Demand-driven agricultural advisory services

The first Common Framework on Agricultural Extension for the Neuchatel Initiative suggests a new pluralistic approach to extension delivery, which breaks away from earlier focus on technology transfer. This includes an increased emphasis on private suppliers of services and a change of attitude towards agricultural producers, who are seen as clients capable of demanding the services they need, rather than being mere beneficiaries.

This framework provides policy guidelines on how best to support development of demand driven agricultural advisory services and also on the appropriate roles of the different actors.

Agricultural advisory services are defined as services that make new knowledge
available to farmers and assist the farmers to develop their farming and management skills. The services may include:

• Dissemination of information
• Training and advice of groups of farmers or individual farmers
• Testing new technologies on-farm
  
• Development and dissemination of farm management tools