Innovation in extension and advisory services

Transcription

1 Independent Impact Assessment Report: Innovation in extension and advisory services CTA Annual International Conference November 2011, Nairobi, Kenya Ruth Mwikali and John Fox December 2013 intermediaries in development

2 2 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services 3 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services The Extension Conference was a torch to finding out what I want to do. It has changed my way of thinking. A participant from Malawi About CTA s Independent Evaluation and Impact Assessment Reports CTA regularly commissions independent evaluations and impact assessments along thematic, programmatic or cross-cutting lines. The major evaluations are carried out using the OECD DAC criteria, while impact assessments draw on the conceptual framework formulated by the Learning, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit (LME) with various impact indicators for CTA s interventions. CTA is committed to disseminating these reports widely, with a view to promoting knowledge sharing and organisational learning. CTA, 2015 Abbreviations AAILD AFAAS AGRA ANAFE CAADP CABI CTA EIARD FAO FARA FORAGRO GFAR GFRAS ICRA ICRAF ICT IFAD KARI MIS MoA NEPAD Agency NGO UoN USP UWI YPARD Association pour l'appui aux Initiatives Locales de Développement (Association for Support of Local Initiatives) African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa African Network for Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural Resources Education Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux International Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation European Initiative on Agricultural Research for Development The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa Forum for the Americas on Agricultural Research and Technology Development Global Forum on Agricultural Research Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services International Centre for development oriented Research in Agriculture International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (World Agroforestry Centre) Information and Communication Technology International Fund for Agricultural Development Kenya Agricultural Research Institute Management Information System Ministry of Agriculture, Kenya New Partnership for Africa s Development Planning and Coordinating Agency Non-Governmental Organisation University of Nairobi University of the South Pacific University of the West Indies Young Professionals in Agricultural Research for Development

3 4 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services 5 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services Contents Executive Summary Executive Summary 5 CTA Responses Introduction Background Conference objectives Objectives of the impact 16 assessment 1.4. Methodology Profile of the respondents Region of work Organisation Gender Age Categories of delegates Impacts on individual 25 participants 3.1. Skills development Networking Knowledge management Impacts at institutional 34 level 4.1. Visibility Networking and 35 information sharing 4.3. Organisational 36 development 4.4. Policy The Nairobi Declaration Impacts on professional 44 communities 5.1. International institutions Extension and advisory 47 services communities 5.3. Academic and research 47 institutions 6. Conclusions and 49 recommendations 6.1 Effects of the conference Recommendations 51 Annexes Annex 1: Questionnaire 56 Annex 2: Further Analysis of 62 Respondents Disaggregation of organisation 64 by country Footnotes 66 List of Figures Figure 1: Breakdown of 20 responding delegates by region Figure 2: Breakdown of 21 responding delegates by institutional affiliation Figure 3: Breakdown of 22 esponding delegates by gender Figure 4: Breakdown of 23 responding delegates by age Figure 5: Breakdown of 23 conference delegates by sponsorship Figure 6: Breakdown of 24 conference delegates by sponsoring agency Figure 7: Breakdown of 24 respondents by proportion that maintained contact with sponsor Figure 8: Thematic interest 26 Figure 9: Number of people 29 that delegates have remained in contact with Figure 10: The main purpose 30 for maintained contact Figure 11: Delegates with the 38 Nairobi Declaration by institution Figure 12: Delegates with the 38 Nairobi Declaration by sponsorship Figure 13: Period when last 39 consulted the Nairobi Declaration List of Tables Table 1: Overview of the 14 Extension Conference 2011 Delegates Table 2: Outcomes and 18 indicators for the impact assessment Table 3: Post-conference 29 evaluation responses on networking The conference was called Innovations in Extension and Advisory Services: Linking Knowledge to Policy and Action for Food and Livelihoods. It was organised by CTA in partnership with 17 other institutions. It was held in Nairobi, Kenya, from November It was attended by 453 participants drawn from 85 different countries and representing universities, research institutions, ministries and NGOs 1. Many of the participants could be called policy makers with regard to agricultural extension and advisory services in their own institutions and in their own countries. Objectives The main objective was: to take stock of current policies, thinking and practice, successes and failures of on-going and past reforms in extension and advisory services and build a coalition moving forward to specifically address meeting the future needs of small-holder farmers, marginalized communities, women and youth, in a sustainable and cost effective manner. 2 Expected results and outcome Develop a shared understanding and enhanced profile of the vital role of extension and advisory services in agricultural value chains and wider innovation systems, within the context of the present environment for agricultural and rural development. Clear define, endorse and widely disseminate good practice and policy options for improving the future delivery and effectiveness of extension and advisory services. Endorse mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating extension and advisory services to provide lessons for policy and practice. Identify priorities for research, capacity development and investments that enhance the impact of extension and advisory services on agricultural productivity, food security, sustainable livelihoods and natural resource management. Elaborate strategies for addressing these priorities. The expected outcome was renewed interest in extension and advisory services and increased commitment by key stakeholders in implementing policy and adopting practices for effective delivery, greater impact and enhanced sustainability of agricultural extension services and advisory services.

