COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE EXTENSION SERVICES DELIVERY IN KOUTIALA ADMINISTRATIVE REGION OF SIKASSO, MALI
CHAPTER ONE
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background of the study
Extension is defined by Maunder (1973) as a service or system which assists farm people, through educational procedures, in improving farming methods and techniques, increasing production efficiency and income, elevating their levels of living and lifting, their social and educational standards. However, to achieve this role behoves to the extension services. The efficiency of agricultural extension services can be measured from the successful implementation of extension programmes using various approaches in extension methods. The effects of such programmes must be observed in the life of farmers. Hence Leagan (1971) remarks that extension education is not only a matter of just giving farmers knowledge from research and technology to help raise their efficiency, it also helps them learn about change.
Agricultural extension service is delivered in different ways, whatever the service rendered, it is carried out by an organisation owning either by the government (public) or by a private entity. The public extension in Mali is those free services stemming from the government which assist farmers. It is supposed to be satisfying for them, but according to Yekenni (2015) efficiency of services delivered by the public extension organisation has usually been doubted. The private extension on the other hand are groups of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and extension outfits. Most of NGOs have an objective of nonprofit vis-a-vis of their clienteles however some of them have an objective of profit but still few. Counter to NGOs, private extension outfits delivers their service only upon profit and the clientele has to pay for the service rendered.
According to Van den Ban and Hawkins (1988), the major role of agricultural extension in many countries was seen to be transfer of new technologies from researchers to farmers. Now it is seen more as a process of helping farmers to make their own decisions by providing them a range of options in a given innovation from which they can choose, and by helping the farmers to develop insight into the consequences of each options. Surely, this theory is known within extension organizations but still inapplicable because provide a good service in extension requires an effective administration with trained agents, a relevant policy and financial facilities. Most of developing countries have the same characteristics of agricultural extension system and they need these aspects to perform their role of extension.
In the past, public sector extension was severely attacked for not being relevant, insufficient impact, ineffective, and sometimes, not pursuing programmes that foster equity (Williams and Qamar, 2003). These critical points that time pushed many governments in developing countries to try various extension systems or introduce news programmes.
In the case of Mali, agricultural extension service has evolved under many extension systems and programmes before and after independence. It is under authority of department of agriculture, represented in all regions to cater for the needs of farmers. There are also others national programmes that have been introduced like National Agricultural Extension Programme (NAEP). This programme used the Training and Visit System (T&V) of extension involving participatory diagnosis of farmers’ production constraints, integrated agriculture, livestock and environmental activities, tests in farmers’ fields, site and plot demonstrations, farmer training, assistance to farmers’ organisations (literacy training), training of extension agents, and collaboration with different partners and stakeholders (input dealers, agricultural banks, micro-finance, credit and saving institutions).
According to Kone (2012), despite the benefits and results achieved by this programme, it met many difficulties and finally will be replaced by Agricultural Services and Farmers’ Organisations Support Programme (ASFOSP) which implemented the “demand driven extension”. Farmers are technically assisted in the realisation of the sessions of demonstrations by the chain of supervision during the different steps of programme implementation (village participatory diagnosis, conduct of technical themes). In so doing, farmers participate to the discussion, identification, planning, implementation and evaluation process of programme.
Actually the agricultural extension project that is on-going implementing is the Agricultural Productivity of Increase Project in Mali (APIPM), which started in 2011. In accordance with the first assessments of its activities show that the programme is late in term of achievement.
On the other hand, the private extension services are trying to reach the same objectives, using usually the same methods but with more facilities than the public service. It is observed that Training and Visit System used by many extension organizations has many weaknesses. Hence, there is need to analyze both of extension services for the future of extension organization to provide an effective services to the farmers. In same the moment change their attitude to become more aware of their problems and find means of solving them.
It is in this framework this present study attempts to compare public and private extension service delivery in Koutiala, administrative region of Sikasso in Mali.
1.2. Statement of research problem
The roles of agricultural extension that were expected from both public and private extension services are not properly performed in developing countries because of observed problems facing their clienteles. The problems vary with countries because, varying extension systems are practiced in different places, and each system has its peculiar problems. However, a lot of the problems are common to different developing countries because of similar socioeconomic circumstances and stage of development (Agbamu, 2011). A multitude of problems are known to pester agricultural extension service as inadequacy and instability of funding, use of poorly trained personnel at the local level, insufficient and agro technologies for farmers, disproportionate extension agent to farm family ratio, lack of clientele participation in programme development and among so much else.
The successful implementation of agricultural extension activities is dependent on adequate and opportune funding. The major agricultural extension service financiers in Mali currently are from government, supported through loans by the World Bank, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the African Development Bank (ADB) etc. (Kone, 2012). This funding by international institutions sometime causes problems as has been stated by Bello and Salau (2009) that there is problem of erratic and haphazard releases of funds whereas the agricultural activities of the extension clientele (farmers) are time specific. Thus, the untimely and erratic release of the inadequate funds adversely affects the overall performance of agricultural extension services.
