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Extension for Sustainable Livelihoods of Smallholder Farmers
The Case of Menoufia, Egypt
von Nagwa HassanExtension for smallholder farmers, in Egypt as all over the Middle East and North Africa(MENA) Region, is strongly hierarchically organised, transfer-of-technology oriented, bureaucratic, and often ineffective - if existing at all.
Nagwa Hassan, who origins from a poor smallholder family and thus knows the situation personally, assumes that, apart from the need of changes on higher administrative levels, the interaction of Village Extension Workers (VEWs) and smallholder farmers is the key to its functioning. She identifies as a mayor problem a lack of user-orientation of the whole system in general and particularly that neither smallholder farmers nor VEWs can participate in the design or “programming” of extension and educational units. Communication between VEWs and smallholder farmers is seen as a key factor, and consequently Ms Hassan investigates in this field and analyses extension communication. The picture in general is disillusioning, with non-communication between smallholders and VEWs the norm. The great majority of farmers do not communicate with VEWs due to their unavailability, mistrust, and unawareness of farmers of the existence of extension at all. That those who have access to agro services already attended previous extension activities, and that the better educated do communicate more, is no surprise;
that gender and farm size does not affect communication, is. The whole work on an urgent problem brings some new aspects into the discussion, with
respect to communication amongst neglected actors. The findings are of particular interest for decision-makers in Egypt. The investigation into that issue by a female member of the system with the aim to build awareness and to communicate problems and hindering factors thus might positively influence a – slow – improvement of the system.
It is worth noting that the empirical part of this study was carried out shortly after the first revolts known as the Arab Spring. The situation was totally insecure for researchers, even locals, and particularly for women.
Seen in this light, the value of the work should not be underestimated.
Nagwa Hassan, who origins from a poor smallholder family and thus knows the situation personally, assumes that, apart from the need of changes on higher administrative levels, the interaction of Village Extension Workers (VEWs) and smallholder farmers is the key to its functioning. She identifies as a mayor problem a lack of user-orientation of the whole system in general and particularly that neither smallholder farmers nor VEWs can participate in the design or “programming” of extension and educational units. Communication between VEWs and smallholder farmers is seen as a key factor, and consequently Ms Hassan investigates in this field and analyses extension communication. The picture in general is disillusioning, with non-communication between smallholders and VEWs the norm. The great majority of farmers do not communicate with VEWs due to their unavailability, mistrust, and unawareness of farmers of the existence of extension at all. That those who have access to agro services already attended previous extension activities, and that the better educated do communicate more, is no surprise;
that gender and farm size does not affect communication, is. The whole work on an urgent problem brings some new aspects into the discussion, with
respect to communication amongst neglected actors. The findings are of particular interest for decision-makers in Egypt. The investigation into that issue by a female member of the system with the aim to build awareness and to communicate problems and hindering factors thus might positively influence a – slow – improvement of the system.
It is worth noting that the empirical part of this study was carried out shortly after the first revolts known as the Arab Spring. The situation was totally insecure for researchers, even locals, and particularly for women.
Seen in this light, the value of the work should not be underestimated.