4 6 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services 7 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services Conference activities included a pre-conference call for papers, e-discussions, social media and a media competition on the four sub-themes, as well as in-conference plenary and parallel thematic sessions, an open market place for exhibition booths and interaction among participants, an exhibition of posters, tools, materials and products, live streaming and a conference blog, and field trips to 11 sites to demonstrate extension in action. Post-conference activities to date have included production of CTA policy pointers (completed), production of the conference proceedings (in print), hosting of expert consultations, providing updates, and sharing new publications with delegates using an established e-list. The outputs were taken forward in a Nairobi Declaration which called on all stakeholders to: Develop clear policies and strategies for extension and advisory services in a participatory manner and put coordination and quality assurance mechanisms in place. Advocate for increased funding within national budgets; develop and implement public, private and donor funding mechanisms that ensure sustainability, risk-sharing and efficient use of funds to provide highquality demand-led services. Promote and facilitate continuous capacity building, learning and foresighting as well as greater use of ICTs and the media, taking into account culture and gender in the provision of advisory and extension services so that millions of smallholder farmers can move up the value chain. Develop and implement participatory processes for monitoring, evaluation and impact assessments, and for conducting research on extension to facilitate learning, accountability, efficiency and empowerment. Eighteen months later, an impact assessment has been carried out in order to determine the extent to which these objectives have been reached. The impact study The aims of the study were to analyse the effects of the conference on the participants and the organisations they represented, to assess progress in implementing the Nairobi Declaration and to offer recommendations towards its fuller implementation. An online questionnaire was completed by 70 (21%) of the surveyed participants. Interviews (face-to-face and on Skype) were also conducted with members of both the international and local organising committees. And a scan of internet and social media sites was made in order to determine the range of references that have been made to the conference, its themes and, specifically, the Nairobi Declaration. Impact has been assessed in terms of the following outcomes: the level to which the conference stimulated policy-making dialogue; increase in investments in agricultural extension and advisory services; the extent to which participants have maintained contact and interacted; enhanced knowledge and skills and changed attitudes; stimulation of debate and research; increased take-up of participatory extension methods; utilisation of innovative approaches and tools; establishment of knowledgesharing platforms; and value added by participants to their organisations. Impacts on individuals When asked about the most important things gained at the conference, most participants identified becoming more aware of new ICT tools and approaches. Many others mentioned the need for greater collaboration in research particularly on issues affecting extension in developing countries. Overall, it is clear that the conference did rekindle an interest in extension. In the responses, there are many references to the conference s influence on the delivery of extension services, training of extension workers, and new areas of research. There are a number of reports of how participants have begun to use innovative communication technologies, have reviewed training content and approaches, are using more participatory approaches in planning and delivering of extension, and are focusing more on value chain aspects in their advisory work for farmers. Since the conference there has been a surprisingly high level of sustained interaction between participants; most of them have made and maintained contact with at least 10 fellow participants. In relation to the Nairobi Declaration s call for collaboration to further its aims, many participants have joined existing forums on extension or have established new ones. Some respondents have claimed that their participation in the conference has led to their being invited to various other conferences and meetings on extension. When analysing the responses concerning follow-up activities and continuing information sharing, it can be concluded that participants who were sponsored have benefited more than those who were not. Another observation is the relatively low response rates to the impact assessment questionnaire by female delegates; of the 70 who responded, 14 were female. Recommendations 1. Self-sponsored participants should be targeted in terms of information sharing, to keep them abreast of any changes and new developments in extension and advisory services. Impacts on organisations A number of participating organisations reported that, informed by the Nairobi Declaration, they are more empowered to influence debates about policy options at the national level, in reviewing existing policies, re-shaping extension strategies, and setting up extension advisory services particularly in countries such as Sudan and South Sudan, where policy formulation is on-going. Another example is the host country, Kenya, where it was reported that the conference gave impetus to the launch of its e-extension services. As to the impact within organisations, the universities and research institutions reported that the lessons from the conference have enriched curricula and better informed research. For implementing NGOs, there is now a greater emphasis on participatory planning, delivery and monitoring methods, and a greater awareness of new information technologies. Also, across the categories of organisations, there was a marked appreciation of how the conference has enhanced their visibility and influence through a great variety of media reports. 2. To keep up the momentum, CTA could commission thematic case studies on best practices in various countries that had representation at the conference and share the outcomes with all delegates.

