Agricultural Extension and RD

Policy Analysis (EXT34102)

Lecture 5: The State of Extension Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa and
Malawi: What is at stake?

Extension Department

Frank Tchuwa, PhD

Gabriel D. Chilumpha
 Extension Reform in Sub-Saharan Africa: The context
❑Significant shifts in development thinking-between the 80’s and
90’s.
❑Market liberalization and privatization ideologies gained prominence in
development due to adoption of structural adjustment reforms by African
governments,
❑Led by International Monitory Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.
❑African governments advised to take measures towards full or
partial privatization of extension services.
❑Solution to budget constraints faced in the region
❑Since the 90’s, the advisory landscape has become more pluralistic
❑Participation of the private sector, non-governmental organizations,
producer groups, cooperatives, and associations has increased
 Trends in Extension Reform Sub-Saharan Africa
From To

One main public system Pluralistic system with public and private advisory services.
Standard extension models (Training and Visit
model) Systems, country-specific, and institutional.
Extension as public good Takes care of public and private goods.
Multiple advisory service providers, mostly with thematic or
National coverage by the public sector geographic focus
Public research as main sources of knowledge Multiple sources of knowledge and innovations (research, local
and innovations for extension knowledge and innovations, ICTs, etc).
Centralized public system Decentralized public system
Focus on technology Problem, demand and market focus.
Focus on agricultural development Extended mandate for agricultural and rural development.
Enhanced horizontal collaboration and multi-disciplinary
Hierarchical lines of command teams
Entirely public funded system Multiple funding sources, new financing mechanisms
Source: Blum, 2006
 Drivers for Change
❑Four significant factors have contributed to the current status of
extension systems:
1. The changing nature of agriculture, e.g. challenges like climate change, soil
degradation, Increasing pluralism in advisory service delivery.
2. Renewed examination of the role of the state and private sector, and new
financing mechanisms.
3. New insights from communication and innovation research and the digital
revolution (e.g., AI).
❑Globally, the role of extension has widened beyond agriculture to
include issues of rural development
❑However, playing a wider role requires large-scale restructuring and
institutional change, which extension bureaucracies have been reluctant
to undertake
Case Study 1: Extension Policy in Kenya
❑The National Agricultural Extension Policy (NAEP)- 2001.
❑Key goals: Promoting demand-driven services, commercialization, and
privatization of the public extension system.
❑Limited success led to policy review
❑National Agricultural Sector Extension Policy (NASEP)- developed in
2004.
❑Embraced pluralism, better coordination, and regulation of extension
services provided by different actors thus meeting the goals of the Strategy for
Revitalizing Agriculture (SRA) in Kenya.
❑Government developed a new Agricultural Sector Development
Strategy 2010-2020 (ASDS) to build on the gains made by SRA.
❑The ASDS encompasses innovative, commercial-oriented, and modern
agricultural undertakings in Kenya.
Case Study 1: Extension Policy in Kenya
❑The NASEP revised in 2011 to align with the goals of the ASDS.
❑Currently, extension services in Kenya are provided in a mixture of
3 models:
1. Free public extension services to small-scale farmers producing staple
foods and minor cash crops.
2. Partial cost-shared extension services, mostly within the public sector,
where limited commercialization has taken place.
3. Service at cost for fully commercialized farmers, e.g. private
companies, for commodities such as tea, coffee, sugar, tobacco, etc.
❑ The new National Agricultural Sector Extension Policy (NASEP)
takes a sector-wide approach and addresses key sectoral issues
in the delivery of extension services.
 Case Study 1: Extension Policy in Kenya
❑The NASEP vision is to have:
❑“Kenyan agricultural extension clientele demand and access appropriate quality
extension services from the best providers and attain higher productivity, increased
incomes, and improved standard of living.”
❑The key objective is:
❑“to empower the extension clientele through sharing information, imparting knowledge
and skills, and changing attitudes so that they can efficiently manage their resources
for improved quality of livelihoods”
❑Guiding principles include:
• Pluralistic extension services
• Independent regulatory body for extension services
• Implementation framework for extension services
• Harmonization
• Demand-driven services
• Stakeholder linkage
• Mainstreaming cross-cutting issues

