Extension Services in India: Emerging challenges and ways forward

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Extension Services in IndiaEmerging
challenges and ways forward

• Rasheed Sulaiman V
• Centre for Research on Innovation and Science
  Policy (CRISP)
• (South Asia Rural Innovation Policy Studies Hub)
• Hyderabad

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Structure

• Main arguments
• Agricultural Extension-Evolution Current status
• 3 cases
• Lessons
• Implications for extension reform

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Main Argument 1

• Changing nature of agriculture
• Many of these challenges transcend the level of
  individual farms and need new forms of
  co-ordination among various actors
• Addressing complex issues needs interaction among
  a number of actors
• (sustainable resource use quality and
  standards enhancing competitiveness value
  addition, collective marketing)
• Farmers need an integrated set of advice and
  services

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Main argument 2

• Extension should play a wider role
• beyond technology dissemination
• beyond price/market information group formation
• Include addressing vulnerability and poverty,
  environmental issues, enterprise development,
  dealing with markets, financial agencies, and
  farmer organizations,
• Build networks with all the other actors
• Recent studies
• Farrington et al, 2002, Berdegue and Escobar,
  2002
• Neuchatel Group, 2002, Rivera et al, 2001,
  Leeuwis and van den Ban, 2004 Sulaiman and Hall,
  2003, 2005 APO, 2006
• And alsolearning from on-going experiments in
  India

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Main argument 3

• Extension should have links with several actors
• Beyond research (public sector research)
• Technology users, private companies, NGOs, market
  intermediaries, financial agencies
• Public sector extension-state Dept of Agriculture
  (DoA) (on a decline)
• Private sector extension is expanding, though
  useful, not a substitute for public provision of
  extension

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Main argument 4

• Extension needs new theories/framework to
  reinvent its new mission- (systems perspectives)
• Beyond diffusion of innovations
• Beyond linear transfer of technology paradigm
  (R-E-F)
• Beyond technological determinism
• Beyond invention and transfer to innovation
  (generation, diffusion, adaptation and use of new
  knowledge)
• Acknowledges the role of different actors and
  their interaction
• .And also more funding and competent manpower

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Extension system-evolution and growth

• Phase-I
• Evolution and expansion (1952 - late 70s)
• Dept of Agriculture- CD,NES, IADP
• ICAR- NDP..KVKs
• Commodity Boards
• Media- AIR
• Role disseminate technologies developed by
  public sector RD (ICAR SAUs)
• Demonstrations, farmer meetings, use of media

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Extension system-evolution and growth

• Phase II (strengthening)
• Training and Visit (TV) late 70s to 80s/early
  90s
• 18 states
• Improved funding and manpower intensity
• Management orientation
• Research-extension-farmer linkages strengthened
• Centrally designed and implemented
• Blind to agro-climatic diversity, mixed results
• Increasing role of NGOs and input industries

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Extension system-evolution and growth

• Phase III- Post TV (early 90s onwards)-decline
• External support dried up
• Restrictions on recruitments,
• extension staff with additional responsibilities,
  
• group approach, para extension workers, increase
  contact points
• Vacancies in remote and interior areas
• Expansion of KVKs
• Increasing private sector involvement

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Extension system-evolution and growth

• Phase 4 (late 90s to now)
• Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA)
  WB funding
• Need to integrate functioning of line departments
  at the district level
• Farmer driven / farmer accountable
• Farmer Information and Advisory Centre, BTT,
  SAMETI
• Pilot testing 1998-2005 ATMA set up at 28
  Districts / 7 states
• Since 2005, model expanded to 268 districts with
  government funding
• Agri-clinics and Agri-business scheme-since 2003
• Extension services on payment
• Self employment venture
• Training and loans to set up enterprises 10503
  trained, 3000 set up
• Media -print/television, mostly private
  initiatives, Internet
• Expanding private sector extension provision
• Agri-business, contract farming arrangement,
  private consultancy services, NGOs, producer
  co-operatives/farmer associations

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Current status-Public Sector

