Innovative extension approaches

 
A volunteer farmer trainer in Uganda shows visitors her fodder demonstration plot

Overview

Since the decline of government-sponsored extension systems during the 1980s and 1990s, little attention has been given to rural advisory services. This is particularly a problem for agroforestry practices because they are knowledge-intensive and require considerable skills that most farmers lack, such as raising seedlings in a nursery, pruning trees and harvesting tree products. How to facilitate the spread of innovation and how to help farmers access outside information are key challenges for improving livelihoods.

Research questions

Our overall research question is: How can innovative extension approaches foster entrepreneurship, improve farmers' capacity to innovate, and facilitate the spread of agroforestry practices? More specifically, we examine:

• What are the key factors affecting the impact of innovative extension approaches such as volunteer farmer extension programmes, rural resource centres and SMS market information systems?
• How does the impact of innovative extension approaches vary by commodity, by land use system, by social setting and by region?

Partners

• Heifer International, USA
• Technoserve, USA
• International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Kenya
• Academy for Educational Development (AED)

Funding

• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
• Department for International Development (DFID), United Kingdom
• US Agency for International Development (USAID)
• Belgian Development Corporation, Belgium
• International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

Locations

Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Cameroon

Publications

1. Developed and tested analytical framework for assessing the costs and benefits of an extension approach from the perspective of three different stakeholders: farmer trainers, farmers being trained, and project management.

Franzel S. 2009 Cost-benefit analysis of a volunteer farmer trainer program in Kenya: Can trainers cover their extension costs by selling inputs and services? Poster presented at the World Agroforestry Congress, Nairobi, Kenya, August 2009.

2. Assesses a program of 400 volunteer farmer trainers across three countries who host demonstration plots and provide information and planting material to fellow farmers concerning improved feeds and feeding strategies for dairy farmers.

Kirui J, Franzel S, and Lukuyu B 2009. Farmer trainers : An emerging dissemination pathway. Poster presented at the World Agroforestry Congress, Nairobi, Kenya, August, 2009.

3. Describes the impact of fodder trees among East African dairy farmers and the extension approaches that were most effective in promoting their spread.

Place F, Rootheart R, Maina L, Franzel S. Sinja J and Wanjiku 2009 The impact of fodder trees on milk production and income among smallholder dairy farmers in East Africa and the role of research ICRAF Occasional Paper No. 12. Nairobi: World Agroforestry Centre.

4. Describes the advantages and disadvantages when 30 organizations promoting a suite of practices join together to monitor and evaluate their uptake.

Franzel S, Nanok T, Wangia S and Dewolf J. 2008. Collaborative monitoring and evaluation: assessing the uptake of improved fallows and biomass transfer in western Kenya. Experimental Agriculture, 44:1: 113-127.

5. Assesses the extension approaches that were most effective in promoting the spread of fodder shrubs in East Africa.

Franzel S and Wambugu C (2007). The uptake of fodder shrubs among smallholders in East Africa: Key elements that facilitate widespread adoption. In: Hare MD and Wongpichet K (eds) 2007. Forages: A pathway to prosperity for smallholder farmers. Proceedings of an International Symposium, Faculty of Agriculture, Ubon Ratchathani University, Thailand. 203-222.

6. Describes use of the SCALE^TM approach for scaling up the use of fodder shrubs in Kenya and enhancing social capital among participating organizations.

USAID (2007) Transforming the dairy feeds system to improve farmer productivity and livelihoods: A SCALE^TM case study, Kenya. USAID, Washington DC.

Livestock feeding systems and market access

As part of the East African Dairy Development project, the World Agroforestry Centre is working to improve feeding systems of smallholder dairy farmers through introducing improved fodder shrubs, herbaceous legumes and grasses, and promoting feed conservation. Marketing is a key feature of these interventions, and the Centre facilitates the development of seed and nursery enterprises. It also helps farmers link to business development services along the value chain such as feed suppliers and seed companies. The use of volunteer farmer trainers as a dissemination pathway is being tested and the trainers are assisted to develop enterprises for marketing inputs (e.g. seed), products (e.g. fodder) and services (e.g. making silage) which they are demonstrating. The process by which farmer trainers become business service providers is being researched and their effectiveness in disseminating innovations assessed.

For more information see:

• East Africa Dairy Development Project website
• Fodder trees for more milk and income
  An impact case study produced by the UK's Department of International Development (DFID)
• Fodder shrubs: milking success
  A short film which explains how the introduction of low cost, easy to grow fodder trees for cattle feed is boosting milk yields and increasing household incomes by US$30-120 annually. Produced b DFID.
• Lukuyu BA, Kitalyi A, Franzel S, Duncan A, Baltenweck I 2009 Constraints and options to enhancing production of high quality feeds in dairy production in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. World Agroforestry Centre.
• Franzel S, Wambugu C, Arimi H, Stewart J 2008 Fodder shrubs for improving livestock productivity and sustainable land management in East Africa. World Agroforestry Centre.

Contacts

Steven Franzel
Leader, Global Research Project - Tree Product Marketing
Email: s.franzel@cgiar.org

Website links

East Africa Dairy Development Project