Evolution of Agricultural Extension Models in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Critical Review (Published)
This is a paper review of the work presented at the Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester, United Kingdom. Using library research and reflection, document, journal papers and content analysis were used to generate data. The Sub Saharan African region covered in the paper is that of seven countries. The paper describes the role of agricultural extension models in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well traces the various extension models currently being developed or implement in Sub-Saharan Africa, namely; the top down approaches; from international institutions/ national governments and participatory approaches/bottom-up that engage farmers in decision making. Currently, there are six basic extension approaches/models in diverse stages of development and implementation in developing countries. These models have been structured in a more analytical way around key themes; top down; participatory; demand-led; group versus individual targeting; private sector and free/paid extension services. The reality is that pluralism of models has been employed in various forms in most countries in Sub-Sahara Africa. The paper critically examined seven models, including National Public Extension Model, Training and Visit (T&V) Extension Model, Private Sector Model, Fee-For-Service Extension Models, Farmer Field School Model, Non-Governmental Organization Extension Model, Commodity Extension and Research Model.
Keywords: Extension services, Model, evolution, participatory, sub-Saharan Africa, top down
Africa’s Mobile Agricultural Revolution: Farming Apps in Sub-Saharan Africa (Published)
Mobile phones have gone from luxury items to daily essentials in the lives of billions of people around the world. The start-up boom encouraged the creation of numerous apps targeting specific market niches and in the last decade, they have become more sophisticated offering thousands of streamlined services. With the touch of a button they are able to grant end-users access to various resources in different sectors, including agriculture. This paper evaluates the stance of mobile agricultural apps in sub-Saharan Africa. It gives a brief history on their development and points out why they have been a successful farm improvement tool in subsistence agriculture. It also identifies possible challenges that may stifle their applicability and growth potential in the region. It then goes ahead to highlight possible ways to mitigate these challenges
Keywords: Agriculture, apps, sub-Saharan Africa