ABSTRACT
Few observers of the agricultural development scene would dispute that effective extension can play an important role in the improvement of small-holder agriculture in developing countries, but equally few would claim that extension offers any magic solution to the problems of agriculture. Since the latter are weak in many parts of Africa, improvements in extension and research must go hand in hand with strengthening the other factors. Take for example the comments of Donald Pickering, Assistant Director of the World Bank’s Agriculture and Rural Development Department. In addition, the 1984 Position Paper of the USDA Extension Service, while arguing the case for extension, is careful to qualify its enthusiasm: Extension provides a unique and important function in agricultural development programs. A fundamental problem facing extension in the Horn is the lack of information available from research in a form fit for dissemination.
