This is Olawale Olaniyan, a researcher with the International Trypanotolerance Centre, The Gambia. It's been really insightful to read your various comments in this forum. Thanks to the moderator and everyone. I would like to say that a one-size-fits-all advisory approach is neither effective nor productive! This among many other factors is due to seasonality and changes in farming conditions with the consequence that a package of information targeting a set of farmers this year may not be adequately sufficient for coping with next year's peculiar challenges. Such changes in the amount of annual rainfall, soil fertility, market price of farm outputs, etc. often predispose farmers to inaccurate decisions. Because some farmers will often look up to extension agents for pieces of advice/information, it becomes expedient for the available advisory systems to rely on good data collection, analysis, prediction and interpretation in order to meet such needs. Let's not forget that the basis of some farmers' relationship with the outsiders, including researchers, extension agents, development workers, etc., is principally on moral trust. Once disappointed through improper advice and inconsistency of advisory system, it becomes very difficult to regain such trust and confidence of the farmers. Therefore, tailor-made information and communication strategies that could address the present circumstances while taking into account some inevitable future scenarios will improve the advisory system of family farming. Also in agreement with messages 1 (by Mahesh Chander), 8 (Ngouambe Nestor), 9 (Praveen Kumar Shrivastava) and 21 (Mahesh Chander), there is a need to continuously study farmers and their situations through personal contact, continuous research and support-based systems. Olawale Olaniyan Researcher International Trypanotolerance Centre, The Gambia www.itc.gm; www.walic-wa.org e-mail: ofolaniyan (at) hotmail.com [To contribute to this conference, send your message to [log in to unmask] For further information, see http://www.fao.org/nr/research-extension-systems/res-home/news/detail/en/c/264776/ ######################################################################## To unsubscribe from the RAS-L list, click the following link: https://listserv.fao.org/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=RAS-L&A=1