Presentation by Kristin Davis, executive secretary of the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS) and research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) who coordinates PIM’s research on rural advisory services.

1. The Role of Extension in
Agricultural Innovation
Systems
AFAAS Africa-wide Extension Week
Reinvigorating Extension Services for Market-led
Agriculture within the Context of the Malabo
Declaration
14 October 2015
Dr. Kristin Davis
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2. What Are Extension
Services? Institutions…
 Providing information, services to rural
families
 Strengthening technical, managerial,
organizational skills
 Providing technical/production + social/
institutional support
 Connecting communities, research,
markets, education
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3. From Transfer of
Technology
Research Extension Farmer
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4. To AKIS…
Emphasize interaction between
research, extension, education and
farmers to produce knowledge and
support innovation (Röling and Engel 1990)
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Education
Producers
Research Extension
AKIS/RD: Strategic vision and guiding principles (FAO/World Bank 2000)

5. To “Agricultural
Innovation Systems”
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Extension
Agent
Services
Traditional
Community
Institutions
Researchers
Private
Financial
Services
Farmers
Private
traders
Private
Processors
State-owned
Input
Suppliers
Cooperatives
and Unions
Private Input
Supplier
Private
Exporters
NGOs

6. Agricultural Innovation Systems
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7. Innovation Defined
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 Any new knowledge
introduced into and utilized in
an economic or social process
(OECD 1999 as cited in Spielman 2002)

8. Origins
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 Used to analyze innovation processes and
foster policies (industrialized countries)
(Lundvall 1992, Freeman 1987)
 Used to address complex nature of
innovation and go beyond conventional linear
paradigm (Biggs and Clay 1981)
 Takes into account whole range of actors
contributing to innovation beyond the usual
“knowledge infrastructure” (research,
education, and extension) (Hall et al. 2003; Klerkx
et al. 2012)

9. Implications for Extension
and Advisory Services
Brokering role
Facilitation
Different capacities thus needed
Roles & strategies thus change
…The “new” extensionist
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10. Thank you!
For More Information:
www.g-fras.org
info@g-fras.org
© 2006 Tumuluru Kumar/IF
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