Death of agricultural extension

Agricultural extension is vital for the country’s economic development.

Extension officers pass on information about agricultural technologies and approved farming practices to the farmers. Then the farmers adopt the technologies that the government feel are suitable. The technologies may be old or new.

The agricultural extension has a long history. There was a time the government could announce the dates for planting and for closing the growing season, especially uprooting stalks for tobacco and cotton to avoid multiplication of pests and diseases.

The country is divided into eight Agricultural Development Divisions (ADDs): Blantyre, Shire Valley, Machinga, Lilongwe, Kasungu, Salima, Mzuzu and Karonga.

Every ADD is headed by a programme manager, with district agricultural development officers running extension planning areas (EPAs) and agricultural extension and development coordinator (Aedc).

In the EPAs, we have several sections agricultural extension development officer (Aedo) who organises the farmers into groups so that they are reached with the agricultural information as easily as possible.

At first, farmers could make their own efforts to call for an Aedo for advice and directions.

Some farmers could offer their roadside fields to act as demonstration fields. In these fields, all the necessarily crop husbandry practices are done and people can observe for themselves on what technology can do. Sometimes field days are organised just to show people what the technology is all about.

The farmer that donated her field to be a demonstration plot also acts as a lead farmer to the point that when people come to her at their own time, she can explain the details of the technology.

In the past, the farmers were so eager to look for the Aedos and ask more about agriculture. The same Aedo could also direct the farmers on where they can get assistance on animal husbandry practices.

Since the Aedo is a government employee and the farmers know that they are primary beneficiaries, the Aedos could offer their services for free and the farmers could participate in all agricultural extension services. They could attend a field day or go to the demonstration plot for free.

Then nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) arrived to complement government efforts  in uplifting the agricultural sector.

NGOs are doing a great job.

However, they have changed the landscape when it comes to provision of agricultural extension.

Sometimes when farmers offer their filed, they are given an allowance.

When the farmers gather at a particular demonstration field, they are given lunch and some allowances.

Based on the cash handouts, the farmers consider the NGOs interventions more beneficial than those from the government.

When Aedos engaged by an NGO, they are given a fat allowance and some  of them are tempted to attend more to NGO activities than government ones. This has brought down the extension system.

Neither the Aedo nor the farmer is willing to participate in agricultural activities for free.

Now, it is no longer a question of who benefits in the end, but what amount of cash they will receive at the end of the day if they participate.

But government is striving to give farmers a fishing line so that they can catch their own fish instead of giving them fish.

The government cannot raise enough money to pay all the participants every time there is an agricultural activity to uplift the farmers.

If NGOs and the Malawi government don’t sit down and relook at the extension services together, then the agricultural extension services in Malawi are on the verge of collapsing. n