Honduras: In-depth Assessment of Extension and Advisory ..., Slides of Innovation

Download Honduras: In-depth Assessment of Extension and Advisory ... and more Slides Innovation in PDF only on Docsity! Honduras: In-depth Assessment of Extension and Advisory Services Developing Local Extension Capacity (DLEC) Project March 2017 2 Developing Local Extension Capacity Acknowledgements Written by María Auxiliadora Briones Valenzuela and Danilo Saavedra in collaboration with Kristin Davis of IFPRI and Alex Dunlop of Digital Green, this analysis was compiled for the DLEC project under USAID Cooperative Agreement No. AID-OAA-L-16-0002 This report is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of Digital Green and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. Honduras: In-depth Assessment of Exension and Advisory Services 5 CONTENTS Acronyms ............................................................................................................................................................ 3  Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 6  Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 9  Conceptual Framework ................................................................................................................................... 10  Methods ............................................................................................................................................................. 12  Objectives ......................................................................................................................................................... 12  Background ....................................................................................................................................................... 13  Results ................................................................................................................................................................ 14  Frame Conditions Related to Extension .................................................................................................. 14  Governance Structures and Policy Environment ................................................................................... 22  Organizational and Management Capacities and Cultures .................................................................... 27  Methodologies Used by Service Providers .............................................................................................. 30  Market Engagement .................................................................................................................................... 33  Livelihood Strategies ................................................................................................................................... 36  Community Engagement ........................................................................................................................... 39  Conclusions and Recommendations ............................................................................................................. 40  References ......................................................................................................................................................... 44  Figures Figure 1. Conceptual Framework for the Study .......................................................................................... 11  Figure 2. The Agricultural Innovation System ............................................................................................ 14  Figure 3. Agricultural Share of GDP ............................................................................................................ 15  Figure 4. Agricultural Policy Framework ..................................................................................................... 16  Figure 5. Extension Provider Participation .................................................................................................. 24  Figure 6. Degree of Articulation Between Extension Actors.................................................................... 26  Figure 7. Generic Theory of Change from Service Provider Organizations .......................................... 27  Figure 8. Educational Background of Extension Provider in Honduras ................................................ 28  Figure 9. Modalities Used by Service Providers .......................................................................................... 30  Figure 10. IHCAFE's Technological Innovation Management Model ................................................... 32  Figure 11. Technical Tools Usage by Extension Agents ........................................................................... 33  Figure 12. Participatory Extension Tools ..................................................................................................... 37  Figure 13. Extension Services Construction Process ................................................................................. 38  Tables Table 1. Recommendations to Strengthen EAS in Honduras .................................................................. 42 6 Developing Local Extension Capacity EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The importance of agriculture to the lives and livelihood of the Honduran people is evident. In 2015, agriculture contributed to 14 percent of Honduras’ gross domestic product (GDP), only surpassed by commerce and manufacturing. The sector grew an average of five percent in the last five years, reflecting a continuous growth pattern. Employment in agriculture represents 29 percent of the active economic population, making it the sector that contributes most to the economy. Knowledge about innovations, climate risks, technology, and safe and effective farming and production practices is essential to sustain and improve the livelihoods of the families that depend on the sector. The link between the farmers and sources of relevant agricultural information happens most effectively through extension and advisory services (EAS). In an effort to raise incomes and increase resilience of smallholder farmers and their families in Feed the Future1 countries, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded the Developing Local Extension Capacity (DLEC) project. This project is led by Digital Green in partnership with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), CARE International (CARE) and multiple resource partners. DLEC works with country stakeholders and USAID missions to scale and improve locally relevant, cost-effective and pluralistic agricultural extension systems that bring together information technologies and community-based organizations. By collaborating with USAID missions, host-country governments, public and private EAS providers, rural civil society organizations and host-country research institutes, DLEC helps extension systems become more effective, accountable, scalable and sustainable. The first stage of DLEC’s work includes conducting diagnostic assessments of local EAS contexts and capacities in Feed the Future and aligned countries. This analysis looks at the current situation of agricultural extension services in Honduras, the actors and their capacities. The results of the study will be used to guide actions and investments to strengthen the EAS system. In Honduras, agricultural policy is guided by two strategic frameworks: the 2004-2021 State Policy for the Agri-food Sector and Rural Areas and the 2014-2018 Government Strategic Plan El Plan de Todos para una Vida Mejor (Everyone’s Plan for a Better Life). These policies were designed to revitalize the agricultural sector and improve the livelihoods of those who work in the sector. In addition, trade policies were designed with a series of laws and decrees that streamline activities and give farmers access to broader markets. Policies and programs have been developed with strong rural extension and advisory services components; however, implementation has been challenging. The challenges result in part from the Honduran pluralistic EAS system. For example, the innovation system consists of multiple private, institutional and public actors, including government agencies, educational and research institutions, farmers, and national and international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). While