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New Dimensions in Agricultural Extension Management US-India-Africa International Triangular Training

Program for Extension Practitioners from Kenya, Liberia and Malawi

Fourth Training Course July 16 – September 13, 2015

National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management, (An autonomous organization of Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India)

Hyderabad – 500 030, India

www.manage.gov.in

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New Dimensions in Agricultural Extension Management International Training Program for Extension Practitioners from Kenya, Liberia and Malawi

Background

During the State visit of U.S. President Barack Obama to India in November 2010, U.S. and India

announced a new agriculture partnership, the ‘Evergreen Revolution’, to address global food

security. The effort includes proposed triangular cooperation adapting technological advances and

innovative solutions to address food security challenges in Africa. This triangular cooperation would

initially focus on three African Nations on a pilot basis, with a potential to expand throughout the

African continent in the coming years.

One component of the ‘Evergreen Revolution’ is a program to offer agricultural training to 180

extension functionaries of public & private sector and non-governmental agriculturists from Kenya,

Liberia and Malawi at Indian agricultural training institutes. Under the program, the National

Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad, will train 90 participants

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from these three countries in Agricultural Extension Management, through a two-month program.

The present training program is extension of the existing agreement covering 40 executives from

Kenya, Liberia and Malawi.

Rationale

The changing economic scenario and the emerging market opportunities, due to market

liberalization and export orientation, have posed new challenges to the entire agricultural value

chain and the extension systems that support it. Future growth in agriculture has to be generated

through improvements in productivity of diversified farming systems with regional specialization,

linking production to marketing, farm level agro-processing and value addition and aggregating

smallholder farmers through farmers’ organizations. To meet these demands, it is necessary to

re-orient agricultural extension systems so that they become decentralized, demand-driven, farm

business oriented and involve multiple actors, both in the public and private sectors.

India has had success in re-orienting its extension system through the Agricultural Technology

Management Agency (ATMA) and further strengthened by Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) under Indian

Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The private sector and Non-Governmental Organizations

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(NGOs) have increased their role in providing extension services. These experiences and new

approaches are expected to have relevance for other developing countries as they work to increase

agricultural productivity. Accordingly, the agricultural extension management training will be based

on successful Indian experiences in public and private sector that have increased agricultural

productivity through pluralistic and modern extension systems.

National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE) was established in 1987 as an

autonomous organization by the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India. It is an ISO 9001:

2008 certified organization. For the last 27 years, MANAGE has offered specialized training,

education, research, consultancy and information services in agricultural extension management

with experience of program implementation. MANAGE is actively involved in developing linkages

with prominent State, Regional, National and International institutions involved in Agricultural

Extension Management for promoting faculty exchange and organizing need-based trainings.

MANAGE works in association with Government of India in its global outreach activities for training

international agriculture professionals in Agricultural Extension Management.

Program Goal

Strengthen the agricultural extension management system and advisory services in Kenya, Liberia

and Malawi through exposure to Indian training and best practices.

Objectives

• To develop a common understanding of the concept, need and content of agricultural

extension in the present context of development;

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• To understand the organizational arrangements and modalities of operation of existing

extension systems;

• To orient the participants to new and emerging approaches in extension management;

• To facilitate the participants in developing alternative extension systems in their countries;

• To develop a back-at-work action plan for operationalization of the concepts learnt

during the training in their respective countries.

Contents

The course will cover:

• Organization and management of extension services in developing countries: Experience

sharing by the participants on organizational pattern and other details along with strengths

and weaknesses of their respective extension systems.

• Extension management: Emerging concept of extension management, extension planning

and implementation process, types of extension services, need and focus of extension in the

context of globalization.

• Decentralized extension delivery system: Indian experiences on operationalization of

ATMA model of extension, organizational arrangements, integrated delivery of services,

focus on process issues and participatory planning and implementation of programs.

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• Strategic planning for agricultural development: Focus on developing comprehensive

strategic plans for agricultural development in the district covering aspects related to

capacity building, research, extension, input arrangements, marketing etc.

• Public-private partnership: Promotion of public-private partnership models and

methodologies to support the developmental initiatives of the major extension systems at

district level. Focus on setting up of institutional mechanisms to involve NGOs, private

organizations, agri-clinics and farm consultants to support extension services.

