FOREWORD

Research and extension play important roles in the enhancement of agricultural productivity. Research, on one hand, generates improved technologies and practices that help to raise crop yields and incomes, particularly of small farmers. Extension, on the other hand, provides the mechanism by which those technologies and practices are disseminated for adoption by farmers. For the technology transfer process to be successful, however, these two vital support services need to be effectively linked.

The integration of agricultural research and extension is not a simple task. In fact, The Study Meeting on Integration of Agricultural Research and Extension held in March 2002 in the Philippines pointed out that there was no single, ideal, easy recipe for improving agricultural research and extension linkages. The strategies and mix of mechanisms employed depend on the policy, institutional, and resource context of a particular country. In this regard, the study meeting noted that several factors are important: 1) viewing research and extension as an integrated knowledge and technology system; 2) focusing on research and extension functions, rather than simply on organizational structures, to broaden dialogues among all stakeholders; 3) strengthening crucial linkages under a pluralistic approach/system; 4) promoting informal networking at many levels with an incentive system for improving linkages; and 5) empowering farmers’ groups for more demand- and farmer- driven research and extension services. The study meeting also concluded that the coordination of research and extension functions/activities between and among the agencies involvedconcerned willould continue to be an enormous challenge.

This volume is a compilation of the papers and proceedings of the study meeting. I hope that it will serve as a useful reference on the subject in APO member countries.

The APO is grateful to the Government of the Philippines for hosting the study meeting, in particular to the Development Academy of the Philippines for implementing the program in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture, and to the resource speakers for their valuable contributions. Special thanks are due to Dr. Rita Sharma for editing the present volume.

– TAKASHI TAJIMA, APO Secretary-General, Tokyo, October 2003