this diversity provides dynamism and richness in terms of learning and institutional innovations, it has led to fragmented EAS delivery system with little coordination among actors and weak leadership. Changes in leadership and organization is a common theme in the country when it comes to EAS. Created in the 1950s, the national rural extension and advisory system of Honduras underwent a series of institutional transformations driven both by internal processes and external factors, such as national politics and the economy. In an effort to modernize the system, EAS were decentralized 1 Feed the Future is the U.S. Government's global hunger and food security initiative. It addresses the root causes of hunger and poverty in the developing world in 19 key countries. https://www.feedthefuture.gov/ Honduras: In-depth Assessment of Exension and Advisory Services 7 and the Agricultural Science and Technology Board (DICTA, for its Spanish acronym) was created to govern, monitor and develop capacities of actors in the system. Although laws to modernize and develop the agricultural sector and decentralize extension services were created, the necessary resources were not provided for implementation, and public and private institutions remain fragmented to this day. Efforts are currently underway to identify new decentralized delivery models, improve overall coordination, and close gaps, thus improving effectiveness of EAS in Honduras. A majority of organizations engaged in EAS provide technical assistance and rural extension services that focus on developing the capacities of producers, in an effort to enable them to self-manage innovations and improve their own crops. The majority of activities involve income generation and increased food security through technological change and market access. The EAS providers implement approaches based on market demand and gender and youth participation. Some also consider risk management associated with climate change. The organizations’ personnel are, for the most part, well trained. The majority of the staff providing these extension services have degrees in engineering, agronomy and veterinary medicine, and continuing education is provided through a government-sponsored program called the Reactivation of Agricultural Production in Schools (REPACE, for its Spanish acronym) and other programs. Many extension providers are incentivized by their employers to continue their training and keep pace with the latest technologies and methods. The organizations themselves have quality control systems in place and do what they can with the resources they have. Fifty percent of the organizations surveyed have monitoring and evaluation systems that measure the progress and impact, helping them to design better projects and generate knowledge. Most providers have internet access and local facilities, but only the few organizations with national reach have the physical structures, such as laboratories, and other infrastructure that allow them to develop their work. The EAS activities used by the organizations are project dependent. Farmer field schools are the most common approach. Providers also use demonstration plots, field days and individual or group visits, among others, to deliver knowledge. In addition, some organizations promote the use of technological validation processes, and others combine field schools with other processes to generate new technological innovations. The organizations primarily target small and medium producers dedicated to commercial production and staple foods. A few EAS providers focus on women, youth and marginalized populations. Most EAS services are provided in group settings, with some one-on-one interventions and limited network approaches. Most organization do not use information and communications technologies (ICT) tools to deliver their services. While some providers are developing mobile phone applications, most providers do not value ICT as a service delivery platform. There is limited use of mass communication, such as radio and television, and short message services (SMS) texts are occasionally used. Many EAS providers focus on increasing market access. There is a general lack of knowledge about the market among small and medium-sized farmers. The service providers aim to support producers and other actors to develop skills and knowledge to access markets, mainly accessing information to make decisions about what to produce. However, the content of services needs to be strengthened in demand identification, technical advice on market conditions, linkages with knowledge sharing networks, access to production, marketing and financial services, and training on market-related topics (e.g., tracking, food safety, packaging and post-harvest management). 10 Developing Local Extension Capacity  Linking the producers with the proper EAS technology to match their needs and providing capacity to manage a strong agricultural ecosystem that uses appropriate tools to strengthen development in rural areas.  Articulating and developing an information system that captures information on what is lacking for the rural communities in order to facilitate rural development. This analysis takes a critical and constructive approach to the existing EAS system, its successes, its gaps and how they have affected the outcomes and outputs of agriculture within the country. The study also identifies current and future challenges and opportunities to address them. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK The modified DLEC framework (Figure 1) uses the original best-fit framework (Birner et al., 2009) to determine EAS areas to focus on-the-ground activities on within DLEC’s manageable interests. The frame conditions (political environment, business environment, civil society/collective/ community environment, agroecology and broader agricultural innovation systems) are outside DLEC’s manageable interests. The best-fit framework includes certain characteristics of EAS, plus the agricultural innovation system. EAS characteristics within the original best-fit framework include governance and structure, organizational and management capacities and cultures, and advisory methods. The DLEC framework adapted this original best-fit framework and added additional characteristics: market engagement, livelihood strategies and community engagement. The “manageable” outcomes of this framework include the system-level performance areas of access, quality and sustainability. The ultimate impact at the farm household level is outside DLEC manageable interests. The building blocks for EAS are also useful for framing recommendations for engagement. They are as follows:  Customer – farmers and their unique needs  Content – knowledge being shared  Methods – how information and knowledge is shared  Provider – who shares information and knowledge This report also addresses cross-cutting EAS issues such as women and youth engagement, climate change resilience, food and nutrition security, and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Honduras: In-depth Assessment of Exension and Advisory Services 11 Figure 1. Conceptual Framework for the Study Source: Adapted from Birner, et al. 2009. 