This is Francis Chilenga again.
I totally agree with Akinremi Peter Taiwo (Message 50) on current gaps in rural advisory services especially on markets and agro-processing. There has been much talk of agro-processing/value addition of agricultural products. However, the missing link is farmers capacity to add value to their products. As a result, most farmers either working as individuals are still selling raw products far much below minimum prices. This is quite commonplace in Malawi where a majority are small-scale farmers and with minimal capital to access agro-processing equipment. We therefore need to focus rural advisory services on value chain development and strengthening by provision of training to farmers on product quality, gross margins and market linkages. Market-led extension approaches should either complement other rural advisory approaches or be a major shift from current extension approaches.
Francis Wakisa Chilenga
Principal Agricultural Officer
Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security
Karonga Agricultural Development Division
P/Bag 4
Karonga
Malawi
cell: +265 888 384 679
e-mail: fwchilenga (at) yahoo.co.uk
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