The effectiveness of the extension system in Malawi : a case of the Strengthening Agriculture and Nutrition Extension (SANE) project in Dedza district

Abstract

From 2015 to 2021, Strengthening Agriculture and Nutrition Extension (SANE) project was implemented to strengthen Malawi’s Decentralised Agricultural Extension Services System (DAESS) which is based on the demand-driven principle of farmers’ request for services. Despite evidence on improvements in the functionality of DAESS through SANE, farmers were still hesitant to request for extension advice through the system for unknown reasons. To address this knowledge gap, this study evaluates the effectiveness of the SANE project in strengthening the extension system in Dedza district, Malawi. Data were collected through a survey from 389 SANE participating farmers in the district, selected using a multi-stage random sampling. Using descriptive and content analysis, the study shows that 89% of the respondents are fulltime farmers with a relatively small piece of land (<1ha) for farming; 77% are engaged in both crop and livestock farming; 94% farm for both consumption and sale; 91% of farmers have access to extension. The findings show that 90% of the farmers were aware of DAESS platforms and that 76% participated in planning of extension support through DAESS platforms, higher than 39% reported in 2016. The study also shows that 50% of the type of planning activities farmers were involved in relate to tackling of technical aspects, while only 1% and 2% pertain to proposal development and identification of challenges respectively. Only 32.6% were involved at “self-mobilization” level of participation required for demand-driven extension. Nonetheless, the study shows that 99% of the farmers have extension needs, but they prefer to request them from the public-only EPA offices than pluralistic DAESS platforms because EPA offices are perceived to have expertise and accessibility. In conclusion, while confirming improvements in DAESS made over the SANE period, the findings suggest that DAESS platforms are still questionable to farmers because of their poor composition in practice. There is, therefore, a definite need to improve the composition by ensuring a policy environment which directs all agricultural activities to be implemented through the DAESS.