In Nigeria, Agricultural Development Programme (ADPs) serve as the conduit between agricultural research institutions and the farmers. While these research institutes continue to generate relevant, appropriate and affordable technologies, the capacity of extension organizations to effectively transfer the technologies to end-users (farmers) has been impaired by inadequate and uncertain funding (Shaib et.al, 1997; Okoro, 2000). This peculiar situation is similar in most of developing countries include Mali. As result, it created a communication gap between researchers and farmers. So researchers continuously promote inappropriate technologies which extension agents are constrain to disseminate. According to Onyenkazi and Gana (2009), many studies have revealed that the rural farmers have not been making use of the recommended farm practices to its fullest (Obinne, 1992). This may be attributed to the communication gap between information generation and the dissemination to the end users. The extension services are meant to fill this gap in communication.
The new trends of the agricultural extension across the world show that public extension services have left the sector in favor of the private extension services, mainly the developed countries with aim to promote the pluralism, competitiveness and effectiveness of private extension services. But, reverse is the case in most developing countries, where the government is still strongly involved in the agricultural extension service delivery. Hoffmann (2011) stated that governments should not be directly engaged in the provision of extension services, which can be more efficiently managed by private legal entities. Government extension services continue to suffer from a number of shortcomings. They tend to be bureaucratic and inefficient. According to Ladele (2013), because of Low technical and professional competencies and Poor budgetary allocation to agriculture sector, public extension in the developing world, including Africa is incapable of driving the agricultural development of nations towards meeting the MDGs. Thus, this gives a favorable position to private extension services. Some of these have recorded striking success. On others hand, according to Maiga (2015), the private extension outfits which should ensure the extension service after structural adjustments have not been efficient, in the case of Mali. This analysis raises another common setback limiting the effectiveness of rural development projects as stated by Ladele (2011), there are usually streams of interventions from government, international donor agencies and non-government organizations to same target systems but in an uncoordinated manner.
However, Hoffmann (2011) suggests that the state should continue to determine policy, regulate how extension services operate and ensure that farmers receive good advice. However, it should reduce its direct engagement in providing services or inputs to farmers. This could be left to other service providers, such as private companies and non-governmental organizations. This should be a gradual process, it cannot be achieved overnight.
Therefore, this study intends to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of these interventions in order to identify a collaborative environment between both organizations, for improvement of extension service delivery in the study zone. Hence, there is a need analysis of public extension services as well as private by comparing of their service delivery among farmers in Koutiala. In doing this, the following research questions are raised:
1. What are the socioeconomic characteristics of the beneficiaries of both the public and private extension organisations in the study area?
2. What are the enterprise characteristics of beneficiaries of both the public and private extension organisations in the study area?
3. What are the extension strategies used by the public and private organisations in their dissemination activities in the study area?
4. What are the farmers’ perception of effectiveness of the agricultural extension organisations in the study area?
5. What are the benefits derived by respondents from the services of the agricultural extension organisations?
6. What are the constraints encountered by farmers of public and private extension organisations in the study area?
1.3. Objectives of the study
The general objective of this study is to analyze public and private extension organization in comparing their service delivery among the farmers in Koutiala, Mali. The specific objectives are to:
1. Determine the socioeconomic characteristics of the beneficiaries of both the public and private organisations in study area;
2. Ascertain the extension strategies used by the public and private organisations in their dissemination activities in the study area;
3. Determine the farmers’ perception of effectiveness of the agricultural extension organisations in the study area;
4. Document the benefits derived by respondents from the services of the agricultural extension organisations;
5. Ascertain the farmers’ level of awareness of the services of public and private extension organisations in the study area;
6. Determine the ratio of extension agent and farmers of public and private extension organisations in the study area.
1.4. Hypotheses of the study
The hypotheses of this study, stated in null form are stated as below:
Ho1: There is no significant relationship between the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents and their perception of effectiveness of agricultural extension organisations;
Ho2: There is no significant different between benefits derived by both of respondents from public and private extension service;
Ho3: There is no significant relationship between strategies used by extension organisations and benefits derived by respondents;
Ho4: There is no significant different between farmers’ level of awareness of both respondents from the public and private extension service;
Ho5: There is no significant different between strategies used by public and private extension organisations in their dissemination;
Ho6: There is no significant relationship between the ratio of extension agents/farmers and benefits derived by respondents from the public and private extension organisations.
1.5. Justification of the study
According to many studies it is now widely accepted that a new model of extension service delivery is needed in most of developing countries. It is in the same perceptive that the study will determine the strengths and weaknesses of extension service delivery in the study area, with the aim of bringing up better services in Mali. It will provide information on the activities of both private and public extension service which is needed in the improvement of the performance of small scale farmers’ productivity.
It will bring a survey of farmers’ perception on agricultural extension organisations in the study area. Hence, it will be possible for the future extension programmes to know more about them and use the appropriate strategies in their dissemination in this area.
The study will also provide a clear comparative analysis carried on both the public and private extension organisations in the study area. This will show their effectiveness in providing extension service, because it is determined by the achievement of these organisations and the benefits derived by farmers from them.
The study will also reveal possible areas where government can create an adequate atmosphere for a greater spread and more effective performance of the private and public provider of extension services.
Lastly, the findings of this study will serve as basis for policy formulation for all decision makers in agricultural extension and also in the development process of the entire agricultural sector. It will enable to know how the activities of extension organisations can be enhanced and suggest an appropriate way of work between public and private extension organisations.