This document on Good Practices in Extension Research and Evaluation is developed as a hands on reference manual to help young researchers, research students, and field extension functionaries in choosing the right research methods for conducting quality research and evaluation in extension. This manual has been compiled by the resource persons who participated in the Workshop on ‘Good
Undertaking Capacity Needs Assessment (CNA) is critical for organizing appropriate capacity development interventions. AESA organised four workshops on CNA of EAS in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal with the following objectives.
1. Identify capacity gaps among EAS providers
2. Finalise a methodology for undertaking capacity needs assessment.
This paper reviews the extension curricula currently followed in universities in India at different levels in light of the new challenges faced by farmers, the new capacities needed among extension personnel to address these challenges, new trends in the job market and advances made in the field of extension.
Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America, and agriculture is one of the engines of economic and social development. The agricultural sector contributes 16.1 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 33 percent of formal employment and the food security of the population. There are 260 000 producers involved in agricultural production.
Food and Nutritional Security (FNS), understood as the availability and access to quality food, is fundamental for human development. The sustainability and progress of the agricultural sector are essential to maintain a food supply in quantity and quality. In the department of Córdoba, multidimensional poverty is twice as high for rural areas (51.9 percent) as compared to urban areas (23.3 percent). Thus, rural producers' role in boosting the local economy, contributing to generating jobs and FNS is essential.
Nicaragua es el país más grande de América Central, y la agricultura es uno de los motores del desarrollo económico y social. El sector agrícola aporta el 16.1 por ciento del producto interno bruto (PIB), el 33 por ciento del empleo formal y la seguridad alimentaria de la población. Alrededor de la producción agropecuaria se integran 260 000 productores.
La Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricional (SAN) entendida como la disponibilidad y el acceso a los alimentos de calidad, es fundamental para el desarrollo humano; la sostenibilidad y el progreso del sector agropecuario son primordiales para mantener una oferta de alimentos en cantidad y calidad. En el departamento de Córdoba, la pobreza multidimensional es el doble para la zona rural (51.9 por ciento) con respecto a la urbana (23.3 por ciento). En ese sentido, los productores rurales dinamizan la economía local, contribuyen a generar empleos y con la SAN.
Chile es un país líder en la exportación de alimentos, en donde la apicultura juega un rol fundamental y cuenta con más de 1 300 000 colmenas para apoyar la producción de alimentos a través de la polinización. Las buenas prácticas deben ser abordadas de generación en generación de apicultores para favorecer el mantenimiento de colmenas sanas y activas para la presentación de servicios sistémicos de polinización.
Extension and advisory services (EAS) perform an important role in agricultural development and help reduce hunger and poverty. Development efforts are increasingly complicated because of challenges such as natural resource depletion and climate change. Agricultural development frameworks have moved from a linear to a more complex systems perspective. Many scholars today use the agricultural innovation systems (AIS) framework as a conceptual model.
Extension and advisory services (EAS) play a key role in facilitating innovation for sustainable agricultural development. To strengthen this role, appropriate investment and conducive policies are needed in EAS, guided by evidence. It is therefore essential to examine EAS characteristics and performance in the context of modern, pluralistic and increasingly digital EAS systems. In response to this need, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has developed guidelines and instruments for the systematic assessment of national EAS systems.