• Promotion of farmers’ groups and organizations: In order to facilitate farmers’ access to

new technologies & markets and provide them the benefit of scale of operation, promotion

of farmers’ organizations such as farmers’ interest groups, commodity interest groups,

women interest groups, farmers’ producers’ companies and federations is essential.

• Focus on farm business management: Farm business management is emerging as a major

approach to be followed by the extension personnel for improving the profitability of small,

marginal and other categories of farmers.

• Market-led extension: Due to the changing pattern of demands emerging from various

markets, it is necessary to dovetail the focus of extension for meeting the emerging market

needs and guiding farmers to operate a demand-driven production system.

• Farming system approach: Since most of the farmers in the developing countries practice

integrated farming involving field crops, horticultural crops, animal husbandry, sericulture

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and fisheries, depending on the local resources and potential, a need to focus on farming

systems approach for technology transfer is to be addressed.

• Participatory planning and management: Extension basically addresses the needs of

farmers’ groups. As such, the planning and management of the development programs

should ensure the participation of local stakeholders like farmers, extension personnel and

other service providers. This strengthens the linkages of service providers at the operational

level.

• Managerial issues in extension: Capacity of the extension personnel has to be built up to

address various managerial issues such as team work, conflict resolution, role clarity, inter-

personal skills, aim setting, strategy development, action planning, communication etc.

• Farmer to farmer extension: The concept aims at involving progressive farmers as change

agents to disseminate proven technologies. Various approaches such as Farmer Field Schools,

Farm Schools, Farm Leaders etc., were found to be cost and time effective in extension delivery

mechanism.

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• Gender Mainstreaming in Extension: Participation of women in agriculture is a natural

process in developing countries. However, focus on gender-specific development initiatives

need to be consciously introduced for mainstreaming gender in extension.

• Promotion of Agri-Enterprises: Agri Enterprises ensure inputs, infrastructure facilities and

other services required for the farmers. Agri-Enterprises use the local resources and create

self-employment opportunities for the rural youth and farmwomen. Such enterprises need

to be promoted through extension activities.

• Information and communication technology: Integration of ICT tools and techniques such

as mobile phones, Internet, info kiosks, touch screen technology, kisan call centre,

teleconferencing and videoconferencing for the benefit of Agricultural Extension.

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• Climate change and Agriculture: The impact of climate change on agriculture will vary over

time and across locations, depending on different agro-eco systems, farming systems and

production conditions. Adaptation and mitigation strategies for climate change need to be

adjusted to variable circumstances of farmers in diverse agro-ecological situations.

• Other relevant issues in Agricultural Extension Management of participating countries:

Based on the feedback from the previous programs inputs on Extension approaches in

Cooperatives, Coffee, Tapioca, Tobacco, Farm Mechanization have been added.

• Exposure visits: Agricultural Technology Management Agencies (ATMAs) are emerging as

field laboratories for operationalizing various strategic interventions in extension

management. A study of the ATMA system in operation would help understand its field

application and provides first-hand experience of operationalizing the decentralized system.

Similarly, visits will be organized to Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), State Agricultural

Management & Extension Training Institutes (SAMETIs), Agricultural Universities,

Commodity Boards, Progressive Farmers, Farmers’ Organizations, Indian Council of

Agricultural Research (ICAR) Institutes, NGOs and Agri-business Companies to understand

their organization structure and functions. Executives would spend nearly half of the

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training time in visiting several States in India to learn extension approaches in Horticulture,

Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Commercial Agriculture. During the visit, executives

interact with Political Leadership, Policy Makers, Bureaucrats, Scientists, Extension

Functionaries, Agripreneurs and Farmers.

• Preparation of Back-at-Work Plan: Considering the orientation and experiences provided,

the participants are expected to develop a Back-at-Work Plan for operationalizing the

concepts learnt during the program in their respective countries.

Methodology

The sessions will be delivered through lectures, group discussions, case studies and field visits. The

program design is highly participatory. Each participant is expected to contribute ideas and take

part in group activities. The participants will work in small groups to undertake various tasks

allotted to them. Experiential learning methodology is effectively incorporated in the program.

