ABSTRACT
The planning task for farm economics in traditional African agriculture is to provide appropriate extension content, aimed at fuller satisfaction of farmers’ priorities as well as the development of the economy. Attractive presentation is important in stimulating the initial adoption of changes and complements the appropriateness of content, which encourages sustained acceptance. In the planning sequence, profitability remains the key criterion, the one which indicates the market benefits arising to both the economy and the farmer from each alternative element of extension content. Over the period the farmer gains in confidence from results which improve the satisfaction of his own needs and yet safeguard his priority for a secure food supply. The initial innovations will be limited in both incongruity and scale by, among other things, the farmer’s existing debt ceiling.
