The role of professional associations in supporting national agricultural extension and advisory services
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Agricultural research and extension in Africa remain largely top-down and public dominated. However, there is a shift towards more diverse and pluralistic extension and advisory services involving multiple actors in an evolving agricultural innovation system. Professional associations provide innovation support, but their impact is not well understood. This study finds associations strengthen extension personnel’s capacity, but face obstacles such as insufficient funds and office space. They also lack strong partnerships with government and non-government organizations, resulting in duplication of efforts and limited resources. Similarly, most of the competency gaps that members identified are related to functional capacities to provide the expected support and to discharge their roles and responsibilities. Therefore, the study recommends targeted capacity development programmes to address the capacity gaps and challenges that were identified in the target countries.