12 Developing Local Extension Capacity METHODS This analysis uses the methodology prescribed by IFPRI (IFPRI, MEAS and GFRAS, 2014) within a broader framework of agricultural innovation systems, in addition to some elements developed by the Latin American Network of Rural Extension Services (RELASER, for its acronym in Spanish). The analysis identifies six elements of importance in EAS, including: 1. Governance structures and policy environment (responsibility, coordination, funding, relationship and functions of EAS providers within the system of agricultural innovation, etc.) 2. Organizational and management capacities and cultures (mandate, mission, human resources, performance management, incentives, etc.) 3. Methods used in country extension and advisory services as well as lessons learned from successful cases and their stepping-up from targeting, participation, use of technology and so forth 4. Areas in which extension can effectively use the address the issue of market engagement 5. Areas where EAS can engage with communities 6. Areas where EAS can help producers self-manage livelihood strategies Recommendations are then given on areas that need to be strengthened to make extension more effective, efficient, relevant, sustainable and scalable. The methodological process developed to achieve the analysis was conducted five stages: 1. Honduras extension forum participation (September 2016) 2. Stakeholder mapping 3. Collection and analysis of secondary information 4. Consultation with local, national and international actors (guided interviews and surveys) 5. Document analysis, conclusions and recommendations OBJECTIVES The analysis will serve to inform the DLEC project, USAID, and other extension stakeholders about the current EAS system in Honduras, its successes and its challenges. These results will inform, influence and strengthen the knowledge base of the EAS sector for Honduras, Latin America and globally with the goal of increasing the resilience of smallholder farmers and their families around the world thereby ensuring better living conditions for rural families and the sustainability of their livelihoods. Honduras: In-depth Assessment of Exension and Advisory Services 15 Agricultural value2 added by workers is estimated US $3,613 per year. In employment, agriculture generates 29 percent of the total employment, being the sector that most generates employment in the economy. The rural population that should be served by extension makes up 45 percent of the total population (World Bank, 2015). In 2015, total agricultural exports reached US $2,761 million, representing 34 percent of total country exports. Coffee, bananas and palm oil make up 40 percent of the country’s agricultural exports. Coffee, in recent years, has been the most popular product. In 2015, there were 7.3 million quintals or 804,687 tons exported. North America is the main export destination at 46 percent, followed by Europe and Central America. Food production focuses on the staple diet of Honduras corn and beans. In 2015, corn production reached 13.8 million quintals (1.5 million tons) and beans reached 2.45 million quintals (270,066 tons). The economic contribution from both products reached five and almost three percent of the agricultural GDP respectively, contributing directly to food security and the economy of the country. Among the most important products are coffee, staple grains, African palm and livestock. Figure 3 shows Honduras’ agricultural GDP average from 2011-2014. Figure 3. Agricultural Share of GDP Source: Agricultural and Livestock Secretariat (SAG), 2015 The agriculture sector makes up a significant part of Honduras’ GDP and is a source for direct and indirect employment generation. Agricultural extension is a key component to the sustained and continuous growth of agricultural sector and, in turn, the GDP. 2 Agriculture value added per worker is a measure of agricultural productivity. Value added in agriculture measures the output of the agricultural sector less the value of intermediate inputs. Agriculture comprises value added from forestry, hunting, and fishing as well as cultivation of crops and livestock production. Data are in constant 2010 U.S. dollars. 9% 6% 9% 24% 13% 13% 10% 1% 4% 3% 8% PRODUCTS Basic Grains Agrican Palm Bananas Coffee Fruits and Vegetables Cattle Fish Other animals Poultry Forestry Other crops 16 Developing Local Extension Capacity The Agriculture and Livestock Secretariat (SAG, by its Spanish acronym) mandate is to achieve a national agricultural production system that is sustainable, competitive and able to participate in a global economy, while responding to internal market needs and integrating self-sufficiency, community participation, gender equity and sustainability of natural resources. SAG coordinates, plans and executes public agricultural policies; fulfills state functions directed toward the agricultural production areas of the country; and represents the Honduran agricultural sector regionally and internationally. Currently, the agricultural sector in Honduras is ruled by two strategic frameworks. The first one is the 2004-2021 State Policy for the Agri-food Sector and Rural Areas, and the second one is 2014- 2018 Government Strategic Plan Everyone’s Plan for a Better Life. The 2004-2021 State Policy aims to achieve transformation of the agri-food sector in order to increase its contribution to economic growth significantly. The intention of the policy is to implement sustainable resource use, increasing agricultural competitiveness and participation in a global market, while supplying the internal market. The intended result is reduction of poverty, in which a large part of the rural population lives, and improved food security for the country. To achieve this transformation of the agricultural sector, three strategic steps were defined: i) increase in quality and competitiveness; ii) transformation through product promotion and integration of agri-food chains; and iii) development of smallholder agriculture and gender equity. Figure 4 shows the policy framework. Source: Authors The policy established a strategic objective to encourage technological innovation by defining incentives and mechanisms to establish technology generation, technical assistance and extension services for public and private actors. The policy also instituted the National Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CONACTA, for its Spanish acronym) to design and implement a national plan for agri-food technology development and the National Center for Technical Innovation in Agri-food (CENITA, for its Spanish acronym) and the Fund for Agricultural Technology Famers and Gender Equity • Capacity Building of Farmers, Agriculture Development and Gender Equity Competitiveness • Food, animal and plant health and safety • Market development and commercial negotiation Production and Value Chain Strengthening • Strengthening of technological innovation • Sustainability of RRNN • Finance • Infrastructure development • Land Access • Agricultural education, training and entreprenuerial development Figure 4. Agricultural Policy Framework Honduras: In-depth Assessment of Exension and Advisory Services 17 Development (FONTEC, for its Spanish acronym), which have technology generation, transfer, technical assistance and financing of productive sector projects in their budgets. The Everyone’s Plan for a Better Life strategic plan, in turn, has four global objectives:  To improve human development, equity and social protection  To improve competitiveness and productivity in a sustainable manner  To seek peace and eradicate violence  To promote transparency and state modernization As part of the first objective, the plan continues to implement rural development actions that reduce vulnerability in the dry zone and income improvement for rural producers. The second objective will establish actions that allow expansion and use of technology and modernization of the agricultural sector to increase production and productivity, competitiveness, employment generation and foreign investments, which will result in a significant contribution to economic and social development in the country. This will be achieved by:  securing financing through the Trust for the Reactivation of the Agri-food Sector (FIRSA, for its Spanish acronym) of palm oil, sugarcane, pig, poultry, cattle and other livestock;  strengthening extension of irrigated areas to support production and productivity of agricultural sector;  promoting the national program for biofuel production; and  starting a national program for bovine, swine and poultry re-stocking. The Secretariat of Agriculture and Livestock established three strategic objectives that define its contribution to the sector, and its alignment with national goals, which are to:  develop skills in production, productivity, trade, competitiveness, health, generation and agricultural technology transfer in the agri-food sector to improve quality of life of producers;  expand infrastructure for increased production and productivity in the agricultural sector; and  improvement of phytosanitary systems that guarantee the quality, safety and competitiveness required of the country's agri-food production, that allow access to national and internal markets. The SAG relies on other institutions to achieve its objectives, such as:  The Agricultural Science and Technology Board (DICTA, for its Spanish acronym)  National Program for Rural Irrigation Agriculture (PRONAGRI, for its