5 8 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services 9 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services Impacts on professional communities When organisations and individuals come together in sharing ideas or taking collaborative actions, they become a community of professionals. It can be seen that the conference has furthered this sense of community. The internet search has shown that there has been a continuing debate about the themes explored at the conference particularly on what is meant by the New Extensionist and the implications for revised training curricula and delivery methods. And, in sustaining this debate, there has been an increase in the formation of national and regional forums, which are particularly advantaged when they are linked to the forums of the GFRAS. 3. CTA and the conference organisers could follow up on these emerging national and regional forums to help them align and harmonise better within the existing coordination frameworks. They could then effectively contribute to shaping the discourse around extension and advisory services, and to the broader vision. Acting on the Nairobi Declaration Whether participants were familiar with the wording of the Declaration or not, it can be concluded that its clauses are being acted on: extension policies are being reformulated, capacity building of extension actors is being strengthened, participatory processes are being set in train in the planning and delivery of advisory services, and there is a greater use of ICTs in the delivery of extension messages and in receiving feedback. 4. In addition to posting the Declaration on the website, the visibility of the Declaration as an action point for the conference could be given prominence by sending it out directly to all the delegates. This would be a way of maintaining a good contact list as well as updating delegates that are still active in the sector. 5. As highlighted in the suggestions by the delegates who responded to the survey, a range of methods and formats (newsletters, posters, blogs, Twitter, Facebook) could be used to further disseminate the Declaration, send reminders, follow up and regularly update on progress by different countries for purposes of learning and encouraging others to take action. 6. In terms of knowledge management, the provision of extension material or pointers to where these could be found would be an important way to support implementation of the Nairobi Declaration. These are available from various sources, and perhaps CTA could take specific action in collating these sources and posting them on the CTA website or disseminating to various online learning and knowledge management platforms such as the Eldis, the Pelican Initiative (Platform for Evidence-based Learning & Communication for Social Change) or Capacity.org. 7. During the conference, each thematic area contained in the Declaration had a focal point CTA led on policy, GFRAS on capacity building, FARA on tools and approaches and ICRA led on learning. Some of the partners such as FAO, FARA and GFAR already had major on-going initiatives to support extension. Delegates should be encouraged to rally around the specific thematic areas, after the conference, for purposes of information sharing, knowledge management, technical support and monitoring, and sending or posting updates to the thematic area focal points. Commitments on action could be made with clear milestones and targets that each actor involved in agricultural extension and rural advisory services would be working towards. 8. Funding was mentioned as having been a restriction on taking effective action, for scaling up, research, training or adopting new approaches. CTA could provide information, where relevant, about funding opportunities that are related to specific thematic areas of the Nairobi Declaration. 9. For countries undertaking a policy formulation process or developing extension strategies and structures, delegates should be made aware of where to direct their requests for technical support so that they are able to address issues contained in the Nairobi Declaration. FAO has been providing support in policy formulation before and after the conference. Several suggestions by the delegates point to support in preparation and monitoring implementation of policy action plans, organising meetings with various incountry leaders to move forward the Nairobi Declaration, and support in setting up national extension systems. Recommendations for future impact assessments 10. To provide a baseline for future assessments, it is recommended that pre-and post-conference surveys should be conducted and a good system for storing information on delegates who respond should be developed. 11. In anticipation of an impact assessment, software could be used to monitor the number of visits to the conference website, the number of times a document has been downloaded, hosting of conference outputs, and references to conference themes on institutional websites and online media (including social media), both before and after the conference. 12. Although the impact assessment did not have a translated version of the questionnaire and there was no observable impediment in the responses of French speaking delegates consideration should be given to having translated versions of the questionnaire in relevant languages. 13. The social media sites should continue to be used post-conference, as part of a CTA communication strategy. Since they have not been very active since early 2012, the immediate action could be to re-activate them. It is challenging for staff to manage social media sites on a part-time basis, especially one of the magnitude of the Extension Conference in CTA should consider engaging an individual to specifically concentrate on communication, including the use of social media, for the conferences. This would involve collecting and disseminating information from delegates that would enrich the site and contribute to the learning, monitoring and evaluation.

6 10 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services 11 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services CTA Responses Summary of CTA s Response to the Recommendations of the Innovations in Extension and Advisory Services: Linking Knowledge to Policy and Action for Food and Livelihoods Conference in November 2011, Nairobi Report This conference was the first of the new series of annual international conferences that CTA initiated in 2011 in collaboration with a broad spectrum of global, regional and national partners. The consultants made 14 recommendations grouped around the following issues: Women and gender issues: Greater marketing towards women professionals and self-sponsored participants as they seem to be the group that takes the highest number of action. Maintaining momentum: To maintain the momentum, CTA could commission thematic case studies on best practices in various countries that had representation at the conference, and share the outcomes with all delegates For future impact assessments: To provide a baseline for future assessments, it is recommended that pre-and post-conference surveys should be conducted and a good system for storing information on responding delegates should be developed. CTA has addressed the first group of issues in the subsequent conferences and has also changed its pre and post conference data collection system to ensure digitization and safekeeping of baseline information. In addition, CTA has recently revised its policy on annual conferences taking into account evaluation feedback since 2011, other lessons learnt, as well as an in-house strategic meeting organised in January 2015.

