Prepared by Francis Neindow (Ghana MoFA) and Stacie Irwin (EWB) presented at the 2015 MEAS Symposium

1. Photo:DanQuinn,HorticultureInnovationLab
Francis Neindow
Savelugu/Nanton Municipal
Director of Agriculture
Ghana Ministry of Food and
Agriculture
Stacie Irwin
SNEDIP Project Manager
Engineers Without Borders
Canada
MEAS Symposium, June 4, 2015
Session: Public Sector Service
Provision, Policy Making, and
Enabling Environment
Institutional Innovation: Enabling Decentralised Extension in Ghana

2. Project Motivation & Objectives
• 2012, the USAID/Ghana Mission commissioned MEAS to carry out a rapid
assessment of the agricultural extension system in Ghana.
• Savelugu/Nanton engagement builds on these Ghana Country Report
findings.
SNEDIP Objectives:
1. Farmers receive improved extension services in order to improve resiliency,
livelihoods and productivity.
2. Strengthen capacity of key actors for stronger district public sector
extension services.
3. Strengthen linkages and lines of communication to support decentralized
agricultural extension processes.
4. Document, disseminate and communicate best practices and lessons
learned in strengthening public extension services at the district level.

3. SNEDIP Approach
1. Co-identify and coordinate training priority areas with district.
– Training to strengthen farmer-based organizations’ capacity in
agricultural business and marketing skills
– Farmer group training on effective post-harvest management
practices
– Using ICTs to improve agricultural extension processes and outreach
to farmers
2. Develop training curriculum in priority areas.
– Agriculture As a Business Facilitators Cards
3. Provide capacity building training in priority areas for extension agents.
– AEA Peer-to-Peer bi-weekly training meetings
4. Facilitate the delivery of extension services that build the capacity of
FBOs.
– Transportation resources
5. Monitor implementation and evaluate impact to generate lessons
learned and best practices.

4. 1. Group Strengths
2. Group Meetings
3. Group Finances
4. Group Project
5. Group Marketing
6. Market Planning
7. Business Planning
8. Record Keeping
9. Value Addition
10. Loan Preparation
11. Post-Harvest Loss Reduction
12. Business Analysis

6. Investing in Public Extension:
What Do We Need to ‘Get Right’?
1. Holistic, participatory-developed, local context training materials.
2. Facilitation as a tool for demand-driven extension.
3. Getting the timing right.
4. Focusing on every opportunity for capacity development in the system.
– Peer-to-peer learning.
5. Support vs. inputs – thinking about sustainability.
6. Targeted investments in key operational activities.
Opportunities for complimentary investments.
• Coordinating activities - lack of coordination ‘might’ at the district level.
• Farmer-citizen advocacy and rights-based activism – AEAs ill-suited for this.