Spanish acronym)  National Program for Agri-food Development 20 Developing Local Extension Capacity technological innovation development in the agricultural and forestry sector. On the other hand, the regulatory framework is favorable to develop actions in the sector if combined with agricultural sector policies. Because the agricultural sector’s specific conditions, it is important to develop innovation and extension policies that define the actions of public and private actors, in consideration with national policy. Honduras does not have a specific extension policy that governs the objectives, guidelines and policy instruments or the role of specific extension stakeholders. The general guidelines used are pulled from section four of the Agricultural Sector Modernization Law, which established the creation of DICTA and its mandate to develop a private system of innovation and technology transfer supported by private organizations. These guidelines were established in 1994, and are due for review and amendment. The creation of private technical assistance providers generated a need for a certification process that was to be conducted by the college of agronomists and DICTA; however, this process was never enacted. Unfortunately, the lack of national dialog and consistent platforms to discuss extension services and their role in the Government of Honduras strategies and policies has hindered the growth of an extension policy that would define system priorities and enable coordination and effectiveness. There are many actors that work on innovative processes in Honduras, including universities, the public sector, national and international NGOs, and producer organizations. Every actor has an important role in agricultural innovation management from technological gap identification to new innovation design to technology validations to knowledge transfer processes that reach farmers. To bolster these joint efforts, the creation of a National Research, Investigation and Transfer System for Agricultural Technology (SNITTA, for its Spanish acronym) was proposed. This organization would be made up by CONACTA, a technical division, a planning and project unit and FONACTA, and would be guided by DICTA (Catholic Relief Services, Global Water Initiative and The Howard Buffett Foundation, 2014). Among the organizations that are generating knowledge and new innovations are the National Agricultural University, the Zamorano Agricultural College, the Honduran Foundation of Agricultural Research, DICTA, the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE, for its Spanish acronym), the Honduran Coffee Institute (IHCAFE), and the Central University of the Atlantic Coast (CURLA, for its Spanish acronym), among others. Research lines include genetic improvement, new low-cost cultural practices, agrochemical reduction, crops and biotechnological pest management. While this is a rich set of actors engaged in research, each institution chooses the focus on their own research agendas. In the case of state-run institutions, the major efforts are directed toward basic grains and other national produce, such as cocoa, banana, vegetables and coffee. National and international NGOs are also important players in the innovation system. In Honduras, there is a multitude of organizations implementing projects with funds from various donors. They offer support services for production, support value chain to market productivity, promote food security, and develop research and many other programs. The NGOs implement support services, like technical assistance and assets for farmers and organizations, that are delivered as public goods. They also offer financial services focused on agricultural production. NGOs play an important role in that they generate new organizational innovations, capture technology innovations and deliver Honduras: In-depth Assessment of Exension and Advisory Services 21 that knowledge to producers through extension methodologies, such as producer networks, farmer field schools and many other activities that contribute to the improvement of the lives of rural families. There is some interaction and coordination between NGOs and knowledge generating institutions, mostly to find solutions to specific agricultural problems. In some cases, permanent joint ventures were created for the purposes of implementing development projects. However, although there are relationships, they are not systematic, nor do they fall under an innovation system plan that establishes clear roles and management processes to synchronize the innovation and knowledge transfer. Farmers’ organizations are another important player of innovation system, from base cooperatives to second and third floor organizations that bring together cooperative groups. This segment participates in public policy management, offers technical assistance services, supports the transformation processes and commercialization, and offers financial services for production. They also contribute to the upper level of the value chain, like rice growers and millers that develop agricultural innovations with support from the CGIAR Consortium research institutes. The public sector participates in generating innovations, but also in extension processes. The SAG does this with its various institutions and their programs, projects and agricultural health services, such as the Agricultural Education, Training and Development for Agri-Business Service (SEDUCA, for its acronym in Spanish) or the Agri-food Information Service (INFOAGRO). These activities are oriented to technical assistance services, training, assets provision, market access, business development and support for social capital. Projects play an important role because they provide many of their innovations to farmers through donations or co-investment. Some municipal associations participate in innovation processes by supporting extension services within their territories. Many of these local bodies communicate directly with NGOs to ensure support for the public services in their regions. All of these activities are executed under the decentralization policy framework. The formal vocational education sector is an important component of the innovation system as it strengthens the capacities of youth and integrates them into the productive sector. The Ministry of Education regulates a network of 28 technical colleges that offer technical bachelor’s degrees. The National Institute for Professional Formation (INFOP, for its Spanish acronym) also trains youth in animal health, horticulture and agricultural machinery operations. Input suppliers are also important actors in the innovation process in Honduras. In conditions where public extension is limited, input suppliers offer new innovations by contributing directly to technological advancement. This segment includes seed providers, agrochemical and fertilizer providers, equipment vendors and machinists. Another key component of the system is the technical assistance provided by companies and individuals. Private extension services were incentivized by the creation of the modernization laws to build companies and promote individual entrepreneurship. The innovation system in Honduras is a multi-player environment that includes participation from NGOs through international bilateral or multilateral-funded projects. While this provides richness in terms of learning and institutional innovations, it is fragmented with limited coordination and 22 Developing Local Extension Capacity processes synchronization. This situation is due to the lack of leadership from public institutions that could create a functional and efficient innovation system at the local to national levels. This section set the scene for the frame conditions affecting EAS in Honduras. The next sections discuss the extension system according the to six areas of EAS from the best-fit framework: governance structures and the policy environment, organizational and management capacities and cultures, methods, market engagement, livelihood strategies and community engagement. Governance Structures and Policy Environment In the previous section, we looked at the macro level and the enabling environment played by the federal government and policies. This section and the next on organizational and management capacities and cultures focus on the meso level, which links