7 12 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services 13 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services 1. Introduction 1.1. Background 1.2. Conference objectives The CTA International Conference on Agricultural Extension and Rural Advisory Services Innovations in Extension and Advisory Services: Linking Knowledge to Policy and Action for Food and Livelihoods ( Extension Conference 2011 ) was held in Nairobi, Kenya, from November people (317 male; 136 female) attended the conference. 3 They were from 85 countries 4, representing public, private and non-governmental organisations, policy-makers, the research and development community, academia, donor agencies, financial institutions and the media (see table 1). The majority of the world s poor live in rural areas and are smallholder farmers dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. Though agriculture has the potential to reduce hunger and malnutrition, it has been undermined by persistent underinvestment and low visibility of agricultural extension and rural advisory services. The objective of the conference was to take stock of current policies, thinking and practice, successes and failures of on-going and past reforms in extension and advisory services and build a coalition moving forward to specifically address meeting the future needs of small-holder farmers, marginalized communities, women and youth, in a sustainable and cost effective manner. 6 This was the first conference since the adoption of the CTA Strategic Plan for the period In this strategy, the CTA Annual Seminars were modified into International Conferences. A significant shift in the organisation of the conferences was the inclusion of other development partners and agencies in funding, planning and implementation. The Extension Conference was jointly funded and jointly organised by CTA in partnership with 17 other organisations 5. An international steering committee led by CTA, and a local organising committee led by KARI, were made up of representatives from these organisations. Focusing on four themes policy, capacity development, tools and approaches and learning networks four immediate result areas were pursued: Shared understanding of the role of extension and advisory services in agricultural and rural development. Definition, endorsement and dissemination of good practices and policy options for improving the effectiveness and delivery of extension and advisory services. Definition, endorsement and dissemination of mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating extension and advisory services. Identification and elaboration of priorities and strategies for research, capacity development and investments that enhance the impact of extension and advisory services on agricultural productivity, food security, sustainable livelihoods and natural resource management. The expected outcome of the conference was renewed interest in extension and advisory services and increased commitment by key stakeholders in implementing policy and adopting practices for effective delivery, greater impact and enhanced sustainability of agricultural extension services and advisory services. To take this forward, an end-of-conference statement, the Nairobi Declaration, 7 was agreed among all delegates. It called on all key stakeholders to work together to: Develop clear policies and strategies for extension and advisory services in a participatory manner and put coordination and quality assurance mechanisms in place. Advocate for increased funding within national budgets; develop and implement public, private and donor funding mechanisms that ensure sustainability, risk-sharing and efficient use of funds to provide high-quality demand-led services. Promote and facilitate continuous capacity building, learning and foresighting as well as greater use of ICTs and the media, which take into account culture and gender in the provision of advisory and extension services, so that millions of smallholder farmers can move up the value chain. Develop and implement participatory processes for monitoring, evaluation and impact assessments and for conducting research on extension, to facilitate learning, accountability, efficiency and empowerment. The participants further called upon the conference organisers to continue to provide platforms at different levels for extension professionals and researchers and farmers to meet, exchange and improve their capacity to mobilise smallholders knowledge, labour, land, water and genetic resources for global food security. 8

