Systemic evaluation of advisory services to family farms in West Africa

Faure Guy, Rebuffel Pierre, Violas Dominique. 2011. Systemic evaluation of advisory services to family farms in West Africa. Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 17 (4) : 325-339.

https://doi.org/10.1080/1389224X.2011.576821

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Liste HCERES des revues (en SHS) : oui

Thème(s) HCERES des revues (en SHS) : Economie-gestion; Sciences de l'éducation

Résumé : In West Africa, advisory services for family farms have been promoted to better address producers' needs. The paper aims to show that these services can be understood as a system whose functioning is strongly determined by the financing mechanisms, the governance mechanisms put in place, the quality of human resources delivering advice, and the characteristics of the advisory method. The study is based on an analvsis of two case studies in Benin and Burkina Faso using a common framework derived from an agricultural advisory system approach. The study highlights the strong interaction between the different components of the system. It shows that (i) the intervention method needs to be continuously adapted to take into account changes in financial capabilities and human resources available for providing advisory services, (ii) the nature and the quality advisory activities are closely related to the skills of advisors and managers of advisory services; (iii) the governance mechanisms steering advisory services reveal the social relations between the stakeholders and influence the content of the advice, and (iv) the funding mechanisms are pivotal in defining the rules of governance. Lessons learned are drawn this analysis that may serve to support advisory services.

Mots-clés Agrovoc : exploitation agricole familiale, vulgarisation agricole, service

Mots-clés géographiques Agrovoc : Bénin, Burkina Faso, Afrique occidentale

Classification Agris : C20 - Vulgarisation
E80 - Économie familiale et artisanale
E20 - Organisation, administration et gestion des entreprises ou exploitations agricoles

Champ stratégique Cirad : Axe 1 (2005-2013) - Intensification écologique

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