between the policy level and implementation level through governance structures, EAS policies and program management. The first EAS area that we look at includes the governance structures and EAS policy environment. This area also includes the links to education, research, the private sector and farmers. Derived from the modernization and development law for the agricultural sector (31-92)3 that establish extension system privatization and technical assistance, the current system has a multitude of technical assistance and rural extension activities across the country from several public and private institutions, both national and international. As noted in the previous section, the government has different normative and planning instruments that establish guidelines for promoting coordinated investment in the sector. However, there continue to be challenges in the system in terms of implementation of both public and private sector investments. Individual technical assistance projects and programs have developed their own monitoring and evaluation systems. These monitoring and evaluation systems are project-based and measure specific points in the system, but almost none follow up or measure the impact on extension services and the impact on rural families. There is not a systematic evaluation that measures coverage or quality of extension services within parameters of the realities of the country. The different reports are focused on rendering accounts to donors rather than producers and other clientele. The accountability system emphasize counting activities carried out, over analysis, learning and lessons to facilitate the construction of knowledge with the aim to improve public policies and sector activities. The SAG, through its planning unit, established a monitoring and evaluation system, to measure the results from each activity carried out by different private and public institutions, using an adjustment and implementation process that includes six modules. However, the system is set up to measure goals and products, but not impacts of the extension and technical assistance. The participation of farmers in the process, from formulation until execution, is included, but informally. Only a few institutionalized spaces exist to secure active, informed and consensual participation. The main public institution involved in research and development in Honduras is DICTA, under the SAG. This organization carries out research-based projects, but does not operate a specific research program focused on extension’s demand and development. In accordance with law 31-92, DICTA is 3 Decree 31-92, The Law of Modernization and Development in the Agricultural Sector, The Government of Honduras, 1992 and its corresponding referendums. Honduras: In-depth Assessment of Exension and Advisory Services 25 schools, 27 vocational schools, five state institutions, six private agencies and 50 implementing partners. This project will involve new actors in the system, and in the short term envisions institutional changes, given the possible creation of a Technical Extension Unit in the SDE. In any case, the municipalities and the municipal associations are making attempts to provide extension services, despite the fact that until now they have been more focused on health and infrastructure services and less on productive sector services and extension, even though these are fundamental structures in community development to ensure a better and more sustainable life for their people. Many of the projects implemented in the communities are supported by agencies, such as FAO, USAID, COSUDE and other NGOs. The decentralization of public services and the capacity building has been asymmetric, partly because there has been no clear direction, but also because partnerships have shaped the focus areas. Technical and Financial International Agencies, often with national and international NGOs, implement projects with different goals for extension and technical assistance. Some address the topics directly. The majority of the projects do so through government institutions, such as the SAG or DICTA, and/or national and international NGOs, who manage the focus, methodologies and reach of the projects and try to respond to the goals set by the government for increasing productivity, nutritional security, market access and production quality. In addition, they focus on the business management and organizational skills of the producers and building their capacities as service providers. Education and Research play an important role in capacity development. Through formal and informal education, they ensure service quality, technological innovation, validation and transfer of knowledge to the productive sector through academic extension programs, and they support different actors to improve the methods and methodologies of extension. This segment includes community vocation schools, which play an important role in building the capacity of young people. Producer Associations provide mainly rural advisory series to members and associates in certain networks. They also provide specialized extension services and some capacity building processes for extension providers and producers. The associations are in the best position, organizationally, to provide these services, although the producers’ perceptions about the opportunities and quality of service they provide presents challenges that must be recognized and strengthened before they are recognized in the sector. Municipal Associations (Mancomunidades) are, according to Municipal Law Decree No. 143- 2009, an associative modality. An autonomous community and/or municipal association is defined as a local, auxiliary and territorial entity subordinate to municipalities’ members, subject to public law, and exclusively serve as executor and manager by delegation of programs, projects and priority interest services, that allow its members to tackle joint problems that cannot be individually confronted. The municipalities may belong to more than one municipal association according to mutual interest and benefits for the population they represent and their ability to meet financial obligations for their organizations. In Honduras, there are 46 municipal associations, each receiving different support from the central government, from civil society organizations and, directly, from international cooperation agencies. The Private Sector includes individual consultants and enterprises that offer EAS as a private service. This sector was developed when the national policy transferred the public services to private services. Other agricultural projects financed by other fund have promoted private EAS. 26 Developing Local Extension Capacity As noted above, all of these actors have the common goal of service delivery to the rural population to improve their way of life, but their methods, methodologies and focus are different and there is little to no communication between them at the national or local level. There are certain obvious opportunities to organize all of these actors, such as at the municipal association level through the Honduran Association of Municipalities; at the institution and vocational school level through the Network of Community Vocational Schools and at the NGO level through the Honduran Federation of Development NGOs (FOPRIDEH, for its Spanish acronym), who, in addition to bringing together a considerable number of civil society organizations, offer capacity building to municipal associations and implement related projects. An exercise conducted during the September 2016 Extension Forum in Honduras demonstrates there is not a formal structure that links the different system actors. While some linkages are becoming more robust, many actors still remain isolated. Figure 6. Degree of Articulation Between Extension Actors Source: Authors USAID and their Economic Growth Office show the greatest number of linkages with other actors. A growing cohesion among the actors is visible. Sixty three percent of the relationships are between the noted institutions, which shows the degree of interaction between the organizations and the lack of communication, despite the efforts put forth. According to a recent study on Latin American extension (FAO-BID-RELASER, 2014), EAS system financing in Honduras originates from various sources. International cooperation