8 14 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services 15 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services Table 1: Overview of the Extension Conference 2011 Delegates No. of Delegates By region Africa % By organisation Europe 72 17% Asia & Middle East 28 6% South America & the Caribbean 28 6% North America 11 2% Australia & the Pacific 11 2% Percentage Total % Other % Public Sector 81 18% NGO 67 15% University 58 13% Research Organisation 52 11% International Organisation 43 9% Private Sector 37 8% Total % By sponsor CTA % GFRAS 62 14% FARA 46 10% FAO 28 6% AGRA 12 3% GFAR 8 2% CABI 7 2% Practical Action 6 1% FORAGRO 6 1% ICRAF 6 1% NEPAD 5 1% IFAD 3 1% YPARD 2 0% Self-sponsored % Total % Pre-conference activities included a call for papers, e-discussions, social media engagement and a media competition on the four sub-themes. During the conference, there were plenary and parallel thematic sessions, an open market place for exhibition booths and for facilitating interaction among participants, an exhibition of posters, tools, materials and products, live streaming and a conference blog, and field trips to 11 sites to demonstrate extension in action. The conference outputs presentations, the Nairobi Declaration, and reports of e-dialogue, were posted and are still available on the conference website. 9 Post-conference activities to date have included: the production of CTA policy pointers (completed) and the conference proceedings (in print), various expert consultations and meetings organised by partners and the provision of updates and the sharing of new publications with delegates using an established e-list. During the 3rd GFRAS Annual Meeting held on September 2012, an overview was given of activities that GFRAS had carried out or planned since the Extension Conference and the 2nd GFRAS Annual Meeting, which had been organised to coincide with the conference. 10 GFRAS has produced materials for the Rio+20 conference held in June 2012, initiated a side event on policy development at the 3rd GFRAS Annual Meeting in September 2012, produced a document on the New Extensionist that was presented at the Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD) in November 2012, and organised an advocacy training at the regional level with the Latin America Network for Rural Extension Services (RELASER). With regard to participatory processes for monitoring, evaluation, and impact assessments, GFRAS completed its evaluation guide and launched the evaluation initiative as well as the Global Good Practices initiative, held the Latin American evaluation meeting, launched the World Wide Extension Study database 11, and produced a directory of extension providers 12 and a roster of extension experts 13. In support of the development of evidence-based approaches and policies for improving the effectiveness of rural advisory services, GFRAS established the working group Gender Equality in RAS. The FAO, CGIAR and AFAAS have been participants in many of these activities through presentation of key papers and organisation of the events. NB: 55 from Francophone countries; self-sponsored 126 (28%), sponsored 327 (72%)

9 16 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services 17 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services 1.3. Objectives of the impact assessment 1.4. Methodology Almost 18 months after the conference was held, CTA, in consultation with GFRAS, was eager to find out what impact the conference had had in renewing interest in extension and taking a positive step toward the revitalisation of extension and advisory services. This impact assessment was therefore commissioned to look at the extent to which the short and medium term outcomes implied from the conference objectives and the Nairobi Declaration had been realised. As stated in the terms of reference (ToR), the objectives of the study are to: Analyse the effects of the conference (whether anticipated or unanticipated, positive or negative) on the direct and indirect beneficiaries. The data used in this impact assessment is generated from both primary and secondary sources. These were: a survey, interviews, an internet search and a desk study of documents provided by CTA and other conference organisers. The main method used to gather primary data was an online survey which was administered using the web-based Survey Monkey programme. The survey was only available in English and contained a set of 27 questions, which included an optional last question on personal information. It is worth noting that, despite only being in English, the survey did not limit French-speaking delegates, who contributed actively, as will be seen in the next sections. In addition, the responses and examples given are a representative sample of the kinds of impacts realised. Assess the state of progress with implementation of the Nairobi Declaration. The Nairobi Declaration, agreed by all participants, is the key document that gives a way forward on the implementation of issues arising out of the conference. Provide concrete recommendations that would facilitate the full implementation of the Nairobi Declaration. The emphasis of the impact assessment was on actions that participants and organisers had undertaken as a result of attending the conference and changes that had taken place either as a direct or indirect result of these actions related to agricultural extension and rural advisory services. The majority of questions in the survey were closed questions, but they provided an option for qualifying the response or giving additional comments. The first seven questions were expected to obtain a profile of the respondents. Eight open-ended questions gave the respondents a chance to articulate their opinions and will provide qualitative information and stories for the survey. The online survey remained active for four weeks. An offline version of the questionnaire (in Ms Word) was made available for those who wished to fill it in offline. The responses were then entered manually in the online data collector for analysis. The questionnaire is available in Annex 1. A pre-conference survey was not held, but an onsite post-conference survey was carried out using a printed questionnaire. 162 (36%) of the conference participants responded to this survey 14. While it would have been a better strategy to follow up with delegates who had completed the post-conference survey, information about the 162 that had completed this survey was not available. On 26 August 2013 an invitation was sent to the conference delegates whose details were available from the compiled List of Participants. Of the 319 (70% of the total conference participants) invitations sent, 18 bounced back and 3 had previously opted out. Two reminders were sent on 3 September and by 10 September 2013, a total of 70 survey forms had been completed. This represented a response rate of 21%. It was concluded that this is a representative sample of the conference participants. Five in-depth interviews were carried out face-to-face in Kenya and using Skype with those in other locations. The Evaluation Team also attempted to set up meetings with 21 other delegates in Kenya without success; they had either left the organisation with no forwarding address, did not respond to our calls, had no time to meet or their numbers were no longer in use. The 11 interviewed included members of the international organising committee (2), local organising committee (2), CTA staff (2) and some individual participants (5). A scan of the internet and social media sites (websites, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, YouTube) for an overview of references to the conference and conference themes yielded varied results. The key words used in the search were: the formal and informal name of the conference: Innovations in Extension and Advisory Services: Linking Knowledge to Policy and Action for Food and Livelihoods ; Extension Conference 2011, the Nairobi Declaration on Agricultural Extension and Rural Advisory Services. Data analysis for the online survey was carried out using both the Survey Monkey online analysis and the statistical analysis software SSPS. The interpretation mainly uses descriptive statistics, which include frequencies and cross tabulations. Figures have been produced using Ms Excel as well as an analysis of online search. An analysis of the open-ended questions involved highlighting key issues arising. This was used to triangulate the findings of the quantitative data. Stories were constructed around the interviews with some of the participants and issues raised in the open-ended questions. The conceptual framework for analysing the impacts draws on the impact indicators for CTA products developed in and services, and links this to the end-of-conference survey. These have informed the distinction between short and medium term outcomes 16 at individual level, organisation levels, and between direct and indirect beneficiaries. 17

