Plateforme de connaissances sur l'agriculture familiale

The institutional structure of rural extension and public-private relations in Latin America

Given the importance of agriculture and the rural medium for countries’ growth and development, policy makers must strengthen the institutional structure of rural extension and increase public and private investment.

Abundant natural resources, knowledge, technology, and extensionists are not enough. Countries lso need policies, institutional frameworks, and solid management that link the local to the national and vice versa for the development of extension.

The classical function of extension of “extending” knowledge and technologies and mainly working on aspects of production and education is being complemented by other needs and functions that go beyond the agricultural sector. The presence of these inter-sectoral functions merits the development of new institutional structures and skills.

Institutional innovations for extension in a context of agricultural and rural innovation should consider the micro, meso, and macro levels. Failing to recognize them will lead to incomplete and unsustainable models and innovations.

Technological innovation as a “new paradigm,” grounding chains and territories, is an area for focusing effectively and comprehensively processes of research, technology transfer, and extension services which in the past, have been linear and disconnected.

The public sector must return to its role as the entity responsible for promoting technological change through extension as a public good. However, public-private efforts must be deployed that can result in semi-public and private goods.

The differences between countries and situations mean that no single model of extension can be applied to every context, even within a single country. It is, however, important for ecentralization to reach the territorial level and for producers to participate in the configuration of services and take control over their selection.

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Éditeur: Latin American Network for Rural Extension Services (RELASER)
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Auteur: Enrique Alarcon
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Organisation: Latin American Network for Rural Extension Services (RELASER)
Autres organisations: Latin American Center for Rural Development (RIMISP)
Année: 2012
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Couverture géographique: Amérique latine et les Caraïbes
Type: Rapport
Langue: English
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