agencies provide 48 percent of total funds; the national government provides 19 percent; private and research institutes contribute 14 percent; farmers provide nine percent; donations provide four percent and two percent is provided by local government. The money allocated to the public sector to ensure Honduras: In-depth Assessment of Exension and Advisory Services 27 rural extension activities was reduced in the last two years from HNL 32.8 million (approximately US $1.4 million) in 2015 to HNL 30.2 million (approximately US $1.3 million) in 2016. However, in the second quarter of 2016, the government allocated HNL 50 million (US $2.1 million) for the new National Extension Program. In 2015, the SAG budget was HNL 1,244 million (approximately US $52 million). Of that amount, HNL 525 million (approximately US$ 22 million, 42 percent) was allocated to the SAG programs, services and projects. The remaining HNL 718 million (approximately US $30 million, 58 percent) was allocated to be transferred to other public and private sector institutions and organizations (Agricultural and Livestock Secretariat (SAG), 2015). In addition, the SAG implements different national programs, such as PRONAGRI and the National Program for the Development of Fishing and Aquaculture Training (PRONAGRO, for its Spanish acronym). These programs offer significant investments in extension, such as training, knowledge transfer, technical assistance on various topics, and business and organizational development. International cooperation agencies also finance some services, such as the SEDUCA and the Nutrition Coupon (Bono Alimentario) for which the government allocated HNL 8.6 million (approximately US $361,000). Because of the disbursement between so many programs, it was difficult to filter out the specific amount of resources intended for rural extension and knowledge transfer. Organizational and Management Capacities and Cultures Extension organizations in Honduras providers focus their activities on human development, poverty alleviation, food and nutritional security improvement and income growth. These services aim to build the capacity for decision making in productive processes and the markets for small and medium farmers. The theory of change for most service providers in Honduras seeks to improve incomes and food security through altering technologies and providing market access. Figure 7. Generic Theory of Change from Service Provider Organizations Incomes Food Security Productivity Market Access Innovations Uses Technical Assistance Services and Training 30 Developing Local Extension Capacity international cooperation agencies and NGOs; however, technical and multifunctional institutes at the community level do not have internet access. Most extension workers have smart phones, with 66 percent using one of the latest models. Methodologies Used by Service Providers Service providers in Honduras use a combination of approaches for extension, including advancing technology transfer, providing technical assistance, using leading producers or promoters, encouraging participatory research and applying andragogy. Figure 9 shows the various methods used to deliver extension. Figure 9. Modalities Used by Service Providers Source: Authors The goal of extension in general is to strengthen the decision-making capacities of farmers in the production and market process. In production, the focus is on incorporating new technological innovations and developing knowledge about environmentally-sustainable approaches to integrated crop management. Among the new innovations are irrigation systems, adapted grain varieties, new products oriented to market or for exportation, pest control technologies, home gardens and others. Other projects promote business development at the unit production level, efficient use of assets, records, diversification and financial resources aimed at improving productivity and reducing production cost. Many service providers use participatory diagnostics during their planning processes to determine their system for demand and service implementation. Zamorano uses a system that establishes farm planning as the basis for services. Other organizations established field schools that use a participatory method focused on the farmer, the environment and the market. Other providers tailor their approaches to the needs of their clients’ perspectives, be they men, women or youth, and 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% Adult education Participatory research and activities Producer networks and local leader development System (focused on family farms and land) Adapative experimentation Training and visit Technology transfer (classical and individual technical assistance) Percentage of Use Honduras: In-depth Assessment of Exension and Advisory Services 31 address the expectations of the mean population. At the municipal association level, many activities are developed in conjunction with the farmers to raise demand, which determines service planning and interinstitutional coordination The market approach depends on the end goal of the activities and target population. For instance, services focused on food security are primarily geared toward increasing the availability of food, while those organizations focused on increasing sales will focus on market demand and requirements. In the case of projects that were implemented by Fintrac (a US-based consulting company that develops agricultural solutions to end hunger and poverty), market approach is a topic that is included within their services. Value chain approaches use extension services to address challenges at all points in the chain from production to market. Service providers focus their efforts on grassroots farmer organizations or cooperatives as well as anchor businesses. In both cases, the objective is to link growers the markets. At same time, under this approach the organization addresses all aspects of business development and social capital as well as the conditions required to work within the value chain. The application of the approaches depends on the projects, and each of them follow the method they deem most appropriate; however, the field school model is one of the most used forms by service providers. This approach uses demonstration plots, field work days, and individual and group visits as ways to share knowledge. Farmer field school are very much about adult education, building capacity and empowerment. This approach evolved from strictly a production focus to schools that take on aspects of transformation, entrepreneurship and market studies. Zamorano, Fintrac, and other universities use this approach. Demonstration plots, practical demonstrations, farmer exchange and field days are other instruments used in the capacity building process. Some organizations, such as IHCAFE, Fintrac, FHIA and DICTA, and some projects combine farmer field schools with new generation of technological innovations. Figure 10 shows technological innovation management model of IHCAFE, in which technology transfer is an essential component of the process. 32 Developing Local Extension Capacity Figure 10. IHCAFE's Technological Innovation Management Model Source: IHCAFE, 2016 The use of social mobilizers, community facilitators and farmer-to-farmer trainers is another method of improving adoption of technological innovations and increasing the reach of services. Under this approach, the social mobilizer is part of the innovation system and plays the role of change agent in the community with support from extension workers. In some areas, the mobilizers provide support to the extension workers by resolving some producer problems. In the PROSADE-CARE project, each technician serves between 20 to 25 mobilizers, who in turn attends to five clients of their own. The numbers for this method depends on the project, and there is no existing norm (CARE- PROSADE, 2016). Extension services mainly target small to medium producers dedicated to commercial production and food security, with a secondary focus on women and, finally, on youth. In addition, some projects target grassroots organizations, like agricultural cooperatives and anchor companies that connect farmers to the market. Group work is the most common form of reaching farmers, making up about 60 percent of extension activities. Only 25 percent of EAS providers conduct