1. Note: The red ones are missing in Malawi

Case Study 2: Extension Policy in Uganda
❑National Agricultural Extension Policy of 2016, which led to
❑National Agricultural Extension Strategy (NAES) of 2016
❑The NAES also aligned with the Five-Year National Development Plan
(NDP II) 2015-2020.
❑The NAES strategic direction is to transform the extension system from a
parallel institutionally fragmented public and non-state actors to a
well-coordinated, harmonized, regulated, pluralistic service with
multiple providers addressing diverse needs.
❑The second dimension of the new direction is to address the advisory
service needs along the entire value chain and;
❑Synergistic integration with other agricultural support services for
optimum return on investment.
 Case Study 2: Extension Policy in Uganda
❑The NAES is based on 3 broad lessons from previous extension approaches:
• Inconsistency in direction and approaches
• Sole focus on the production segment of the value chain
• Uncoordinated players in extension service delivery
❑Therefore, NAES aims to address key challenges affecting agricultural
extension services in Uganda:
• barriers to adoption of technologies and best practices;
• lack of coordination and collaboration;
• low coverage of extension beneficiaries;
• narrowly focused extension content;
• ineffective extension approaches;
• inadequate budgetary allocation and scheduling; and
• limited capital and access to affordable credit.
[Link] similarity to Malawi
 Case Study 2: Extension Policy in Uganda
❑The four strategic objectives of the NAES are:
1. To establish a well-coordinated, harmonized, pluralistic agricultural extension
delivery system for increased efficiency and effectiveness.
2. To empower farmers and other value chain actors (youth, women, and other
vulnerable groups) to effectively participate and benefit equitably from
agricultural extension processes and demand for services.
3. To develop a sustainable mechanism for packaging and disseminating
appropriate technologies to all categories of farmers and other beneficiaries in
the agricultural sector.
4. To build institutional capacity for effective delivery of agricultural extension
services.
❑These objectives are vital in creating an efficient and effective agricultural
extension service.
❑1. Note the red ones which are not prominent in Malawi’s policy
Case Study 3: Extension Policy in Nigeria
❑Nigeria initiated a five-year strategy in 2011 named the
Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) to revitalize Nigerian
agriculture.

❑Previously, their agricultural extension service focused on promoting

cash development and technology services (Iwugwu, 2008).
❑The ATA was designed to improve the income of smallholder farmers
(FMARD, 2016).

❑A major feature of the Nigerian agricultural extension service has

been the involvement of NGOs in extension delivery in Nigeria.
Case Study 4: Extension Policy in South Africa
❑South Africa’s current extension system is the post-1994 era
(Koch and Terblanche, 2013).

❑Over the past four decades, extension services in South Africa have
shifted from a traditional focus on public-sector technology transfer
and farm management information.
❑The current extension system is a focus on a broader public-private
consulting service approach.

❑Thus, the agricultural extension service is taking a new dimension

in Africa.
 Case Study 5: Extension Policy in Malawi
❑The extension policy in Malawi was developed in 2000.
❑The policy is themed “Agricultural Extension in the New Millennium:
Towards Pluralistic and Demand-driven Services in Malawi”.

❑The policy aims to address the following extension challenges:

