Emerging Priorities for Developing Countries in Agricultural Extension*

Agricultural extension has received increasing attention from both the governments of developing countries and development organizations over the past decade. While today's interest should be seen against this background, there are a number of emerging priorities for developing countries in agricultural extension. The cultural, administrative and agro-ecologieal conditions of each country are reflected in local extension organization and extension priorities. In order to establish systems of work that are widely applicable and to make the corresponding changes in administration, the effectiveness of extension investments must be evaluated from the perspective of the field. The greatest advances are being made in privatization. Private extension services are common even now in some developing countries. The World Bank is involved in a project in Chile where agricultural credit funds can be used to pay for extension advice from private individuals.