10 18 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services 19 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services Table 2: Outcomes and indicators for the impact assessment Category of impact Political capital Material wealth/wealth creation Dimensions of impact Policy Advocacy on resource mobilisation Outcome Level to which conference has stimulated policy making, dialogue and awareness about importance of agricultural extension and rural advisory services Increased coherence and representation related to agricultural extension and rural advisory services Indicator Policy changes, sectoral reforms, using conference outcomes Increase in funding, investments in agricultural extension and rural advisory services by government and other development partners Category of impact Human capital /technical empowerment Dimensions of impact Skills development Change in professional discourse Outcome Enhanced knowledge, skills and attitudes on agricultural extension and rural advisory services Extent to which conference themes have stimulated debate and new research Indicator Increase in number of beneficiaries with new skills and combination of skills Amount of training opportunities in agricultural extension and advisory services Type of extension training methods promoted Increase in focus of organisations on conference themes Social capital Networking Extent to which participants and organisations have increased or maintained contact, interacted and communicated Visibility Influential relationships Increase in information sharing and links with new networks Amount of collaboration in project formulation or implementation of research Increased recognition in the sector Increase in number of organisations/beneficiaries that have become important actors/partners Platforms for knowledge management/ information sharing Increased interest in participatory extension methodologies Extent of documentation/ dissemination/ utilisation of innovative tools and approaches in agricultural extension and advisory services Extent of availability of knowledge sharing platforms Focus of other organisations changed, new terminology/ concept adopted by others Level of discussions and interaction about agricultural extension and rural advisory services Level of sharing new learning and engaging in exchanges within their organisation and outside Availability of information on agricultural extension and rural advisory services for practitioners Level of distribution of relevant newsletters and publications Organisational development Value added by participants to their organisation, Use of knowledge, materials, contacts gained from conference, requests for information, advice and support by conference organisers

11 20 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services 21 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services 2. Profile of the respondents 2.2. Organisation Most responses were from delegates working in universities, followed by the public sector, NGOs and research organisations (Figure 2). This corresponds to the conference Figure 2: Breakdown of responding delegates by institutional affiliation representation where the four institutions had highest representation at 13%, 18%, 15% and 11% respectively (see Table 1) Region of work The responding delegates represented a total of 34 countries, eight of which are French speaking and 21 from Africa. It is not surprising therefore that over 70% of the respondents were from Africa, particularly from eastern (37%) and western African countries (19%). This reflects the conference participation, which also had a large proportion from African countries (67%) of which 22% (101) were from Kenya. There were no responses from delegates in North America. Details of specific representation by country are available in Annex 2. Public Sector 17% NGO 16% University 33% Figure 1: Breakdown of responding delegates by region Research organization 13% Africa 72.9% Farmer organization 9% Europe 8.6% Media 3% International organization 6% South America & the Caribbean 8.6% Private Sector 3% Asia/Middle East 5.7% Other 1% Donor 0% Asia & the Pacific 4.3% Continental Network 0% n = 70 n = 70 0% 10% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