• Democratization;
• Market liberalization;
• Decentralization;
• HIV/AIDS crisis;
• Shrinking public sector resources;
• Public sector reform;
• Co-ordination;
• Difficulty to assess extension impact;
• High malnutrition levels among the farming communities;
• Low literacy level of farmers; and,
• Shrinking production resources.
Case Study 5: Extension Policy in Malawi
❑The vision of the policy is outlined in the following points:
• All farmers are able to demand and have access to high-quality
extension services from those best able to deliver them.
• There is pluralism in the provision and delivery of extension services.
• Extension services are accountable to those demanding and using them.
❑The policy mission statement by the Department of Agricultural
Extension Services (DAES) is to:
• Set clear policy guidelines
• Promote equalisation
• Initiate and strengthen co-ordination
• Promote pluralism
• Encourage market liberalisation
• Set and monitor clear standards for the quality
• Assess impact of extension
Case Study 5: Extension Policy in Malawi
❑The guiding principles of the extension policy:
• demand-driven extension services;
• accountability;
• “those who benefit pay” (service at cost);
• resource sustainability;
• equalisation;
• promotion of pluralism; and,
• decentralised coordination.
❑The policy further emphasizes that the roles and functions of
each stakeholder will best be played in liaison with others, with
partnerships among the sectors being of particular importance.
 Issues Extension Policy Must Address in Africa and Malawi

1. Policy enabling environment

• Having an exclusive policy on extension and rural development advisory services is not
enough.
• Problem lies in the absence of legal and policy frameworks for providing the services.
• For instance, there is a need for strong partnerships among extension service providers
as a priority.
• However, legal and policy frameworks to enforce collaboration among stakeholders do
not exist in most countries.
• Creating and fostering effective coalitions among actors is often hindered by incomplete
information about what potential partners can offer.
• Different incentive systems for public and private actors,
• Differences between indigenous and formal knowledge,
• Social differences that cause exclusion of certain actors, or
• ideological differences.
Issues Extension Policy Must Address in Africa and Malawi
2. Sustainability
• Financial and institutional sustainability needs to be ensured.
• Long-term political commitment to supportive policy and finance, and
independence from government interference,
• have been identified by experts discussing issues on inclusive pluralistic service
systems as the main challenges regarding financial and institutional sustainability.
• On the other hand, public extension services have been marred by
shrinking resources by governments in developing countries in favor of
other policies, such as input subsidies.
• Extension policies must facilitate the transition from funding advisory
services to promote financing mechanisms of services that ensure a
demand orientation, inclusiveness, and sustainability.
• Extension policies also need to promote sustainable agricultural
practices and resource management, including soil and water
conservation.
 Issues Extension Policy Must Address in Africa and Malawi

3. Capacity gaps
• Extension agents need to be equipped with the skills and knowledge to effectively
address farmers' needs.
• This includes shifting from a technology transfer model to a catalytic role where
they help link diverse stakeholders.
• Extension services require staff with a good understanding of technical knowledge
and skills to manage social processes.
• Poor capacities of extension staff are a concern in many sub-Saharan African
countries, including Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, and Malawi.
• For instance, in Kenya, apart from many other challenges, agricultural extension is constrained
by the poor management skills of the extension staff, knowledge gaps between theory and
applicability, and the difficulties in satisfying the expectations of a heterogeneous group of
farmers (Lopokoiyit et al., 2013).
Issues Extension Policy Must Address in Africa and Malawi
4. Staffing and Resources
• High farmer-to-extension staff ratio remains a critical challenge in many
developing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• The situation has been worsened by the exponential population growth
over the last decades.
• Many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa face severe resource constraints,
with high farmer-to-extension staff ratios (often over 2000:1), limiting
outreach efforts.
• In Malawi, for instance, the effectiveness of the Department of Agriculture Extension
Services (DAES) in improving agricultural development has declined over the recent
past because of low staffing levels and inadequate training of personnel in the
department (Phiri et al., 2012).
Issues Extension Policy Must Address in Africa and
Malawi
5. Technology
• The global wave of technological advancements has sparked the need for
utilizing ICT in extension and advisory services.
• The development of ICTs with emphasis on meeting demand-driven
needs, food security needs of the clients, emphasis on extension
research towards poverty education, and climate change has made
providing extension services even more challenging.
• Research in developing countries shows that extension officers lack ICT
literacy and show remarkable ineptitude in using such skills.
• This fact was highlighted by many of the respondents in Kenya and Malawi, and a
few from Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda (Elapata et al.,2023).
• Therefore, to harness the full potential of new ICTs and apply them in their
extension delivery, extension officers need adequate training.
Issues Extension Policy Must Address in Africa and
Malawi
6. Research-Extension-Farmer linkages
• Even after decades of efforts, the links between research, extension, and
farmers remain weak and continue to be a matter of great concern.
• The current “institutions” are in favor of independence and not
interdependence.
• Extension policies need to build the nature and quality of the
relationships, which have to be reflected jointly. Ensure that research
findings are effectively translated into practical recommendations for
farmers.
• These linkages would bridge the extension and research needs, so that
farmers can obtain crucial information and support in a timely manner,
and so research activities may be tailored to farmers’ requirements.
Issues Extension Policy Must Address in Africa and
Malawi
7. Emerging and cross-cutting issues
• Extension policies are expected to address emerging issues facing
farmers as time evolves.
• These include complex challenges of agricultural and rural development
in the context of climate change, digitalisation, global trade (supply
chains and wars), food loss and waste, food safety, biotechnology
etc..
• The roles of public and private stakeholders will largely depend on the
institutional landscape in place and under development, as well as on
their capacities to respond to the challenges and opportunities and to
jointly come up with new innovative approaches and solutions.
• For instance, this could be promoting climate-smart agricultural practices that can
help farmers adapt to climate change and improve their livelihoods;
• Reducing food loss and waste for food security and climate outcomes.
THANK YOU
Agricultural Extension and RD
Policy Analysis (EXT34102)
Lecture 6: Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi:
Looking into the Future of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
Extension Department

