agrifoodchain_ea2013_peerassist_Bisagaya

** Key problems/issues ** **__ Context of the issues __** In 2008, East Africa Dairy Development (EADD) Uganda project started working in central Uganda with a vision of transforming the lives of 45,000 families by doubling their household dairy incomes through integrated interventions in dairy production, market-access and knowledge application. One of the project’s strategic objectives was to sustainably increase dairy productivity and efficiency by organizing and strengthening dairy farmers to effectively manage dairy businesses; Increasing on-farm milk production through the adoption of productivity enhancement technologies; and Sustaining production and quality of milk through improved animal healthcare and nutrition. In order to sustainably increase livestock productivity by stimulating demand for extension services, EADD rolled out a project driven extension delivery model characterized by EADD identifying and remunerating extension agents on behalf of the dairy farmer s. Over time the extension service delivery model transitioned from project driven extension to farmer driven extension service delivery. In the current extension service delivery model, the project aimed at institutionalizing extension services and systems through the stimulation of Business Development Services (BDS) available to smallholder dairy farmers in central Uganda. For the smallholder dairy farmers, the approach has been has been effective in some project areas but generally insufficient in others due to significant shortcomings like less commitment by some of the dairy farmer s to fund extension services, Extension agent loyalty to the project rather than to the Dairy farmer Enterprises which is not sustainable and a weak link between on-farm livestock productivity and the dairy farmer enterprise. The stage that matters is having a robust exit strategy that demonstrates the benefits and value of collaborating with other value chain actors like milk processors, input suppliers, banks, and public extension programs. ** Key question ** How can we incentivize producers to fund extension services?
 * __ Delivery of cost effective extension service models: What considerations are the best bet for dairy farmer s? __**
 * 1) Some of the dairy farmers’ **s** in the project catchment area are **less committed to funding** for delivery of extension services to small holder farmers
 * 2) ** Low on farm productivity ** that is not clearly linked to the profitability of the dairy farmer


