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.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 113 Document Number: C11189
Journal Title Details:
6 pages
Notes:
Conference: Partnerships & Participation in Telecommunications for Rural Development at the beautiful campus of the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, October 26 & 27, 1998.
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."
Asaba, Jane Frances (author), Musebe, Richard (author), Kimani, Martin (author), Day, Roger (author), Nkonu, Michael (author), Mukhebi, Adrian (author), Wesonga, Albert (author), Mbula, Regina (author), Balaba, Peter (author), and Nakagwa, Alyce (author)
Format:
Paper
Publication Date:
2006-05-21
Published:
International
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 151 Document Number: C24477
Notes:
Retrieved July 5, 2006, Conference sponsored by the International Association for Agricultural Information Specialists (IAALD) in Nairobi, Kenya, May 21-26, 2006. Via Livelihoods Connect. 13 pages., Conference theme: "Managing agricultural information for sustainable food security and improved livelihoods in Africa."
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 201 Document Number: D11768
Notes:
Report from Agri-Pulse received online via AgriMarketing Weekly. 6 pages., Report of a letter to Capitol Hill and the White House from a new American Connection Project Broadband Coalition calling for a "robust federal investment in broadband internet connectivity." Letter (attached) signed by 40 ag, tech, and healthcare groups.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 151 Document Number: C24481
Notes:
Retrieved July 5, 2006, Conference sponsored by the International Association for Agricultural Information Specialists (IAALD) in Nairobi, Kenya, May 21-26, 2006. Via Livelihoods Connect. 6 pages., Conference theme: "Managing agricultural information for sustainable food security and improved livelihoods in Africa."
Ward, William B. (author / Cornell University), Read, Hadley (author / University of Illinois), and Colle, Royal D. (author / Cornell University)
Format:
Presentation
Publication Date:
1971
Published:
India
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 122 Document Number: D11136
Notes:
From the "India visit 1971" file of the international programs section of the Agricultural Communications Program, University of Illinois., 24 pages., Presented at the second convention of Indian Agricultural Universities, at U.P. Agricultural University, Pantnagar, India,February 25-28, 1971
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.