Frank Tchuwa, PhD

Gabriel D. Chilumpha
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Colonial Era
❑Malawi, then Nyasaland, was under the British Protectorate, and some
white settlers had settled in the country earlier as far back as 1875 as
farmers, traders, and missionaries.
❑The white farmers had acquired large chunks of land from chiefs and
grew cotton and coffee as cash crops, and maize for food.
❑African farmers at the time had smallholdings growing maize and other
food crops only on a subsistence basis.
❑In 1903, the colonial government moved to introduce a form of
organized agricultural extension focusing on methods for improving
cotton production.
❑The Department of Agriculture was established in 1907, and extension
adopted a somewhat coercive approach.
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Colonial Era
❑First called “Travelling Officers,” extension agents were sent to
teach farmers modern practices of cotton production using the
coercive approach.
❑ The individual extension method was used, and failure to follow
the modern practices resulted in court sentences to farmers.
❑The system did not last long as white farmers lobbied the
government against teaching African farmers the modern farming
practices.
❑However, cotton became unprofitable as the European farmers
did not know how to control pests and diseases.
❑The colonial government then decided to allow African farmers to
grow cotton instead.
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Colonial Era
❑In 1946, the colonial government enacted a Natural Resources
Ordinance in practices such as:
• Early recommended soil conservation
• Early land preparation
• Planting dates
• Correct plant spacing
• Uprooting old stocks by a prescribed date
❑Severe famine broke out in 1948, which was blamed on the traditional
practices of African farmers.
❑This forced the colonial government to revisit the existing policies
relating to agricultural production and extension in particular.
❑As a response, the present-day extension service was established in
1949/50.
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Colonial Era
❑Consequently, in 1950, six agricultural policy objectives,
including those affecting extension, were formulated as follows:
• Established a national agricultural extension and training system;
• Established a national soil and water conservation programme;
• Provided credit and subsidies to farm inputs;
• Introduced regulations governing the marketing of agricultural
produce/products;
• Established agricultural projects and/or settlement schemes; and
• Established new and strengthened existing agricultural research
institutions that focused on applied research.
❑Apart from the policy objectives, the government developed a
more coherent extension and training system that had transparent
structures.
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Colonial Era
❑The system was basically organized in 5 tiers, namely:
• National,
• Regional,
• Divisional,
• Area and
• Section levels more or less as is the case now
❑From the district level upwards, the extension system followed
the structures of the country's administrative hierarchy e.g.
Traditional Authorities.
❑Two or more districts formed an agricultural division, while one
large Traditional Area formed an agroecological planning area.
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Colonial Era
❑The extension system, established in 1950, adopted four
strategies to achieve increased agricultural production:
1. Master Farmer Approach:
• The Master Farmer Approach was introduced by Govt in 1950
• Progressive farmers were used as role models for others to emulate.
• The selected farmers were officially known as Master Farmers.
• All extension efforts and other logistical support services were
concentrated on the selected Master Farmers.
• However, other farmers did not follow suit as the system was politicized;
Master farmers were seen as government spies.
• Other non-participating farmers also became jealousy.
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Colonial Era
2. Staff and Farmer Training:
• A network of national, regional, and district institutions was established for
staff pre-service and farmer training.
• On staff training, the Colby School of Agriculture was established in 1956 at
Chitedze Research Station in Lilongwe district.
• For farmer training, several training institutions were established throughout
the country, such as Thuchila, Likuni, and M’Mbelwa Farm Institutes, each
with a capacity of accommodating up to 100 trainees at any particular time.
• Likuni and M’mbelwa Farm Institutes were established in the same year as
the Colby School of Agriculture, while Thuchila Farm Institute was
established in 1954.
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Colonial Era
3. Public Relations Unit:
• Established in 1958, the Public Relations Unit (PRU) is currently known as the
Agricultural Communications Branch (ACB).
• The aim was to complement the efforts of the extension and training service
programs.
• The unit focused its attention on providing technical messages to the farming
communities through the radio.
• It was also mandated to produce and distribute leaflets, posters, etc., to
reach a wider audience, as is the case today.
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Colonial Era
4. National Soil and Water Conservation:
❑Soil and water conservation programs were very much an integral part of an
extension officer’s work.
❑Basically, the soil conservation programs consisted of the following:
• Construction of contour bunds by farmers, followed by a realignment of all the ridges
along the contour bund. This was initially a must for all farmers who were in areas
considered to be prone to soil erosion.
• Implementation of ridge cultivation in all areas of the country, including those with low
terrain.
• In addition, it was compulsory for all crops to be planted on ridges and not on mounds,
as was the practice with cassava in many parts of the lakeshore and on flat lands in the
Shire Valley areas.
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Colonial Era
4. National Soil and Water Conservation:
❑The physical soil and water conservation measures were implemented by
force, backed by legislation.
❑Many farmers were not keen to undertake ridge realignment cultivation, let
alone contour bund construction, for three reasons:
• First, it was a very tedious and laborious job using hand tools;
• Second, farmers did not see the immediate benefits to their crop yields; and
• Lastly, farmers were against the use of force, which sometimes led to imprisonment.
❑Hence, the period between 1950 and 1960 is considered to be the darkest
era in the history of the agricultural extension service in Malawi.
❑Compulsory implementation of soil conservation programmes was stopped
in 1961 when the country attained self-government.
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Colonial Era
❑By and large, the extension strategies that were introduced in 1950 can be
considered a success.
❑This is because the original features of the strategies have remained the
basis upon which the current agricultural extension system is built in Malawi.
❑These include: extension and training; soil and water conservation; farm
inputs and produce marketing; and agricultural research.
❑In conclusion, the Agricultural Extension policy in the colonial era followed
the “Individual approach” using the Master Farmers.
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Post-Independence Era
❑After Malawi’s independence in July 1964, the Directorate of Agriculture was
reorganized.

❑The extension system for smallholder farmers started developing, and

extension staff were sent for training.

❑This led to the creation of the Department of Agricultural Extension and

Training (DAET), which was responsible for extension, training, crops,
livestock, land husbandry, irrigation, credit, and settlement schemes.

