2 pages., Via UI online subscription., Purpose: This paper examines extension practises of agricultural workers within the Egyptian government and the perceived barriers they face in implementing participatory approaches, identifying improvements required in research and extension processes to meet the real needs of Egyptian farming communities.
Design/Methodology/Approach: Key barriers for engaging in participatory extension were identified using content analysis of semi-structured interviews, surveys and focus group discussion of 37 government agricultural workers along with participant observation and review of existing literature.
Findings: The majority of workers surveyed understood basic participatory extension principles and desired to use these approaches. Changing from traditional ‘top down’ extension to systems that engage with farmers' needs at the community level is made difficult due to the aging and poorly functioning Village Extension Worker (VEW) network. Thus, it is far easier for the research driven extension programmes to use technology transfer models.
Practical Implications: Participatory extension relies on strong relationship building and open communication between farmers, extension workers, researchers, interest groups and policy-makers. The Egyptian government must properly establish and resource the pivotal role of VEWs within the extension system to meet its strategic aims of modernising agriculture, developing food security and improving the livelihoods of rural inhabitants.
Originality/Value: This paper captures the unique perspectives of government research, extension and education workers involved in agricultural development at a time directly after the 2010 revolution, when they were able to more openly reflect on the past and present situations.
International: Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation, ACP-EU, Wageningen, The Netherlands
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 153 Document Number: D11614
Notes:
3 pages., Online from publisher., Author addresses "large gap between African extension services ... and the number of farmers being reached." ... "Africa's existing mobile network (currently the second biggest mobile market in the world) could be better utilised to bridge this gap and provide mobile-based agricultural information, advice and support to smallholder farmers."
Wesseler, Gesa (author) and Brinkman, Willemine (author)
Format:
Paper
Publication Date:
2002
Published:
International
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 164 Document Number: D08294
Notes:
ACDC segment includes only bibliographic information, contents page and introduction. Full text was no longer available at the url 04/16/17., Paper presented at the regional conference on "Agroforestry impacts on livelihoods in Southern Africa: putting research into practice," Aventura Warmbaths, South Africa, May 20-24, 2002. 41 pages.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 138 Document Number: D05754
Notes:
Online from Rural Reporters. 3 pages., Addresses the role of community-based organizations (CBOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in strengthening the rural sector of developing countries, with emphasis on Africa.
Keeney, Dennis (author) and Vorley, William T. (author)
Format:
Book chapter
Publication Date:
1998
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: C16995
Notes:
Pages 39-50 in Steven A. Wolf (ed.), Privatization of information and agricultural industrialization. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida. 299 pages, This chapter originated as part of a workshop held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on October 25-26, 1995. Theme of the workshop: "Privatization of information and technology transfer in U.S. agriculture: research and policy implications."
14 pages., via online journal,, Effective agricultural extension is key to improving productivity, increasing farmers’ access to information, and promoting more diverse sets of crops and improved methods of cultivation. In India, however, the coverage of agricultural extension workers and the relevance of extension advice is poor. We investigate whether a women's self‐help group (SHG) platform could be an effective way of improving access to information, women's empowerment in agriculture, agricultural practices, and production diversity. We use cross‐sectional data on close to 1,000 women from five states in India and employ nearest‐neighbor matching models to match SHG and non‐SHG women along a range of observed characteristics. We find that participation in an SHG increases women's access to information and their participation in some agricultural decisions, but has limited impact on agricultural practices or outcomes, possibly due to financial constraints, social norms, and women's domestic responsibilities. SHGs need to go beyond provision of information to changing the dynamics around women's participation in agriculture to effectively translate knowledge into practice.
Caldwell, Lynton K. (author / Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Department of Communications Media) and U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.
Format:
Proceedings
Publication Date:
1971
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: Byrnes2 Document Number: C12251
Notes:
Francis C. Byrnes Collection, Pages 18-24 of a proceedings of a seminar in Arlington, Virginia, on January 25-28, 1971. 44 p.