12 22 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services 23 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services Almost all the responding delegates from the public sector (NGOs, farmer organisations and the media) are from Africa. A follow-up question asked for the respondents position in their organisation. Most respondents were in decision-making positions, either as: policy makers; presidents, chief executive officers or founders of the organisation; directors and deputy directors of departments; or programme/project coordinators and officers. About twenty were academics, including lecturers and professors some heading departments or coordinating programmes. About six indicated that they were researchers, some as PhD candidates, research assistants or students. Five were involved in knowledge management as reporters, communications specialists and librarians. It can be concluded that most delegates were in positions where they could influence change. Figure 4: Breakdown of responding delegates by age 35% 29% 30% 25% 25% 25% 20% 15% 10% 4% 17% n = 48 5% 2.3. Gender The proportion of female respondents was low. Many of them were from NGOs, research institutions and universities. It is worth noting that this was not raised as a concern. Only one research organisation in Kenya mentioned that deliberate efforts were being made to include more women in such meetings. We have ensured that about 40% of our participants at these workshops are women. 0% Categories of delegates Figure 5 shows that most (86%) of the delegates responding to the survey were sponsored either as individual participants or as presenters. Only 12% of those who responded were self-sponsored. The other sponsors were Biogreen Investments East Africa Limited and Norges Vel. Figure 3: Breakdown of responding delegates by gender Male 79% Figure 5: Breakdown of conference delegates by sponsorship 70% 60% n = 70 Female 21% 60% n = 67 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 50% 40% 30% 26% 2.4. Age Of the responding delegates that gave information about their age, the majority (67%) were above 40 years of age, implying that most delegates were established professionals in their fields of work. As shown in Figure 4, 29% were between 30 and 39 years and only 4% were below 29 years. A crosstabulation of the age by position shows that all those below 29 years were working with NGOs and almost all between 60 and 69 are professors or lecturers in universities. 20% 10% 0% Sponsored participant Sponsored presenter 11% Self-sponsored participant Of those participants who had been sponsored, over half indicated that their sponsoring agency was CTA. 1% 1% Self-sponsored presenter Other The FAO and GFRAS were the two other main sponsors.

13 24 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services 25 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services Figure 6: Breakdown of conference delegates by sponsoring agency Other 3% GFAR 5% FARA 5% AGRA 5% GFRAS 13% 3. Impacts on individual participants FAO 13% CTA 55% n = 60 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Most (78%) indicated that they had maintained contact with their sponsors for a variety of reasons. The nature of contact with the conference organisers is discussed in the next chapters. Figure 7: Breakdown of respondents by proportion that maintained contact with sponsor 30% 25% 20% 15% 27 n = 60 Two categories of impacts have been considered in analysing short term impacts for individual participants social capital and human capital/ technical empowerment. The dimensions of impact explored include networking, competency development (knowledge, skills, attitudes) and platforms for information sharing. In order to assess short-term impacts, it was necessary to know how the conference had benefited the delegates. To assess medium-term impacts on changes realized in behaviour, practice and decision-making, the delegates were then asked whether they had done anything differently as a result of attending the conference and what had happened as a result. Of the 63 that responded to this question, 51 (81%) had taken action; 47 (75%) were sponsored delegates. The most impacts can be said to have been realised at the human capital/technical empowerment level, on networking, information and knowledge management. Of the 12 (21%) responding delegates who indicated that they did not implement any actions, five gave a range of responses for their inaction. One felt there was nothing new that the conference was producing or were already aware of the rationale for promoting agricultural extension. One was of the view that their position was not to implement but to offer technical advice, and the most they could do was to share and advise policy makers on formulating agricultural extension policies. One felt that the conference organisers were more interested in working with government extension institutions than with farmer organisations, and one thought no real discernible change in the extension systems was possible through the public sector institutions and therefore there was a need for greater use of some private platforms. Weaknesses in funding, communication and related infrastructure were also cited as reasons for inaction. 10% % % CTA GFRAS FAO GFAR AGRA FARA Other