❑ Since then, DAET has endured different stages of agricultural extension

development according to changes in Government policies from time to time.
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Post-Independence Era
❑The following were post-independence notable developments:

1. Regional agricultural projects: 1964 to 1980

2. Major projects: 1968 to 1980

3. National Rural Development Programme (NRDP):1981 to 1993

4. Agricultural Services Project (ASP) from 1994 to 2000; and

5. Pluralistic and Demand-driven Extension Services Policy from 2000 to

date.
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Post-Independence Era
1. Regional Agricultural Projects (1964 to 1980):
❑The DAET established by MoA was headed by the Chief Agricultural
Extension and Training Officer (CAETO).
❑ CAETO was supported by Subject Matter Specialists (SMSs).
❑ Regional Offices were established and headed by Regional Agricultural
Officers (RAOs).
❑ Below the RAOs were divisions headed by Divisional Agricultural Officers
(DAOs) at the district level, supported by a replica of SMSs.
❑ At the grassroots were the Ecological Planning Areas (EPAs) and Sections
manned by Area Supervisors and Field Assistants, respectively.
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Post-Independence Era
2. Major Projects (1968 to 1980):
❑The major projects were an integrated development package in four specific
areas:
• Lilongwe Land Development Project (LLDP) in 1968
• Lakeshore Rural Development Project (LRDP) in 1968
• Shire Valley Agricultural Development Project (SVADP) in 1969
• Karonga Rural Development Project (KRDP) in 1972

❑The World Bank funded LLDP, SVADP, and KRDP while Germany initially
funded LRDP and was later succeeded by European Union (EU).
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Post-Independence Era
3. National Rural Development Programme-NRDP (1981 to 1993):
❑NRDP had the following objectives:
• Increase smallholder production for cash crops for export to feed the
growing urban population.
• Provide inputs and services for increased smallholder production per unit
area.
• Natural resource preservation by good husbandry, soil conservation,
watershed management, and maintaining forests through tree planting.

