2. Presentation outline
• Salima ADD Profile
• Background information
• Extension Systems
• Aims of DAESS
• Activities done by SLADD to strengthen DAESS structures
• Activities done by DAESS structures
• Positive experience with DAESS
• Negative experiences with DAESS
• Challenges experiences with DAESS
• Conclusion
3. SALIMA ADD PROFILE
• Salima ADD is one of the 8 ADDs in Malawi situated along the central lakeshore.
• Comprises of 2 districts namely Salima and Nkhotakota.
• Has14 Extension Planning Areas.
• Has a total of 232 sections, but to date only157 sections have been demarcated
• 102 are manned and AEDO to farmer ration is 1:2166.
• Has a total of 221,928 Farming HH( 132, 454 MHH; 89,429 FHH; 85 CHH)
• 16 Traditional Authorities.
• Six technical department ( DAES; DAHLD; LRCD; DCD; ISD & DoF )
• Headed by the Programme Manager
4. Background of agriculture extension
• Malawi’s economy depends on agriculture ( Livestock, Crops, Fisheries)
• The success of programmmes ( Livestock, Land Resources, Crops, Fisheries,
Irrigation) depends on the type and amount of support farmers receive from
extension services
• Agricultural extension
• is the major vehicle for diffusing agriculture related technologies
• Has an important role to play for sustainable agriculture development and farm
household livelihood
5. Objectives of agricultural extension
• Promote farmers access to and use of recommended farmer inputs
• Promote dietary diversification, food processing, preservation and utilization
• Increase contact with male and female farmers using appropriate and well targeted
messages
• Strengthening research extension farmer linkages
• Mainstream gender and HIV and AIDS in implementation ovf agric. Programs
• Ensure joint and coordinated planning, implementation and monitoring
• Conduct extension campaigns, field days, tours, trainings, meetings
• Promote land resources, fisheries, crops, livestock, irrigation, food and nutrition
technologies inorder to facilitate availability of appropriate technologies to farmers
• A system is needed to ensure that the objectives of extension are met
6. Extension System
• Provision of extension is guided by agriculture extension policy (Agricultural Extension
In the New Millennium: Towards pluralistic and demand driven extension services )
• To operationalize the Extension Policy , DAESS is used.
• DAESS is a mechanism for enabling farmers to identify and organize their agricultural felt
needs for appropriate action by relevant stakeholders.
• The overall objective is empower farmers to demand high quality services from those that
are best able to provide them.
• Some of the NGOs include (TLC; MLB; Red Cross; CWW; CADECOM; NASO; World
Vision; AG- CARE; ADRA, COOPI; NASFAM)
• Extension activities are therefore implemented by the Government and NGOs and Private
sectors.
7. Aims of DAESS
• Organizing farmers demands
• Pooling service providers and related resources
• Foster coordination
• Self reliance and ownership among farmers
8. Activities done by the ADD to strengthen
DAESS
• Briefing NGOs, local leaders and communities on DAESS and extension policy
• Formation and Training of DAESS structures:
• 2 District Agriculture Extension Coordinating Committee
• 1 District Stakeholder Panel ( Only in NKK)
• 16 Area Stakeholder Panels
• 77 Village Agriculture Committee ( At GVH Level)
• Strengthening DAESS structures activities through
• Local tours
• Trainings
• Technical supportive visits
• Review meetings
10. ACTIVITES DONE BY DAESS
STRUCTURES ( VACs, ASPs)
• Identification and aggregation of farmers demands
• Monitoring implementation of agriculture extension activities
• Initiating self help agriculture extension projects
• Linking of farmers’ demands to stakeholders
• Formulation of proposals
• Initiating construction of office at Ntosa and Kasitu EPA
• Jointly hosted field days and manure launch
17. Linkage between DAESS structures and Local
government structures
• Strength of the linkage depends on the role of the local leaders and how the
DAESS structures were formed.
• 70% of the DAESS structures have a positive linkage with district council structures
• DAESS structure members participate in district council structures meetings where
they share issues affecting agriculture activities
• DAESS structures together with district council structures supervise agriculture
activities
18. Some of the farmers demands
• Low production
• Land degradation
• Drought/ dry spells
• Incomplete technology packages
• Inadequate extension services
• Few Small stock (goats, chicken)
• Malnutrition
• Small land holding sizes
• No office space for some EPAs
• No house accommodation
19. Positive experiences with DAESS
• ASP and VACs are performing their function in terms of articulation and
aggregation of farmers’ demands.
• There is good quality participation of farmers in extension activities due to farmer
mobilization by VACs
• Increased adoption of agriculture technologies like (CA, agroforestry, use of hybrid
maize, food and nutrition, )
• Self help projects are being initiated like office construction; goat pass on
programmmes; CA; Irrigation)
• ASPs initiating joint marketing of agriculture produce.
• VACs facilitating goat and chicken pass on programmmes under SAPP
• ASPs coordinating stakeholder activities
20. NEGATIVES EXPERINCES WITH DAESS
• Most of the ASPs are farmers’ forum due to low participation by NGOs
• Only the MoAIWD personnel's initiate the DAESS maybe because its in their
AWB.
• Poor coordination among actors (Competition, Conflicting messages, duplication
– Implementing activities without following DAESS structures)
• Poor quality response to farmers demands (Stakeholders dominate and dictate
what they offer)
21. CHALLENGES WITH
OPERATIONALIZING DAESS
• Low participation of NGOs in DAESS operationalization (taken as MoAIWD core function)
• Inadequate knowledge among implementers on DAESS
• No source of funding for DAESS activities (meetings, trainings, tours, farmer responses)
• Poor mobility of ASPs, VAC, DSP members- Move long distances
• Incomplete system in terms of ( ASP, DSPs not in place/ not performing their functions)
• Poor quality extension service
• Some local leaders are not interested in formation of ASPs
22. WAY FORWARD
• Community sensitizations
• Capacity building to DAESS structure, stakeholders and local leaders (
Trainings, Tours)
• Sourcing funding for DAESS activities.
• Form and strengthen VACs, ASPs, DSPs.
• Participatory monitoring and evaluation
• Joint planning, implementation , monitoring and evaluation
• Review the extension policy and DAESS system ( National)
• Link MaFAAS to DAESS structures