14 26 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services 27 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services 3.1. Skills development Figure 8: Thematic interest Learning networks 4.18 Capacity development 4.16 Tools and approaches 4.31 Policy 3.98 As indicated earlier, the conference results were pursued in four thematic areas policy, capacity, tools and approaches, and learning networks. When asked on a scale of 1 (low interest) to 5 (high interest), what themes were of most interest, overall, there was high interest in all the A question was asked about the most important things gained from the conference. New knowledge on tools and approaches had the most mentions, particularly the use of a variety of information and communication technologies (ICT) in delivering extension services. This was mentioned by delegates across all types of institutions (highlighted in Figure 2) and it is consistent with topics but the highest rated was tools and approaches. This is a different response from the post-conference evaluation which rated the policy theme highest at 38%, followed by tools and approaches, capacity development and learning networks at 32.1%, 32% and 27% respectively. n = the high ranking of thematic interest on tools and approaches (in Figure 7). Other new knowledge specified was on learning networks, particularly the need for researchers and practitioners to collaborate, policy issues that are affecting extension in developing countries, and various approaches in capacity development. New knowledge on extension approaches, as it was reported from Ghana, use of mobile phones to reach farmers with market information and new technologies. (Delegate from Tanzania working with an NGO) I was struck by the absolute need for collaboration among research and extension that should NOT be de-linked. There is a need for sound iterative relations between those who generate knowledge and innovation (including farmers) and those who disseminate them. (Delegate from Italy working with an international organisation) On learning networks a presentation on building a voice and alliances for women from Papua New Guinea, it was made by Maria Linibi whereby I learnt how women can be supported by contracting to women service providers engaged in agriculture services. (NGO Project Manager, Malawi NGO) The need to strengthen agricultural policy and support for pluralistic and market-driven extension. (Delegate from the private sector in Papua New Guinea) Interesting to see strong interest in capacity building area, and be able to discuss the needs and policy commitment needed to develop capacity building in agriculture (Ph.D candidate, France) There was also a clear change of attitudes towards agricultural extension and rural advisory services amongst all categories of delegates regardless of their institutional affiliation. Renewed interest in extension... was mentioned at least 12 times. I now more than ever appreciate the role extension plays in getting farmers at the grassroots to engage in better farming approaches availed through extension services. (Delegate from Kenya working in the media) The highest impact the conference had at the individual level was in skills development. Many were able to use the knowledge gained from the various thematic sessions, interactions and material provided to change or influence their own practices related to delivery of extension services, in training extension workers, and in their own research. Challenges that affected the realisation of results were related to limited funding, infrastructural problems, and the difficulty of changing attitudes among staff to start using new methods and approaches. Many delegates have incorporated ICTs in the delivery of agricultural extension and rural advisory services. I promoted the use of ICT to be an integral part of our extension efforts not just a 'one off' activity or specific activities as before. Apart from our experience in Mali, with our MIS, after the conference, I led the development of MIS Ghana; my organisation joined AAILD. (NGO worker, Burkina Faso) We have integrated ICTs in our Farm Radio Programming. We have embarked on in-station training approach to build the capacity of broadcasters. I have also been writing news stories on our website to publicise our approach (NGO worker, Malawi)

15 28 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services 29 Impact Assessment of the International Conference on Agricultural Extension & Rural Advisory Services Engaged in covering ICT related extension approaches on behalf of modern day farmers (Reporter, Kenya) I have integrated the use of ICTs in extension services (NGO worker, Uganda) Those engaged in training of extension workers have integrated new methods and content gained from the conference extension training. Enriching teaching content and conducting more research on farmerto-farmer extension approaches (University lecturer, Uganda) I have revised our training resources to incorporate new lessons learnt from the conference (Worker with research organisation, Kenya) I improved on training methods of staff handling Sustainable Livelihoods Project of Cadbury Cocoa Partnership in my municipality. This has contributed to the realization of project outcomes, in that communities were able to access the Cadbury Challenge Fund and they are on the verge of accessing a Fairtrade label. (Public sector, Ghana) include new knowledge on teaching and learning process as well as in research and outreach programs (University lecturer, Ethiopia) I started to really consider the needs of small farmers in developing my work plan. This has resulted in increased participation of producers because they share in the technology (Public sector, Togo) By using volunteer farmers to disseminate the proven technology on-farm, which I did not use before (Researcher, Tanzania) Intensified stakeholder sessions with farmers for understanding and buy in before implementation of projects (University lecturer, Kenya) Have changed my approach to delivering extension services to farmers with regard to incorporating a value chain approach to linking farmers to markets (Public sector, Malawi) Analysing services in terms of cost/ benefit with input of new knowledge acquired (Public sector, Mauritius) Those delegates engaged in research, either as students, lecturers, or through their work in research institutions, have been able to use the concepts learnt and products from the conference to inform and strengthen their own research. One graduate student used the agricultural innovation systems as a theoretical framework for her thesis. Many lecturers said they had improved the content of their lectures on extension Networking Increased networking and establishment of new forums is one of the impacts that can be directly attributed to the conference. The majority of the responding delegates (92%) affirmed that they had maintained contact with at least 10 people they met at the conference. This is in line with the post-conference evaluation report, where more than 90% indicated that they had established new contacts and 97% rated the usefulness Table 3: Post-conference evaluation responses on networking Number of contacts Number of contacts useful in future of contacts made as good to very good. In the post-conference survey, most delegates indicated that they had made or strengthened contacts with at least 10 people met at the conference. One participant stated, I look forward to following up on the many contacts I made, for more sharing and learning. It appears that this was realised, based on the responses from the impact assessment survey. Number of contacts already had but strengthened N % N % 0 1 1% 16 11% 1 to % % 11 to % 13 9% 21 to % 6 4% 31 to % 1 1% 41 to % 4 3% 51 and above 6 4% 3 2% Source: Nang ole and Franzel % % Figure 9: Number of people that delegates have remained in contact with 40% 30.6% n = % Participatory approaches, new extension methods learned from the conference, and value chain approaches have been promoted. There is increased use of farmers in extension work, leading to better outreach to more farmers and increased ownership of processes by the farmers. Some reported an increase in yields and income due to better access to markets as a result of incorporating a valuechain approach. 30% 20% 10% 0% 6.1% % 10.2% Over less than 5