❑NRDP brought about some reforms in organizational structure,

extension policy, and system in the MoA to address its objectives.
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Post-Independence Era
3. National Rural Development Programme-NRDP (1981 to 1993):
❑NRDP had the following organizational setup
• A new post of Controller of Agricultural Services (CAS) was created at
MoA to implement the programme.
• CAS was responsible for all technical departments and Agricultural
Development Divisions (ADDs).
• The aim was to integrate the activities of all departments under ADDs to
improve the implementation of NRDP.
• The country was divided into eight Agricultural Development Divisions
(ADDs), 30 Rural Development projects (RDPs), and 180 Extension
Planning Areas (EPAs).
• The RDPs and EPAs were created by a subdivision of the divisions and
ecological planning areas, as they were too complex
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Post-Independence Era
3. National Rural Development Programme-NRDP (1981 to 1993):
❑NRDP created the following ADDs
• Mzuzu ADD Former RAO
• Kasungu ADD Former RAO
• Blantyre ADD Former RAO
• Machinga ADD Formed out of former RAO, BT
• Karonga ADD Former Major Project (KRDP)
• Lilongwe ADD Former Major Project (LLDP)
• Salima ADD Former Major Project (LRDP)
• Shire Valley ADD Former Major Project (SVADP)
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Post-Independence Era
3. National Rural Development Programme-NRDP (1981 to 1993):
❑ Each ADD was headed by a Programme Manager administering the
RDPs and EPAs.
❑ Each ADD consisted of two to five RDPs with an average population
of 25,000 farm families per RDP.
❑ The RDPs were headed by Project Officers.
❑ RDPs comprised, on average, five EPAs with a population of about
8,000 farm families per EPA.
❑ EPAs were headed by Development Officers.
❑ EPAs were further subdivided into five to ten sections each and
manned by Field Assistants to cover, on average, 500 farm families
per section.
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Post-Independence Era
3. National Rural Development Programme-NRDP (1981 to 1993):
❑Before the commencement of the NRDP, extension had already
embraced the Group Approach.
❑More extension staff were encouraging farmers to form groups to
disseminate extension messages.
❑In 1981, an official policy guide was issued that group methods be
emphasized by all ADDs.
❑The policy further elaborated on how the modified Training and Visit (T
and V) system, also known as the Block Extension System (BES), would
be implemented.
❑This was to ensure that the system supports the group approach.
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Post-Independence Era
4. Agricultural Services Project (1994 to 2000):
❑ASP was launched at the end of NRDP, as it was discovered that little
evidence suggested that extension had a significant impact on
productivity.
❑ ASP continued to support the extension system of the Ministry of
Agriculture (MoA).
❑ However, the effectiveness of extension under ASP was said to be
limited by several constraints inherited from NRDP.
❑ Limited funding, poor management, weak research-extension links,
mobility, and poor-quality training for field staff were among the
constraints.
❑Consequently, some new objectives, an adequate framework, an
extension policy, and system reforms were required to deal with the
situation.
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Post-Independence Era
4. Agricultural Services Project (1994 to 2000):
❑The ASP formulated 3 main objectives:
• Increasing the efficiency of service delivery through restructuring and
streamlining all operations and staffing levels, functions, and capacities;
• Expanding the coverage of smallholders, particularly resource-poor and
female farmers, and
