Analysis of the Impact of Devolution of the Agriculture Extension System in Nepal (Published)
The political changes and reformation initiated the agriculture extension devolution to a lower level in the 2000s in Nepal. The federal system devolved the agriculture extension to local government to bring changes in the delivery system, institutional role, and farmers’ access to knowledge development and financial resources. The research has analysed the impact of the agriculture extension devolution to the local level in the last twenty years through a structured literature review. Specifically, it has been identified that the increase in government institutions at the local level allowed farmers to receive extension services from field-level institutions. However, lack of accountability towards farmers, limited human resources, and low coordination between government institutions have impacted service delivery. Furthermore, the study shows that the devolution of agriculture extension has provided the private sector, development partners, and field-level extension actors to support government institutions by sharing the role of the extension service provider.
Keywords: Decentralization, Federalism, agriculture extension, devolution