COMPARING AGRICULTURE EXTENSION

SYSTEM OF PAKISTAN WITH

BANGLADESH
 WHAT IS AGRICULTURE EXTENSION
• Extension’s primary motive is education. The
system transmits practical information produced
by research centers and universities to the
public. Its aim is to help farm people identify and
solve problems through the use of new
technology.
HISTORY OF AGRICULTURE EXTENSION
IN PAKISTAN
• In 1866 the Orissa famine triggered the need to establish a
central department of agriculture by the British rulers. By
1905, on the recommendations of the Famine Commission,
the then government of united India decided to set up
department of agriculture to organize agricultural research
and demonstration farms in every province.
• In 1947, at the time of partition, Pakistan inherited the
provincially organized agricultural infrastructure. Since
then, agriculture in Pakistan has undergone many changes.
• Agricultural extension in Pakistan did not have a separate
structure till 1962 when an independent department of
agricultural extension was created within the provincial
agricultural set up.
 Evolution of Agricultural Extension
Activities in Pakistan
• Pakistan is a federation of four provinces where the provincial
governments are primarily responsible for agricultural
research and extension functions. Several extension
approaches, designed primarily to improve the living standard
of the rural people through increased agricultural production
and improved farm income, have been tried. During the last
five decades, varying perspectives of agricultural extension
have emerged emerged. These include
• (i) The Village Cooperative Movement
• (ii) The Village Agricultural and Industrial Development
Program (Village-AID)
• (iii) The Basic Democracy System (BDS)
• (iv) Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC)
• (v) Integrated Rural Development Program (IRDP)
• (vi) Training and Visit (T&V) System
 Institutional reforms and efficiency
enhancement of extension system
• In Pakistan, the government made a decision in
2001 to devolve various subjects from the provincial
to the district level under an institutional reform of
devolution. The district governments were
empowered with command and control decision.
The devolution was introduced with all the decision
making authority to the head/District Council
Chairman who is an elected public representative
 Organizations of National Agricultural
Extension System (NAES)
• Pakistan is federation of four provinces of Punjab,
Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber
• Pukhtunkhwa, and four autonomous administrative
units including Islamabad Capital
• Territory (ICT), Federally Administrative Tribal Areas
(FATA), Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), and
• Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). Accordingly, each
province and administrative unit has
• developed agricultural extension system in line with the
peculiar needs of their farming
• systems. Generally, Punjab acts as a role model in
introducing innovative models and
• methodologies in agricultural research and extension.
• Agencies involved in the extension system (GO
and NGO)
• A wide range of agencies including public,
private, and civil society organizations have
• been engaged, at different level, in diffusion of
information to the farmers of Pakistan. To
• reinforce the extension effort, time to time,
several commodity-and area-specific initiatives
• were also undertaken.
 National Agricultural EXTENSION
• Technology Transfer Program of NARC In order to
extend a full range of research backup to ICT
growers through AES, PARC established the
Technology Transfer Unit (TTU) in 1982 at its
National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) in
Islamabad. The TTU subsequently was upgraded
to a Technology Transfer Institute (TTI) and
several more TTIs were set-up all over the
country and housed at the heart of each
provincial agricultural research institute
 ORGANZATIONAL SET UP
• The Agriculture Extension Department is
headed by a Director General at the provincial
level and supported by Directors, Deputy
Directors, Extra Assistant Directors,
Agricultural officers and field assistants at the
regional, district, tehsil, sub-tehsil (Markaz)
and Union Council (a group of 5-8 villages)
levels respectively.
 Private Sector Extension
• • Fertilizer Producing and Marketing
Companies
• Pesticide Companies
• Rafhan Maize Company Extension
• Sugar Industry Extension
• Solvent Industry Extension
 Non-Government Organizations and
Civil Society Extension
• Mega organizations like the Agha Khan Rural
Support Programme (AKRSP), the National
Rural Support Programme, Punjab Rural
Support Programme, the Sarhad Rural Support
Corporation, and Balochistan Rural support
Programme and many medium and small
range NGO’s are actively involved in
undertaking rural development
 Universities of Agriculture Extension
• The universities also provide extension services to the
farming community in the form of farm seminars,
workshops, agricultural fairs and other continuing
education activities.
• Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam has
• established a Farmer Advisory Cell, which is
responsible for coordination between farmers
• Agriculture, Faisalabad has established the Institute of
Applied Research and TechnologyTransfer
• Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Agriculture University
implemented the USAID-Funded TIPAN project
 EXTENSION PROGRAMS IN
BANGLADESH
• A number of organizations were created during 1951-1980:
• • Village Agricultural and Industrial Development Program (V-AID) in 1954
• • Directorate of Plant Protection in 1956
• • East Pakistan Water Development Authority (EPWAPDA) in 1959
• • Pakistan Academy of Rural Development (PARD) in 1959
• • The Agricultural Information Service came into being as a separate
organization in 1961
• • East Pakistan Agricultural Development Corporation (EPADC) in 1962
• • Department of Agricultural Extension and Management in 1968
• • Directorate of Agriculture (Jute Production) in 1974
• • Horticulture Development Board in 1974
• • Tobacco Development Board also in 1974
• • Central Extension Resource Development Institute in 1976
• • Sugar and Food Industries Corporation-1976
• • Cotton Development Board in 1977
 Organizations of National Agricultural
Extension System (NAES)
• The following agencies are involved in extension system:
• 1. Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE)
• 2. Department of Livestock (DLS)
• 3. Department of Fisheries (DoF)
• 4. Cotton development Board
• 5. Water Development board
• 6. Bangladesh Rural Development Academy, Comilla
• 7. Bangladesh Rural Development Academy, Bogra
• 8. Tea Board
• 9. Agricultural Information Services (AIS)
• 10. Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC)
• 11. Proshikha
• 12. Center for Natural Resources Development (CNRS) 13. And
many other NGOs a
ORGANIZTIONAL CHART OF DAE
 Coordination mechanisms in extension systems
• The DAE Management Committee -- In order to ensure co-
ordination between different Wings of DAE, the Director General of
DAE heads the DAE Management. Committee,
• Partnership – A number of institutional mechanisms have been
established to encourage partnership between different types of
extension agents that enables GOs, NGOs and the private sector to
work together to provide an integrated service to farmers.
• DAE is heavily biased towards crop production. Other extension
agencies (livestock, fisheries etc.) may be keen to utilize the services
of DAE because it employs the most field staff in the government
agricultural sector and has national coverage.
 Decentralization of extension system
• The decisions about the services provided by the
Department of Agricultural Extension are taken at
the lowest possible level, but with the full support
of specialist staff at district and regional levels. he
Upazila level is the basic unit for planning,
implementing, monitoring and evaluating local
extension program. This system ensures thatH
 Responsibilities of Sub-Assistant
Agricultural Officer (former Block
Supervisor)
• Each Sub-Assistant Agricultural Officer (SAAO) is
responsible for the provision of day to day extension
services to farmers in a block. A summary of their
responsibilities follows:
 Upazila Responsibilities
• The role of the Upazila is to ensure that an
appropriate extension program is planned and
implemented in the Upazila and that SAAOs
responsible have the necessary skills and resources
to implement the programs. Upazila staff also
implements some extension activities such as
Upazila fairs and farmer training. Ensuring service
quality is very important at this level.
 District Responsibilities
• The role of the district is to provide technical and
management support to Upazila in planning,
implementing, monitoring and evaluating extension
services. It is also the highest level at which detailed
extension planning takes place.
 Regional Responsibilities
• The role of the region is to: provide independent
quality assessment of extension services in the
region; provide technical support in collaboration
with research institutes; and, to act as a focal point
for the Management Information System. The main
technical and administrative responsibilities of the
regional office are outlined
 Headquarters Responsibilities
• DAE has eight wings based at its headquarters in
Dhaka. Each wing has specific responsibilities. Many of
the responsibilities traditionally associated with
headquarters have been decentralized to regional,
district and Upazila offices. In light of this, the general
role of the headquarters is in providing the necessary
management and technical support for
decentralization.
• 34 Synthesis Report
• The decentralized system, though started in the late
1990s, is yet to be introduced throughout the country
 Partnership with the Private Sector
• There is a rapidly growing private sector in Bangladesh,
engaged in the sale of agricultural implements, inputs
and outputs. Obviously, the private sector is interested
in increasing its contact with farmers, to increase sales.
Partnerships can be developed between DAE and the
private sector, where the private sector meets part of
the cost of an extension event, and DAE provides access
to farmers for the private sector. However, DAE must
remain non partisan and should not develop close
relationships with specific private products. Here are
some examples of partnership with the private sector.
 (examples)

• BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee) is

the largest and likely the most effective NGO in
Bangladesh
• CARE International (SHOUHARDO project)
• Chemonics International (PRICE project)
• IFDC (ILSFARM project)
• Winrock International (REAP project)
• Royal Danish Embassy (DANIDA Extension project
• World Bank funded National Agricultural Technology
project (NATP)
• aa
 FARMER BASED ORGANIZATION

• Common Interest Group (CIGs, organized under the

NATP): appear to include farmers most closely
connected with the extension staff at the Union and
Upzila levels
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Integrated
Crop Management (ICM) Clubs: organized under
DANIDA projects (generally 50% men and 50% women)
• Village Groups: organized: organized by BRAC have
monthly meetings to discuss and solve immediate
technical, management or marketing problems
Conclusion and Recommendations
• Present agricultural extension service is placing emphasis on the
major crops grown in the various farming systems. These include
wheat, rice, cotton, sugarcane, maize, gram, and oilseeds. Very little
emphasis is placed on fruits, vegetables and fodders.
• Extension staff needs to be apprized of the value addition aspects
of farm products.
• They also need to be made aware of the impact of globalization
and market liberalization on national agriculture.
• It is widely acknowledged that the government extension system is
limited by lack of technical competence and should be
strengthened. It is also acknowledged that where private
• sector organizations or NGOs are willing to extend their services to
farmers, those nongovernmental initiatives should be encouraged
and public sector extension system should extend full cooperation.
• Rather extension staff be trained through NGOs in participatory
methods and village organization building skills