Next Generation Agricultural Extension

By emphasising social relations this project’s main scientific contribution to knowledge will begin with a reconceptualisation of agricultural extension (Outcome of Activity 1). This reconceptualisation will be drawn from the context of the gendered perceptions, desires, and practices of smallholder households in the case study area (Outcome of Activity 2) and guided by appreciation for the spatial distribution of enabling and disabling social relations (Outcome of Activity 3). Filling the gap in understanding of smallholders’ social relations, the project will actively reformulate the practice of extension (Outcome of Activity 4) by extending smallholders’ connections with enabling individuals and organisations, thereby testing an extension approach based upon expanding farmers’ social networks. Empirical analysis and comparison of perceived and material impacts of the approach will follow, including the primary and secondary impacts of past provisionist extension versus extension via social relations (Outcome of Activity 5). In very simple terms, this project will analyse farmers perceptions, practices, values, and aspirations before responsively supporting them in partnership with extensionists from governmental, non-governmental, educational, and expert organisations, ending with a rigorous comparative analysis of the monetary and non-monetary impacts of this social model of agricultural extension. Monitoring and Evaluation of farmers’ practice change will be central to calculation of the project’s impacts, using experience and direct involvement of project partners in the research - especially Activity 4 - as the primary mechanism for wider communication of the research results to the agricultural sector in NW Cambodia and SE Asia.