Definition
Agricultural extension services are characterised by technical advice on agriculture to farmers, often accompanied by guided access to necessary inputs and services to support their agricultural production.
Target Demographics
Smallholder Farmers
Objectives addressed
Farmer related
Increase farmer income:
Extension services increase incomes through the impact on yields and often by linking production better to the needs of the market.
Increase climate resilience:
Access to extension services often leads to improved climate resilience at farm level by improving farmers' access to higher quality inputs and irrigation and increasing farmers' knowledge of GAP.
Improve yields:
Extension workers provide advice and services based on agricultural knowledge and local context with the objective of improving yields for farmers.
Business related
Increase revenues:
Extension services can aim to optimise yield and quality for off-takers, improving consistency and predictability. Additionally, extension service workers can serve as observers, reporting the status of crops in the field to the off-taker. The off-taker can use this information for future planning of revenue-generating activities or to secure a market for themselves at an appropriate time.
Reduce side-selling:
Providing extension services can often increase farmer loyalty. Additionally, extension service workers often build a personal relationship with farmers and can monitor their farming and marketing behaviour during their visits.
Address sourcing needs:
If extension services are being provided by a private sector actor, extension services are often tailoired to meet their own procurement needs, thus securing more consistency in the volumes and quality that they require.
Contexts Best Suited to
Limited geographical dispersion of farmers: to reduce cost-to-serve.
Formal and semi-formal markets: where quality support is needed.
Reliable basic infrastructure: to enable extension workers to reach farmers.
Formal and semi-formal markets: where quality support is needed.
Reliable basic infrastructure: to enable extension workers to reach farmers.
Key Risks
Budgetary constraints: due to the cost of hiring extension workers, there are frequently not enough to meet the needs of farmers.
Workers rights: Extension workers are often working long hours under tiring conditions.
Increased agrochemical use: Extension services often improve access to agrochemicals, which can lead to increased yields but also environmental damage and health consequences.
Workers rights: Extension workers are often working long hours under tiring conditions.
Increased agrochemical use: Extension services often improve access to agrochemicals, which can lead to increased yields but also environmental damage and health consequences.
Environmental Impact
Ambiguous:
Access to extension services can lead to improved climate resilience at farm level by improving farmers' access to higher quality inputs and irrigation and increasing farmers' knowledge of GAP. However, extension services could also result in a prolific increase in agrochemical use, leading to negative impacts such as soil degradation, air and water pollution, biodiversity loss, and negative public health outcomes.
Ambition level
Medium
Time
Extension services often include workers visiting individual farmers, either on a regular schedule or on an as-needed basis for provision of agronomical advice or services.
Investment Need
Farm-level extension services for a company providing services to thousands of farmers can result in increased labour costs and increase farmer access to other (potentially costly) services.
