Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition

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DISCUSSION No. 141   •   FSN Forum digest No. 1301

What role can agricultural extension and advisory services play in realizing gender equality and improved nutrition?

until 09 July 2017

 

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Dear Members,

Today we would like to share with you the latest contributions to the online discussion What role can agricultural extension and advisory services play in realizing gender equality and improved nutrition? You can find them summarized below.

Participants reflect on what is keeping those providing agricultural extension and advisory services (AEAS) from taking up a stronger role in facilitating improved nutrition and gender equality in the communities they serve.

Issues such as lack of training and time, as well as the need for extension workers to create strong bonds within their communities are mentioned. Other participants focus on the benefits of establishing partnerships with private investors. In addition, we learn about the experience made in the Medak district of the South Indian state of Telangan.

Please refer to the FSN Forum webpage to see all comments received so far and to read the full introduction to the topic in English, French or Spanish.

To take part, you can send your comments to
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or post them online upon registration to the FSN Forum.

We look forward to keep receiving your input!

Your FSN Forum team

 

 

CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED

iconMahesh Chander, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, India

Mahesh shares two further comments. In the first he mentions that AEAS can effectively promote gender equality by enhancing their role in producer organizations.

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In his second comment Mahesh focuses on the constraints that youth face in becoming a driving force on agricultural matters and how AEAS can help mitigate some of them. AEAS should put more effort into actively reaching out to young people and facilitate their direct involvement into agricultural practices.

Read the contribution

 

iconPaul Rigterink, Potomac Technical Advisors, USA

Paul argues that AEAS needs to develop new ideas that will help poor rural women as they often have no funds to invest in new production techniques and rarely have the time to wait for the returns to their investments made. He shares the example of vocational videos on pig rearing that give practical advice on how to simply and quickly improve this practice.

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iconLucy Quainoo, MEL Consulting Ltd, Ghana

Lucy suggests that AEAS providers should be local people, skilled in community engagement strategies, that serve as animators of the community for the whole development sector going beyond agriculture and nutrition issues.

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iconCarlos Granado Fernandez, Universidad Politécnica de las Fuerzas Armadas, Venezuela

Carlos feels that in order to be able to give meaningful advice that is accepted by the community, extension workers will need to live among the community itself.

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iconRichard Leo, University of Guyana

Richard tells us that the access to basic material and information is often lacking in developing countries. Establishing partnerships with private investors might help close this gap allowing communities to access finance, planting material, training, agricultural inputs and markets in order to develop a sustainable supply chain. 

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iconMahtab S.Bamji, Dangoria Charitable Trust, India

Mahtab argues that current training programmes of extension workers rarely contemplate a role beyond facilitating access to knowledge, information and technologies. Added to the already high workload, this ends up preventing their deeper engagement in gender and nutrition. Mahtab therefore suggest working on curriculum development so that future extensionists are trained in the inclusion of broader development issues in their work.
He also shares an example from the Medak district of the South Indian state of Telangana. Here active efforts have been made to involve women by explicitly inviting them to meetings together with their children.

Read the contribution

 

iconAklilui Nigussie, Ethiopian Institutes of Agricultural Research, Ethiopia

Aklilui feels that AEAS needs to support agricultural innovation and support farmers in developing mechanisms for sustainable adoption of technologies. Regarding gender equality he sees the problem that women, albeit interested in technology, might not have the time due to their many tasks in the household.

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