• Co-ordination continues to be a big problem
• Diminishing operational support(gt85 salaries),
• left to themselves, most states are unable to
  effectively carry out extension activities,
  several of them were able to pay the salaries of
  extension functionaries (DAC,2002)
• poor technical background, implementation of
  schemes (gt60 time), isolated functioning,
  obsession with technology dissemination, groups
  dysfunctional and inactive, lack of flexibility
  at district level
• Perennial vacancies in remote and distant areas

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• Exclusion- disadvantaged areas and small farmers,
  
• Dependence on other farmers input dealers high
  (NSSO 59th round) input dealer-all in one- money
  lender, scientist, counselor and buyer (NCF)
• Public extension alone cant meet the specific
  need of various regions and different classes of
  farmers and policy to promote private and
  community driven extension to complement,
  supplement, work in partnership and even
  substitute for public extension (DAC, 2000)

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Current status-Private sector

• Agri-business- ITC (e-chaupal), MSSL, TKS etc
• contract farming-costs factored in
• paid consultancy
• Better service than services currently provided
  by public sector
• Increasing willingness of farmers to pay for
  extension (48)
• Long term capacity development/farmer education??
• Private extension is not a substitute for a
  strong public sector extension
• Increasing realization that producers need an
  integrated set of support to address the
  complexities
• Extension-Plus, CREDIT-PLUS, Plus, Market-Plus

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Case 1 Extension-Plus

• VFPCK (Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council,
  Kerala)
• Evolved from EU funded KHDP(1992)
• 2001, section 25 company (50 shares-SHGs)
• SHG-organizing unit (20-25 farmers)
• Technology search, extension, credit, market
  development (Farmer marketing centres)
• 5351 SHGs, 93,609 farmers, 202 FMC, Rs.50 crore
  transaction (2005-06)
• New initiatives-vegetable and fruit super
  markets, export to Gulf countries

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Case 2- Credit-Plus

• BASIX (1996) promotion of sustainable livelihoods
• Credit coupled with technical assistance and
  support services
• 2002- Livelihood Triad Financial services,
  Ag/BDS, Institutional Development
• Ag/BDS- productivity enhancement, risk
  mitigation, local value addition, alternate
  market linkages
• Cluster based, sub-sector, credit-plus approach
• Opportunities in the value chain
• Collaborates with various agencies in the value
  chain-loans, technical and market assistance,
  institutional development

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Case 3- Market-Plus

• IDEI (International Development Enterprise,
  India)- creating a sustainable market
• Project in Orissa-linking tribal producers to
  high value markets through value
  addition(2002-2004)
• Value addition is a potential option, but would
  require developing strong linkages at various
  levels (markets, intermediaries, users,
  technology suppliers, researchers, grass-root
  facilitating organisations)
• Coalition project-IDEI, OUAT and CCD(NGO)
• Technology adaptation to meet local context
  (SHGs)
• More partners as the project progressed
• Pineapple juice-OMFED-6 tonnes- increase in
  prices-more employment-5 SHGs (25 womenX10 days)
• Processing plant- proposal yet to get funding
• New products-experimented and tested

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Lessons

• Broader support to the rural poor ()
• Knowledge on technology is only one component
• technological non-technological
• Partnership-Key organizing principle
• Learning-experimentation and learning from
  failure
• VFPCK-farmer markets, credit package for lease
  land farmers, exports
• Ag/BDS-evolved through experimentation,
  Livelihood Triad based on first 5 years work
• IDEI-new ways of addressing issues of hygine,
  developing and testing new products, new partners
• Institutions (habits and practices) matter

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Implications for extension reform

• New goals for extension
• developing the capacity of producers to deal with
  evolving challenges
• New framework for planning
• -eg innovation systems
• Partnership - learn the skills by doing
• Institutional learning and change
• Technical and Institutional innovations
• Funding and manpower
• Public goods, separate funding and delivery

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Agricultural Innovation System-actors
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Conlusions

• Broaden the mandate
• Broaden the skills base
• Reconfigure patterns of interaction
• Learning based approach
• Plus- Collaboration between extension, credit and
  market

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Thanks

• www.innovationstudies.org
• www.crispindia.org