individual visits. There is some limited work with networks and local innovation systems. The popularity of the group approach is most likely based on efficiency of service and reach. The lack of work with networks and local systems is probably due to the lack of organizations that mobilize or link these systems. The division of labor of EAS providers is about 59 percent dedicated to service delivery, 22 percent dedicated to the planning process and 19 percent dedicated to building their own capacity. Extension workers use printed or online technical material most often as a tool for their work. Less often they use audiovisual material and apps. Zamorano and IHCAFE developed three apps for use in extension work. Transference • ESCAFE • CICs Extension •Regional •Private •CICs Identification and prioritizaion of problems and opportunities Research and Development • Thematic Programs (MIP, MG, agricultural floors, environment, climate change, beneficiaries and quality) • CIC's (experimental farms) • Applied research Honduras: In-depth Assessment of Exension and Advisory Services 35 through their Honduras Si Exporta (Honduras Does Export) program. Honduras also has several private organizations that help companies to market their goods and services in international markets, such as the National Association of Industries (ANDI, for its Spanish acronym), the Honduran Council of Private Companies (COHEP, for its Spanish acronym), Honduras Agriexport Federation (FPX, for its Spanish acronym), the Honduran Foundation for Agricultural Investigation (FHIA, for its Spanish acronym) and National Association of Honduras Exporters (ANEXHON, for its Spanish acronym). There are also programs to promote the exportation of goods produced by small or medium-sized enterprises (SME). FIDE, in coordination with foreign trade facilitation offices and national and regional public agencies (i.e., PROHONDURAS, the SAG and the Interamerican Agricultural Cooperation Agency (IICA, for its Spanish acronym)), develop training programs for SME exporters or enterprises with export potential. In addition, the National Program for the Productive and Competitive Development of SMEs incorporates subprograms to strengthen the capacity to export. The objective is to create industrial parks where SMEs, once established, can benefit from economies of scale of packaging, labeling and exportation of goods to markets with preferential access. SME growers have obvious limitations to access markets, and EAS can play an important role in supporting them to do so. Fintrac (Fintrac/Market Access, 2016) identified the main limitations in both small and medium production, which we have phrased as opportunities:  increasing volume, quality standards, customer service and market consistency;  reducing vulnerability of productive systems and the possibility of losing crops due to pests, diseases, droughts and floods;  dealing with migratory agriculture;  decision making on what and how to harvest based on intuition and tradition, not market demands (this is an issue of culture and lack of information);  improving record keeping (no knowledge of costs and absence of business management systems);  increasing use of technology, productivity and reducing high unit costs;  improving planning and preparation, technical knowledge, market and financing;  supporting risk management (market and climate);  informing on market requirements in terms of health and safety;  friendly processes to access market; and  increasing levels of organization and networking. Faced with these, there are many avenues that EAS have to ensure market access for small and medium growers. Focusing on market access facilitates planning and objective setting and generates a more dynamic construct for the production process and rural business practices. However, to ensure a successful design of rural extension services, other elements must be taken into consideration, such as the organization of complementary public and private services to meet producer needs and the standardization of processes through regional strategic plans. 36 Developing Local Extension Capacity Rural extension that uses the market approach recognizes that permanent and sustained market participation requires minimum standards to be met. These standards include consistent supply, social network participation, quality levels that attract market agents, presentation and selection, compliance, and a capacity for interaction and negotiation that leads to establishment of prices and basic transaction conditions. These standards make it difficult for the small-scale farmers, who often cannot meet them to reach the levels of quality and scale necessary to take advantage of EAS and to integrate into producer organizations that seek to trade competitive products and insert themselves sustainably into the markets (RIMISP, 2010). The public and private extension system must support extension staff, producers and other stakeholders with capacities and knowledge to enable market access markets, such as: 1. Identify market demands and producer and extension agent requirements 2. Advise producers to ensure conditions of market demands are met 3. Facilitate knowledge exchange networks for producers and other stakeholders 4. Facilitate the organization of production, market access and other services, such as financing 5. Offer producer training in topics, such as: a. Support in infrastructure investment, including production of basic grains, coffee, vegetables, animal production and other items prioritized in the country´s development plan b. Marketing c. Post-harvest management d. Certification systems e. Business/finance skills f. Natural resources management g. Registration, legalization h. Business development services i. Off-farm business opportunities j. Health and nutrition k. Gender, nutrition, rural youth and climate change as cross-cutting themes Livelihood Strategies The content of extension services is defined using four methodological steps: i) capture of demand and opportunities (participatory diagnostics), ii) adjustment of demand through developing production plans, iii) integration of contents to institutional plans, and iv) development of methodological tools to bring content to producers. Capture of the demand is through participatory diagnoses, workshops, meetings, periodic evaluations and specific studies. The purpose is to collect the existing problems and opportunities of producers, market analysis and the overall context. This phase ends with the demands prioritized by Honduras: In-depth Assessment of Exension and Advisory Services 37 the producers, which will be carried out through construction of production plans. Figure 12 shows the different tools used for demand assessment. Figure 12. Participatory Extension Tools Source: Authors Once the demand is established, the next step is the production plan. The plan is a tool that the extension provider builds in the production unit with the producers. The plan defines the goals in production, productivity and the technological practices that will be applied during the production process. In this step, the producer with the extension provider defines with more detail the contents of the thematic areas to be worked on during the production cycles. In some institutions, such as IHCAFE, the production plans are the basis for program implementation plans. The process ends with the development of methodological tools to be used in the transfer process, which include dissemination, training, practical demonstrations and integration of technological innovations. In this way, the entire content construction process is integrated into extension services. The process of constructing the contents is show in Figure 13. 