Developing Local Extension Capacity

Extract of a study by the The Feed the Future Developing Local Extension Capacity (DLEC) project led by Digital Green, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Care International and GFRAS.

In Guinea, agriculture is the key livelihood for the majority of the nation’s people. Guinea is one of the poorest countries in the world, and there are many challenges for rural agriculture: poor access to agricultural inputs, poor transport infrastructure, lack of investment, past government policies that did not promote agricultural production, the impact of the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak (2014- 2015), and under-resourced and under-utilized agricultural extension services. Due to these factors, Guinea’s agricultural sector has underperformed in comparison to its actual agricultural potential.

Additionally, there are many opportunities through agriculture to face these challenges. Overall, agricultural extension and advisory services (EAS) and education for farmers are keys to increased overall agricultural productivity.

Rural extension and advisory services are defined by the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS) as all the different activities that provide the information and services needed by farmers and other players in the innovation system to develop and build their technical, organizational and management capacities, so they can improve their quality of life and well-being (Christoplos, 2010). Therefore, EAS can encompass training for improved inputs and techniques to increase production, improved crop varieties, soil quality, cropping practices for staples and cash crops, minimizing the impact of climate change (e.g., reduced coastal rainfall (Jalloh et al, 2013)), livestock production, post-harvest handling, grain storage and improved marketing techniques/approaches.

Guinea’s current EAS system has been underfunded and underutilized, and the government and donors are working together to improve EAS delivery. This report, produced by Feed the Future’s Developing Local Extension Capacity (DLEC) project reviews Guinea’s EAS system to recommend areas for potential investment by government, donors, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector and will serve to guide investors in EAS. Evidence generated from this desk review will contribute to the knowledge base for best-fit practices to build up EAS in Guinea. The modified DLEC best-fit conceptual framework that appears below guides the DLEC project overall and this report.

The Feed the Future Developing Local Extension Capacity (DLEC) project measurably improves extension programs, policies and services by creating locally-tailored, partnership-based solutions and by mobilizing active communities of practice to advocate for scaling proven approaches. The five-year (2016-2021) project is designed to diagnose, test and share best-fit solutions for agricultural extension systems and services across Feed the Future countries.

Led by Digital Green in partnership with Care International, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS), DLEC is an action-oriented, evidence-based learning project that generates evidence through diagnostic studies and engagement activities, which in turn are used as a catalyst for mobilizing global and country-level communities of practice to advocate for improved EAS. The project’s diagnostic studies evaluate and analyze local EAS operating contexts and capacities for Feed the Future and aligned countries.

Full report: