Committee, the Provincial Department of Agricultural and Rural Development and
the Provincial Department of Finance), allowing them to legislate on the implementation of institutional innovations such as EFREN. Although provincial level
decision-makers within the extension system are satisfied that the pilot project
proved to be a success, the political authorities’ have yet to approve the EFREN
approach, so despite receiving encouraging feedback from stakeholders, it has not
yet reached the stage of formal approval from the provincial level political
authorities. In any case, province-wide institutionalization should not be confused
with uniform implementation, as it will also depend on a variety of local and
external factors.
11.6 New Vistas in Knowledge Generation and Diffusion:
What are the Prospects?
While the move from the first to the second extension decree was just occurring
when implementation of the research began, and the very first attempts at fostering
greater farmer participation and driving the use of demand-driven approaches were
fostered mainly through international cooperation projects, political discussions
about the future of the extension system have come to an end, with the third decree
on extension already officially released by the Ministry of Agriculture (Quyen
Bui 2012). As a result, and in light of the novel approaches to agricultural extension
described here, the new developments outlined therein are likely to result in a
greater level of client orientation and an increasingly adapted ‘translation’ of
successful approaches to local conditions. The new policy is again far ahead of
the progress made on the ground to date, given that we are now entering the last
phase in terms of completing the transition process across the whole agricultural
knowledge system. But a first implementation of the new policy – opening-up parts
of the government extension budget to bidding from NGOs and other parts to
government organizations – has led to the surprising result that in 2011, 40 % of
the budget went to NGOs, while many governmental units were not prepared to take
part in this new kind of competition. Among other things, this shows that the new
policy can move straight into implementation, along with shifts of responsibility
and changes in finance provision.
Other components of the new policy will take much more time, because a myriad
of staff will have to be trained in the planning of extension programs, the use of
participatory approaches, in facilitation and group extension methods and in many
other new skills, not all of which align with the existing roles, knowledge and job
experiences of the current extension staff. And – moreover, who will be capable of
‘training the trainers’?
Anyhow, legislation and policy formulation always precedes implementation,
and without a clear vision no objectives can be formulated and no progress can be
expected. Even though this last phase of transition can be seen as the greatest
458
I. Schad et al.
the Provincial Department of Finance), allowing them to legislate on the implementation of institutional innovations such as EFREN. Although provincial level
decision-makers within the extension system are satisfied that the pilot project
proved to be a success, the political authorities’ have yet to approve the EFREN
approach, so despite receiving encouraging feedback from stakeholders, it has not
yet reached the stage of formal approval from the provincial level political
authorities. In any case, province-wide institutionalization should not be confused
with uniform implementation, as it will also depend on a variety of local and
external factors.
11.6 New Vistas in Knowledge Generation and Diffusion:
What are the Prospects?
While the move from the first to the second extension decree was just occurring
when implementation of the research began, and the very first attempts at fostering
greater farmer participation and driving the use of demand-driven approaches were
fostered mainly through international cooperation projects, political discussions
about the future of the extension system have come to an end, with the third decree
on extension already officially released by the Ministry of Agriculture (Quyen
Bui 2012). As a result, and in light of the novel approaches to agricultural extension
described here, the new developments outlined therein are likely to result in a
greater level of client orientation and an increasingly adapted ‘translation’ of
successful approaches to local conditions. The new policy is again far ahead of
the progress made on the ground to date, given that we are now entering the last
phase in terms of completing the transition process across the whole agricultural
knowledge system. But a first implementation of the new policy – opening-up parts
of the government extension budget to bidding from NGOs and other parts to
government organizations – has led to the surprising result that in 2011, 40 % of
the budget went to NGOs, while many governmental units were not prepared to take
part in this new kind of competition. Among other things, this shows that the new
policy can move straight into implementation, along with shifts of responsibility
and changes in finance provision.
Other components of the new policy will take much more time, because a myriad
of staff will have to be trained in the planning of extension programs, the use of
participatory approaches, in facilitation and group extension methods and in many
other new skills, not all of which align with the existing roles, knowledge and job
experiences of the current extension staff. And – moreover, who will be capable of
‘training the trainers’?
Anyhow, legislation and policy formulation always precedes implementation,
and without a clear vision no objectives can be formulated and no progress can be
expected. Even though this last phase of transition can be seen as the greatest
458
I. Schad et al.