3. WHAT IS GFRAS ?
A forum and network
Rural advisory service actors
• Extension providers (public, private, civil society)
• Farmer organisations
• Regional bodies including research
• Academics, educational institutions
• Donors
• Policy makers
4. HISTORY OF GFRAS
Recognition of need for regional information sharing
among extension in Africa (AFAAS)
Discussions at the Neuchâtel Initiative (NI) annual
meeting
NI links to AFAAS
2009 NI meeting: Demand for dynamic, proactive,
formal structure to assure credible and clear voice for
RAS at global level
5. WHY GFRAS?
RAS key to rural development, but…
Limited voice at global level
Lack of evidence-based advice on policies, approaches,
investment options
Limited experience-sharing at local, regional level
Lack of individual, organisational, institutional capacity
strengthening
6. GFRAS MISSION
Provide space for
advocacy and
leadership on rural
advisory services
within the global
development agenda...
...that promote sustainable rural growth and
help the poor
7. GFRAS OBJECTIVES
Voice in global policy dialogues
Evidence-based approaches and
policies
Interaction and networking for
capacity strengthening
Creation of enabling environment for
investment
8. WHERE GFRAS WORKS
Global level
international networks, apex organisations, development
partners, inter-governmental structures, food security
initiatives, climate change forums, research organisations
Regional/national level
farmer’s umbrella organizations, regional networks,
government agencies, NGOs, civil society, private sector,
academic networks
9. GOVERNANCE AND SUPPORT
(INCEPTION PHASE)
Open structure with no formal membership
Managed by secretariat
Governed by steering committee :
• African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services
• Agridea
• Danish Agricultural Advisory Services
• Food and Agriculture Organisation
• Glemminge Development Research
• Global Forum for Agricultural Research
• Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
• World Bank
10. GFRAS ACTIVITIES
Map and match RAS actors and interests
Raise awareness for RAS globally
Producing documents
Attending meetings
Coordinating development of toolkit for evaluation of RAS
Help regional RAS to network
Holding a meeting for inter-continental experience sharing
11. Evaluation toolkit development
Based on demand from stakeholders
Overview of case studies
Review of methods
Tools, methods, frameworks: toolkit
Workshop and validation
Field testing
12. Support to regional networks
African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS)
Joint Latin America consultation on extension with Rimisp
Asian extension event
Pacific Islands Extension Network
Central Asia Extension Network
13. Inter-continental experience
sharing
•Partnering with AFAAS, Rimisp
•50-75 participants
•Bringing participants from Africa, Asia,
Pacific, Central Asia, Latin America,
Caribbean, Europe
•Regional experience sharing
Notas del editor
We believe that rural advisory services are key to poverty reduction, food security and general well-being of rural people.
The GFRAS Forum thus gives a space or platform to draw attention to advisory services, to promote them, and to improve them.
Rural advisory services, also called extension, are all the different activities that provide the information and services needed and demanded by rural actors to strengthen their capacities, empower them, and promote innovations.
These activities enable rural people to obtain skills and information to address rural challenges
End result is improved livelihoods.
GFRAS is a network/forum- so when we talk about GFRAS it’s about all of the people in the network- not just a secretariat in Switzerland.
GFRAS is the people involved in rural advisory services- this includes farmer organisations, research, policymakers at global and regional levels.
We believe that providing a space for these actors to interact is crucial to rural development/poverty reduction.
Neuchatel- annual meeting of people interested in extension issues, initially European donors- it started as an initiative to develop an alternative to T&V
No one else is speaking for extension, compared to global mechanisms for research and farmer organisations
Donors/programme implementers don’t know what programs to invest in or why extension is important for rural development; they need evidence in order to invest
Extension staff are typically isolated and not in networks like their research colleagues, where they can share experiences
Extension staff need new skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, group formation, business development skills
Focus on advisory services that are pluralistic, demand-driven
We work in and relate to the international development architecture: food security platforms, GFAR, IFAP, UN, etc.
Speaking for extension at global initiatives and processes where regional extension actors do not have space
…during inception phase
We aim for more balanced representation (e.g. from the South) in the longer term
Seeing “who is who” in advisory services, what the issues are, and linking up actors in networks
Developing a toolkit for better extension evaluation
Backstopping AFAAS, providing information, linkages, networking in Africa, Latin America, Central Asia and Caucasus region and in Pacific