The 7th International Conference on Environmental and Rural Development, 16th-17th January, 2016, Phnom Pen, Cambodia
Extension and Advisory Services in Senegal Dieynaba Secka, Snezana Jankovicb, Hamid El Bilalic, Sinisa Berjand*, Noureddin Driouechc, Vedran Tomicb a
Ecological Monitoring Centre, Dakar, Senegal Institute for Science Application in Agriculture, Belgrade, Serbia i nternational Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari, Valenzano (Bari), Italy d University of East Sarajevo, East Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina *Corresponding author e-mail:
[email protected] b
Abstract Agriculture sector plays an important socio-economic role in Senegal. It accounts for 10% of GDP and employs over two thirds of population. Nevertheless, agriculture is undermined by low productivity and other inefficiency elements. Therefore, Senegal has undertaken a series of reforms; some of them regarding agricultural extension and rural advisory services. This review paper aims at providing an overview on the historical evolution and governance of extension and advisory services in Senegal. Till the Structural Adjustment Programs in the 1980s agricultural extension in Senegal was an exclusive prerogative of the government. In 1985, the National Agricultural Extension Program (NAEP) began as part of the country’s new agricultural policy. NAEP utilized three organizational approaches to deliver information to farmers: rural mobilization, commodity-oriented extension, and the Ministry of Agriculture’s government extension service. In 1990, the World Bank’s supported National Extension Services Project (PNVA) began, which placed the institutional structure for extension delivery under the Extension Management Unit. The poor performance of Senegal’s agriculture led to the creation of the National Agricultural and Rural Advisory Services Agency (ANCAR). ANCAR represents a pluralistic system where public and private sectors as well as NGOs and producer organizations partner in the delivery of advisory services. It operates in 144 rural communities, where 105 agricultural and rural advisors provide assistance and support to producers’ and their organizations. The involvement of the private sector has been enhanced through the National Council for Rural Cooperation (CNCR). Producer organizations are actively involved and provide a vital contribution to the design, implementation and evaluation of extension programs. Nowadays, besides public extension institutions, actors providing advisory services in Senegal include public research and education institutions, semi-autonomous government extension organizations, farmerbased organizations, NGOs and other donors, and private sector firms. Keywords: Extension and advisory services, Agriculture, Rural development, Senegal
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