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% Participatory evaluations Roundtable discussions Production plans Periodic evaluations Demand increase through gender focus Increase in demand uptake based on the youth needs Percentage of Usage 40 Developing Local Extension Capacity CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS Agriculture is an important sector in Honduras. National policies, strategies and objectives guide all efforts toward competitiveness, food security, productivity and income. On trade, there is a strong emphasis on open markets and access to markets, diversification, export promotion and strengthening the quality and safety of the products. The policies encourage the decentralization of services to municipalities to create a more efficient public sector. Extension and advisory services are critical to implementation of national agriculture policies. National and sectoral policy frameworks create favorable conditions for strengthening agricultural extension as an important element for achieving national policy goals. There is a normative framework that creates the opportunity to strengthen the local extension system supported by municipal associations, which understand the local problems farmers face; however, there should be a clear path for the associations to resource and provide these extension services. Furthermore, there is a need for specific extension policies as well as national forums to discuss and debate issues in EAS. The innovation system in Honduras is made up of multiple stakeholders including the public sector, educational and research institutions, producer associations, national and international NGOs and projects supported by bilateral or multilateral organizations, and municipal associations, which provide a wealth of dynamic knowledge about institutional innovations. As a result, the system is in need of coordination, synchronization of processes, regulation, complementary actions and collaboration. Strengthened leadership and capacity of the public institutions is needed to regulate the system in order to determine goals, roles of the different actors and the changes needed to create an environment that permits more sustainable livelihoods for farming families. International cooperation agencies provide the greatest amount of support for extension, providing much needed resources, but at the same time making the services vulnerable to the exit strategies of these agencies. Sustainability and resources for scaling are needed to influence the impact of the activities implemented by these agencies. Policies and mechanisms are needed to provide more resources, either through direct investments or the state, to promote sustainable extension models. The mandates of extension service providers are aligned with the national policy approaches of poverty reduction, food security, and increase of productivity and income. Some providers orient their services to the needs of the producers based on primary production and the market demands. Extension workers are mostly university graduates (agronomists and veterinarians), with limited participation of people with other social sciences backgrounds, whose focus is more on productivity. Continuing education is provided to many extension providers; however, functional skills should be improved. Monitoring systems are more oriented toward verifying project compliance than the efficiency and impacts of the extension. While a few actors have their own monitoring systems there is no system- wide monitoring mechanism that works. Extension provider organizations use different approaches and methodologies to provide services, bring knowledge and build capacity. Although the diversity of approaches is useful in terms of the best-fit framework, there must be overall strategic orientation and coordination in the methodologies and incentives used for the extension process. The fact that each project or program Honduras: In-depth Assessment of Exension and Advisory Services 41 designs different forms and didactic tools to deliver support according to their policies sometimes causes message confusion among producers. The use of ICTs is concentrated on radio and to a minor degree on television. Service providers should take advantage of the wide array of other technologies like cell phones, videos, YouTube, Apps, WhatsApp and others. Market engagement is an important consideration for EAS to support the government’s strategies and policies. In addition to a focus on productivity gains, where EAS tends to focus, extension needs to also help smallholders and SMEs access markets and adhere to standards. For this, a building of the EAS capacity with regard to market issues is also needed. Some service providers have mechanisms that allow them to develop service content based on demand and opportunities; however, this is not widely used and many organizations still maintain a top-down approach to content development. This inconsistency provides an opportunity for strengthening content development. Women, youth and marginalized populations are targeted by some service providers through norms, policies and incentives, and others include these groups in their program descriptions. Reviews of program indicators show that impact on marginalized groups are not well documented. The indicator that is seen most often is the percentage of participation of women and youth, which while important, does not by itself show the empowerment, economic participation and social development of these groups. Based on this review, we can see that drivers for success of EAS in Honduras include:  Guiding policies and strategies  Presence of many service providers with accompanying resources, as well as complementary educational and research institutions  Some monitoring and evaluation tools for EAS  Adequate technical training for extension agents Challenges that threaten effective, efficient, relevant and sustainable EAS in Honduras include  Capacities and resources to fully implement policies and strategies  Institutional will and mechanisms to coordinate pluralistic actors  Difficulties in finding tools to monitor and evaluate final impact of programs  Limited functional skills of extension agents, especially with regard to marketing, livelihoods, gender and nutrition We thus make the following recommendations to improve the Honduran EAS system by making it more effective, efficient, relevant, sustainable and scalable. Recommendations are grouped according to the six areas of EAS in the conceptual framework (Figure 1). They also include the most relevant actor to do so in parenthesis. 42 Developing Local Extension Capacity Table 1. Recommendations to Strengthen EAS in Honduras Area Recommendation Governance structures and policy environment 1. Set up a regulatory framework and coordination mechanism that includes a nation-wide monitoring and evaluation system with incentives (e.g. access to funds) for all sectors to engage, in order to improve links and cooperation between public and private institutions (SAG). 2. Institute a national forum on EAS to debate issues, share knowledge, coordinate and advocate for EAS, supported by the Latin America Network for Rural Extension Services—RELASER (SAG). 3. Experiment with models of private or semi-private extension services, using FHIA lessons learned as a model (Perez, Meza, Bientema, & Flaherty, 2015) (all EAS actors). Organization and management capacities and cultures 4. Develop capabilities and provide mechanisms and tools for both providers and clientele of services to identify demand and assess the quality of extension services (DICTA). 5. Explore ways to increase the responsibility for municipalities and municipal associations to plan, deliver, monitor and evaluate EAS. Consider supporting pilot activities to deliver services through municipal organizations (SAG). 6. Strengthen EAS providers on functional skills, current and cross-cutting issues, such as gender and youth integration, excluded populations, food security, climate change, markets and sustainable production systems (Zamorano and other universities). 7. Build capacity of the Network of Community Technical Institutes for curriculum improvement, youth integration and extension methodologies in selected technical centers (Zamorano and other universities). Methods 8. Develop virtual knowledge management platforms and ICT tools, such as interactive voice response, radio, video, SMS and mobile applications to support EAS providers in the different areas of production, market, climate and others (all EAS actors). 9. Strengthen capacity of extension providers to use ICTs to share information as well as to monitor performance (Zamorano and other universities). Market engagement 10. Provide public and private extension staff, producers and other stakeholders with capacities and knowledge to support smallholder access to markets through information about standards, prices and opportunities (Zamorano and other universities).