Working with farmers for better agriculture in Timor Leste

Agricultural production in Tirnor Leste is of vital importance, both for the majority of the population who rely primarily on agricultural production for their livelihoods, but also in the broader development agenda of this new nation. The post independence lack of public agricultural extension and the destruction of much the resource base led to the current situation whereby the NGO sector is the primary provider of advice, extension and access to resources for agricultural production. The very recent move to invest once more in public agricultural extension services provides a timely point to assess the role, approach, issues and opportunities faced by NGOs. This research is based on discussions with a number of NGO personnel, both local, national and international and raises a number of questions regarding how the wide variety of organisations engage with communities, their objectives, inputs, coverage, and impacts. The discussion is framed by an analysis of the changing practices in agricultural extension and the associated role of NGOs, and questions how best the agricultural sector rnight move forward in providing appropriate support to the farmers of Timor Leste..

Farmers groups within extension networks in Northern Uganda : inclusive or exclusive?

Group extension methods are widely recognized as the most effective extension method in agricultural development internationally. Research in this area tends to look at group function, and factors that inhibit or promote successful group activity. Most development projects start with an analysis of whether groups exist or may need to be formed, and then focus on group function. However, very little research to date has considered the farmer group from a whole community context, when assessing knowledge and information dissemination in rural areas. This paper presents and discusses research finding from a case study with three communities in Gulu district of Northern Uganda, where household surveys were used to map networks within andbetween community members and external organizations identified as promoting agricultural development in the region. The potential impact of inclusion or exclusion in such a group within small communities emerged as a significant issue, as well as the strong disconnect between community and external organizational perceptions of group existence, function and impact.