• Increasing the effectiveness of service delivery through improving field
staff training using more interactive teaching methods and encouraging
better quality and consistency of field supervision by providing adequate
operational funding, more closely monitoring supervision, and rewarding
better performance in this area.
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Post-Independence Era
4. Agricultural Services Project (1994 to 2000):
❑The ASP organization set up was as follows:
1. The setup of MoA remained the same except delinking of credit services
from Extension.
2. The policy remained the same, focusing on the Group Approach.
3. But a few reforms were made to the system to ensure efficiency:
• Widening coverage and expanding use of farmers’ mini-plots.
• Low-cost messages and use of Participatory Extension/Research.
• Strengthening formal linkage networks between research, extension, and farmers.
• Increasing support to all Extension Aids Branch (EAB) activities.
• Improving access to transport by both male and female extension officers through
new vehicles and a motorcycle scheme.
Evolution of Agricultural Extension Policies in Malawi
The Post-Independence Era
4. Agricultural Services Project (1994 to 2000):
❑After ASP had phased out, it was discovered that the reforms,
which were introduced, had little impact on the extension service
to make it more efficient and effective.
❑Some old problems remained unresolved while new ones were
created.
❑ Some of the old persistent problems included:
• Inadequate funding of operating costs.
• Failure to improve the productivity of the resource-poor smallholders.
• Poor research-extension-farmer linkages; Poor transportation.
management, leading to limited mobility in the field.
• Lack of sustainability of the extension system.
Looking into the Future of Agricultural Extension
Policies in Malawi
❑The future of Malawi’s agricultural extension policies should
focus on some of the following elements:
1. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

2. Public-private partnerships

3. Capacity building

4. Funding and Resources

5. Agricultural commercialization

6. Climate Change
Looking into the Future of Agricultural Extension
Policies in Malawi
❑The future of Malawi’s agricultural extension policies should
focus on some of the following elements:
1. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT):
• Given the high farmer-to-extension agent ratio driven by population
growth, future extension policies should leverage ICT to deliver services
directly to elite farmers.
2. Public-private partnerships:
• Future extension policies should fully integrate public-private
partnerships to enhance service delivery and expand farmer outreach.
3. Capacity building:
• Future extension policies should address ICT, soil fertility, agribusiness,
entrepreneurship, proposal and change management, community
mobilization, and climate-smart agriculture to strengthen extension
agents' competencies.
Looking into the Future of Agricultural Extension
Policies in Malawi
4. Funding and Resources:
• In Malawi, agricultural funding largely focuses on recurrent costs like
salaries and subsidies, with limited support for research and extension.
Future policies should prioritize sustained investment in these areas to
boost productivity.
5. Agricultural commercialization:
• Future extension policies should expand beyond food security crops to
include strategic crops, livestock, and fisheries with high market and
income potential locally and internationally.
6. Climate Change:
• Future extension policies must integrate disaster risk reduction, climate
adaptation and mitigation, sustainable financing, and green economy
strategies to enhance resilience and break the cycle of environmental
degradation.
THANK YOU