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The five areas to mobilise the potential of rural advisory services are
1. focusing on best-fit approaches
2. embracing pluralism
3. increasing accountability to rural clients
4. human resource development
5. sustainability
2. P
luralism in advisory Civil society organisations have a
service provision key role to play as well. Producer organ-
isations play a particular role. They are
There are many different types of adviso- key to driving agricultural transforma-
ry service providers and approaches. This tion processes and are playing a central
is appropriate, as the diversity of rural role on both the demand and the sup-
life and needs should be matched by di- ply side of RAS. They are well-placed
versity in services, approaches, and pro- to identify, synthesise, and articulate
viders. Various service providers tend to needs and solutions for farmers. On the
reach different types of clientele. Three other hand, due to the closeness to the
basic categories of providers include the clientele and their flexibility in service
public, civil society, and private sectors. delivery, producer organisations have
While public RAS provision has often unique strengths in acting as rural advi-
played a major role in development, pri- sory services providers themselves. But
vate and civil society (non-governmental producer organisations often face se-
organisations (NGOs) and farmer organi- vere challenges regarding governance,
sations) RAS are also key players. performance on both demand and sup-
ply side, and regarding their economic, by non-state providers. Private adviso-
environmental, and social sustainability. ry services may actually be better at
reaching poor farmers than the public
Private advisory services often assist sector if incentives such as subsidies
a limited clientele, primarily related are improved.
to high-value products and relative-
ly well-off producers. Input suppliers Pluralism in advisory services pro-
are increasingly providing information vides the opportunity to capitalise on
regarding new varieties and planting the comparative advantages of differ-
methods to all kinds of producers. ent types of organisations – including
While private providers are not likely public sector, farmers’ organisations
to reach hundreds of millions of poor and NGOs, and the private sector. The
farmers, particularly women, they play trick, however, is in coordination of
an important role in linking producers such providers, making sure that vul-
to market and increasing incomes. nerable sectors of the farming popu-
lation are not forgotten, and avoiding
Institutional pluralism through different excess duplication of efforts. Public
service providers must be matched by financial support, technical backstop-
pluralism in financial flows if RAS are ping, and coordination are thus need-
to be broadly accessible. Private invest- ed. Governments must focus on meet-
ment will not address the needs of all ing the needs of disadvantaged groups
rural producers. Hence, targeted pub- ensuring quality assurance of advisory
lic investments in RAS will remain cru- services.
cial, even when services are carried out
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4. H
uman resource from lecturing to empowering clientele
development to deal with uncertainties and variabil-
ity such as climate change and market
Human resources are a fundamental trends. This requires a better balance
bottleneck to effective RAS given the between technical and functional skills
new challenges facing rural develop- such as critical thinking, problem solv-
ment. Due to a lack of interest in ag- ing, organisational development, and
riculture and accompanying funding facilitation.
stagnation and brain drain, agricultur-
al education came to a point of near- There is also a need to upgrade skills
collapse in some areas. There are sev- among universities and other training
eral different levels of need for human institutions who are preparing graduates
resource development for RAS: farmer within the agriculture sector. While there
level, extension agent level, and high- are some efforts being made to invest in
er education/training institution level. agricultural education, especially on ter-
Government officials also need en- tiary level, there is a need for revisiting
hanced capacities due to decentralisa- curricula on all levels. It also means that
tion efforts (see previous section). an education should go beyond train-
ing, but include practical experience and
Agricultural education and empower- continuous learning. In addition, the dis-
ment for farmers is an important com- cipline should be fostered through pro-
ponent in efforts to enhance their ca- fessionalisation and professional society
pacity to demand and utilise advice. membership. In short, GFRAS calls for
Farmers and other rural actors need taking the necessary steps to promote
technical and management skills, as well extension as a valuable profession, and
as the ability to operate in groups, use extension staff professionals.
ICTs effectively, and seek markets.
For human resource development, state
Extension agents (be they public, civil budget allocation is needed. Plans for
society or private) need capacity devel- RAS must reflect this human resource
opment as well. Effective advice is no crisis and include concerted and sustain-
longer a matter of simply providing mes- able investment strategies to address it.
sages about set technological packages If the plans are followed through, it is
to rural people. Indeed, there is a shift an opportunity to equip advisors and
from technical advice to advice that also other rural development actors with the
contains organisational, cultural, and so- appropriate skills to deal with the ever-
cial elements. Extensionists must shift changing and complex arena in which
they operate.
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5. S
ustainability: Beyond tematic, institutional approaches to re-
projects to institutions form and strengthening pluralistic RAS
systems.
Sustainable rural advisory services
need government commitment and ef- The changing technological landscape,
fective forms of financing. RAS pro- including the spread of internet and mo-
jects have shown that the injection of bile phones, has shown the potential for
project resources can mobilise service enhancing access to information about
provision for a short period of time, but markets, weather, and technological op-
that the sustainability of these projects tions, and improve communication and
has generally been poor. Additional linkages among stakeholders. This has
temporary resources may be needed often been heralded as yet another ‘sil-
for particular campaigns or for dealing ver bullet’ for sustainability in that they
with temporary problems (such as re- are expected to avoid the problems of
sponding to a drought). All too often, bloated bureaucracies and high recur-
however, these high profile ‘quick im- rent costs.
pact’ investments have distracted at-
tention from the need to strengthen The opportunity here is to ensure that
the institutions that will carry out fu- these newer methods are integrated
ture programmes. Pressures to ad- within the work of existing institutions
dress the food security crisis and re- and organisations. Methods must be
spond to climate change have meant adapted to existing capacities and the
that RAS are still often supported as context where they will be used. As
a temporary component of broader mentioned above, project support must
projects addressing various themes. If be balanced with systematic, institution-
this syndrome is to be avoided, project al approaches to reform and strength-
support must be balanced with sys- ening pluralistic systems.
Conclusions
While we have learned valuable lessons from past efforts, there is still much to be
done. In spite of limited knowledge on the varying effectiveness of various approaches
in terms of addressing different needs, demands, and capacity constraints, it is clear
that RAS form an essential institution within rural development. We can mobilise the
potential of RAS by focusing on these five areas: best-fit approaches, pluralism, ac-
countability to rural client, human resource development, and sustainability in order for
RAS to contribute effectively to rural development and poverty alleviation.
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Contact
Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS)
c/o Agridea
Jordils 1
1001 Lausanne, Switzerland
Telephone: +41 (0)52 354 97 64
Fax: +41 (0)52 354 97 97
info@g-fras.org, www.g-fras.org
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