 * A) ** ** QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT **

**// Question //** **// Response //** ** Comment: ** Farmers might not be aware of their needs. They may consider that the linkages currently existing are enough though the farmers already paying for animal health and breeding services. ** B) ** ** PROPOSED STRATEGIES **  1) Diseases/conditions like Milk fever, mastitis, Brucellosis should be done under supervision of a veterinarian because they are hard to detect and can best be handled by a qualified vet but the rest of the management practices can be done by most extension workers 2) Criteria for recruiting Extension workers to serve POs should have a minimum basic qualification and the extension worker should be obliged to provide services to the mother organization (PO)   3) There should be a clear documentation and communication strategy for demonstrating the value of extension services to the PO enterprise i.e. for every shilling invested, what is the result/value (Return on Investment) 4) Involve the youth more in extension service delivery   5) There should a program for continuous assessment of the health status of the animals i.e. Herd Health Program rather than the farmer calling the extension worker for say diagnosis and treatment of sick animals since it can affect the quality of milk (it was noted from the field visit to Dwaniro that 40% of the milk is rejected) 6) The capacity of the extension workers to serve better should be enhanced to give more holistic service provision to even include farmer training and a retainer rather than just Animal Health and breeding   7) “Customers pay for the solutions to their problems”. There is need to clearly identify the farmers’ problems along the value chain (top problem) and come up with innovative solutions that demonstrate value proposition to the farmers for extension services. 8) At project inception, when mobilizing and registering farmers there is need to draw a finance framework for supporting extension services from their profits.   9) There should be a joint development of extension plans to include EADD, PO, Government, processor involved in the value chain and each needs to have some level of commitment 10) The roles and responsibilities of public and private extension need to be clear. If a livestock organization is advocating for extension (at least at sub county level) then the farmers need to move to the sub county for advisory services since the extension workers may have difficulty moving to the each of all the farmers in the PO.   11) There is need to build an institution where youth can offer general extension services since it has been shown to be effective with crops 12) EADD needs to cultivate the growth of relationship between an extension worker and the farmers   13) Extension needs to be more holistic to also include packaging extension messages in Animal health and Animal breeding in form of brochures, information pinned at the Producer Organization notice board using the profits from the milk business 14) The linkage between the PO and Government can be utilized for advocating for better services – e.g. roads, power and there will be better extension service delivery   15) Extension workers who mainly emphasize animal husbandry practices (feeding, AI, routine check-up) need to break the farmers’ mental block by providing business advice to the farmers e.g. advise on how to improve income from the farm to get out of poverty. 16) Information provided to farmers needs not be free so that farmers values information   17) “//Projects do not mention what we mean from the word go”.// Usually farmers in the POs pay for membership fee – if they can do this for joining, why can’t they do this for extension services? The services should be demand driven 18) EADD should come up with a farmer training module as a withdrawal plan and the PO takes it on as a responsibility that they will take on after EADD.   19) The PO should have a committee on production and marketing to focus more on production since the current focus is on milk marketing 20) Business plan for the PO should be exhaustive to cater for the element of production.  **__ Peer Assistee feedback __**   All the above proposed strategies are not exhaustive but will be considered in the refinement of the extension delivery approach for the POs. Short term approach will be to:    Other options including consider specialization of extension services; Use of mobile technology to disseminate extension services to the farmers and continuous assessment of animal health – herd health program can be holistically included in the extension plan of the PO   ** Way forward **
 * 1) 1. ** Nancy **** Rapando ** – VEDCO
 * 1) I. Where are the Government extension workers (NAADSs, LG structures)
 * 2) II. What about the Community animal health workers
 * 3) III. Who is paying the extension workers
 * 4) IV. How can producers fund extension
 * Farmers in the farmer groups have a vision which is translated into an extension work plan. Sustainable linkages were made with the Local Government but the challenge has been with funding some of the extension plan components.
 * In some communities there is loyalty between extension workers and s but in other communities where the gap was noted, the extension workers who were identified; linked to the cooperative and facilitated by EADD project tended to be more loyal to the project than to the Producer Organization.
 * The services readily paid for by the farmers in the Producer Organization are animal health and breeding services and look for the project to fund information related services – farmer training and demonstrations; field days, exchange visits
 * Though linkages exists between Government and Producer Organization, the public service goods are not necessarily free to farmers
 * 1) 2. ** Rilwanu Muhammad Faralu ** – Ministry of Livestock Nigeria
 * **// Question //**
 * Have you considered institutionalizing extension so that it is a forum where they can address challenges of access to information?
 * **// Response //**
 * Considering the site that was visited yesterday (Dwaniro Dairy & Livestock Cooperative Society) extension service delivery was not imbedded strongly in the management of the Chilling Plant.
 * 1) 3. ** Christopher Fernando ** –
 * ** Question ** :
 * Are the Extension Workers qualified or unprofessional? And is the extension worker being supervised by a veterinary surgeon?
 * **// Response //**
 * The basic qualifications of most of the extension workers are diploma /certificates in Animal Production and management. A few are degree holders with Bachelors of Veterinary Medicine/Bachelors of Animal Production & Management. Uganda has a national policy on delivery of veterinary services and this policy describes the type of personnel allowed to be engaged as Community Animal Based Health Workers (CABHWs). In the Karamoja region it is possible to have a CABHW who has been trained on job but this practice is not allowed in other districts. EADD complied with the delivery of veterinary services policy to guide the recruitment of extension workers in the Producer Organizations. The linkage between the PO and the local government for supervision with qualified veterinary surgeons is weak.
 * 1) 4. ** Sophie, NARO-Uganda **
 * ** Question ** : Was EADD working in isolation?
 * ** Response ** : No, EADD guided the POs on how to engage extension workers some of whom were public extension workers and private extension workers
 * Refine the PO business plans to embed extension services in the dairy SME.
 * Documentation of value proposition of extension worker services to the POs
 * Embed extension service messages in Animal Health and breeding services
 * Summarize steps that can work and share with others
 * Next steps: In 3 months, the progress on the roll out plan to be communicated to the team. Dr. Allan Bisagaya to provide feedback (Contacts in Wiki)