Apart from their past experience, the participants would learn through group interaction, from

experiences in the field and from interaction with industry experts and the trainers. Each

participant would have the opportunity to present the existing system of extension and their

experiences in their own country through country paper presentation. Daily sessions on basic skills

in computers for extension practitioners have been added. Soft skills module is introduced to hone

managerial skills of executives. Back at Work Plan is in-built to ensure the transformation of

learning into action in their work place. Before and after tests are conducted to understand the

impact of training on the knowledge of executives. Besides, executive’s participation in at least one

National/International seminar is ensured. Life membership of at least two reputed Agricultural

Extension Management Journals would be provided to executives.

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Participants

The participants will include extension practitioners/officials managing the extension systems in

government, private or NGO sectors from Liberia, Kenya and Malawi. They may represent various

sectors such as Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Sericulture, Fisheries, Marketing,

Agribusiness, Food processing, Farm Women and Farm Youth Empowerment etc. This also includes

NGOs, For Profit Entities, Agri-Business, Farm Entrepreneurs, Trusts, Farmers’ Organizations, and

Women’s Groups etc. Instruction will be in English and participants are expected to have a good

command of the language (reading, writing & speaking). The following parameters will get due

weightage at the time of nomination / selection of participants.

• At least 3 years of uninterrupted service in Public or Private Extension and not less than 5

years of service left before retirement. Exceptional nominations require separate

justification.

• Currently involved in Feed the Future [FTF] or CAADP project implementation. Exceptions to

this criteria must be demonstrated by evidence that the participant will be actively involved

with above programmes in near future.

• Female Extension Practitioners will be encouraged.

Duration and Dates

The duration of the training program will be 60 days - from July 16 to September 13, 2015.

Venue

The training program will be conducted at the National Institute of Agricultural Extension

Management (MANAGE) campus in Hyderabad, India. It is a fully residential program.

MANAGE provides modern amenities that includes a dedicated academic block, smart classrooms

equipped with multimedia and audio visuals facilities and a computer center with 24 hours internet

services. There is a well-stocked library with comprehensive collection of literature predominantly

related to extension management, agriculture and allied subjects. The campus is Wi-Fi enabled.

The hostel accommodation at MANAGE has well-furnished, air-conditioned single occupancy rooms

with attached washroom. An officers’ mess takes care of boarding of the executives. A range of

sports and games facilities and ATM facility are also available in the campus.

Fees

The program is fully funded by USAID, India. As part of the program, all expenditure pertaining to

course fee, course materials, lodging and boarding; and program related local travel costs within

India is provided by the organizer. Additionally, living expenses of INR 1000 per day will be given to

the participants for the duration of the training program. The Living Expense amount includes the

reimbursement for cost of visa, if any. No other allowance or payment will be made to attend the

training.

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Travel

The expenditure towards travel from Nairobi (Kenya), Monrovia (Liberia) and Lilongwe (Malawi) to

MANAGE in Hyderabad, India, and return will be borne by USAID, India.

Nominations

The concerned organizations may forward their nominations in the prescribed format (attached) on

or before June 12, 2015 to the Course Director, MANAGE, India. (Contact details mentioned below)

All applications must be approved by the designated authority i.e., Ministry of Agriculture of the

respective Government of Kenya, Liberia and Malawi.

Executives from Kenya will need to have one dose of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) at least 4 weeks

prior to entry in to India with effect from 1st March 2014. Details are available in

http://www.hcinairobi.co.ke/notices and with the Indian High Commission. Executives must carry

with them a written record of Vaccination (Patient Retained Record) for Polio, preferably using

the IHR 2005 International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis from an authorized hospital

or Centre administering OPV.

Course Director

The Course Directors are Dr. P. Chandra Shekara, Director (Agricultural Extension) and Dr. V.P.

Sharma, Director (IT, Documentation & Publication) of National Institute of Agricultural Extension

Management (MANAGE).

Please address all correspondence relating to the program to Dr. P. Chandra Shekara, the Course

Director, at the following address:

Dr. P. Chandra Shekara,

Director (Agricultural Extension),

National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE),

Rajendranagar, Hyderabad – 500 030, India.

Phone: +91-40-24015399 (O); +91-40-24015388 (Fax)

Mobile: +91-9848308111

E-mail: chandramanage@manage.gov.in , Website: www.manage.gov.in