Can extension contribute to rural poverty reduction? Synthesis of a six-country study.

The paper summarises the results of a cross-country study on agricultural extension and its potential contribution to poverty reduction. The study emphasised the importance of livelihoods contexts, including the roles of vulnerability, labour markets, and the state, in determining the rural poor’s ability to take advantage of conventional extension strategies. The study examined the interrelations between wider rural development policies and agricultural extension. It also examined recent trends in the decentralisation of government services and support to producer organisations, and their relation to extension strategies. The study concludes that a much broader, and more carefully differentiated, approach to extension is required. Research findings • The rural poor face exceptionally high transaction costs and considerable risks in gaining access to production and trade opportunities; in addition, many are exceptionally vulnerable and are more in need of safety nets rather than production-focused interventions. • Labour markets are of exceptional importance to rural livelihoods, and extension activities must enhance these markets ’ capacity to serve the poor. • Rural development policy must incorporate more of a sector-wide perspective, but policy implementation is often