Sustainable Agriculture and Food: Four volume set (Earthscan Reference Collections)

Table 19.3

(continued)

Ethiopia

Mali

Zimbabwe

Policy context

Policy impacts

Policy context

Policy impacts

Policy context

Policy impacts

Research and extension services

Research service undergoing reform, although current focus on limited technical options; extension dominated by package programme.

Much research inappropriate for poorer farmers, with resulting limited impact. Focus of extension service on package programme also excludes many.

Government research on agriculture under reform. Funding cut and shift to greater client orientation. Main focus has been raising yields of cotton and rice, from technical standpoint. Low potential areas receive no systematic attention, though occasional NGO projects.

Considerable impacts from research and extension for rice and cotton. Increasing attention to diversity of farmer strategies and messages. Very limited impacts of research for dryland cereals.

Research and extension switched emphasis to the smallholder sector following independence. However, significant budget cuts and a continued narrow technical focus have limited the ability of government services to respond to farmer needs.

Research has had limited impact on farmer strategies. The impact of a reduction in extension provision is unclear. Emergence of project-funded research and extension activities has had important, but limited, effects in certain areas.