Reduce Rural Poverty

New directions for Inclusive Pluralistic Service Systems

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Publications: Publication

A growing variety of public and private agricultural advisory services are available today, leading to increasingly ‘pluralistic service systems’ (PSS) in which advisory services are provided by different actors and funding sources. PSS hold the potential to overcome constraints related to funding, staffing and expertise, and making advisory services more demand-driven. But are PSS really able to reach the millions of farmers in need of services? What are the characteristics of PSS necessary to improve access to services for diverse small-scale farmers? What actors, policies and mechanisms are needed to make such a system work in practice? How can public and private actors support service providers in improving the quality, relevance and reach of their services? These were some of the questions raised by FAO Expert Consultation on Inclusive PSS. This paper presents a synthesis of deliberations, and a set of policy recommendations and priority actions.