officially joined the ranks as a partner of the Tropical Agriculture Platform (TAP). TAP and its partners use this platform as a means to exchange experiences and learn from each other with the goal to strengthen innovation capacities in agriculture.
Partners in TAP include national agricultural research, education and extension institutions, private sector, civil society, and farmers’ organizations from the G20 and developing countries, as well as key regional and international fora, networks and agencies.
GFRAS Impact Stories
GFRAS is launching a survey in order to generate some snapshots of the positive effects and impacts that itself, its regional networks, and the country fora had on policies, organisations, and individuals over the past years.
At the end of this exercise, we hope to be able to illustrate some of the big successes of GFRAS. But we also think that the overall impact is very much the result of all the little, seemingly inconspicuous changes in behaviours and actions of people from all over the world directly or indirectly involved in extension. We are therefore equally interested in hearing your more subtle, implicit and less straightforward everyday-life stories that showcase the effects and impacts of GFRAS and its regional networks and country fora. So please make sure you think of those stories, too, when you are filling in the survey. Those willing to contribute to this survey can find the link here.
AESA: The First Six Years
The Agricultural Extension in South Asia (AESA) Network was formed in 2013 to meet the demand for a network of all those interested in extension and advisory services (EAS) in the region. Sustained efforts in the last six years have contributed to the development and promotion of new knowledge on extension research and practices, as well as influenced policies on EAS in the region. There is scope to accomplish a lot more to enhance EAS’s contribution to transforming agriculture in South Asia.
In March 2019, the Network completed its first six years of activities. With that, they prepared a special publication to mark the occasion, celebrate the past, and look ahead to the future. We look forward to your guidance and support to strengthen AESA so that it can make significant contributions to enhancing the capacity of extension and advisory services in South Asia. This publication can be accessed here:
2019 GFRAS Annual Meeting
Save the date! The 10th GFRAS Annual Meeting, whose topic is "Role of RAS in Climate Change & Disaster Risk Management" will take place in Jamaica between 30 September and 4 October, and registration for the event will open soon, at the end of April. The concept note will also be available then. Side Events are planned to take place on September 30th, the main meeting between October 1-3, and a General Assembly on October 4th.
