Science and Technology Mailing List Archive

["Chris Prior" <<address removed>>]

How can DFID help to increase access to agricultural science and technology 
(AST)?

I am Chris Prior, working with an association of entrepreneurship training and 
development specialists in Manila, Philippines. We look at entrepreneurship as 
a topic that runs across many parts of development, including the agricultural 
sector, so we get involved in farm business planning, among other things. 

Just within one country such as the Philippines there are so many agencies, 
demonstration farms, processing technologies, training courses etc. that for an 
individual farmer, group of farmers and people's organisation/NGO it is not 
easy to know where to look for AST that is really going to help. It is so much 
more difficult, therefore, for them to know how to evaluate the information if 
and when they find it.

It is not surprising, against this background, that agricultural-based rural 
poverty remains persistent and pervasive. In training programs, most business 
ideas remain in the fairly traditional sector (piggery, mono-cropping) rather 
than combining a variety of ideas. The agency that I work for is involved in 
"sustainable agriculture programs" and agrarian reform - in particular, we 
provide the training in business skills and farm business planning. Here the 
PO's and NGO's play a significant role. Despite many workshops and events at 
which AST is presented or discussed, the main barriers of "I only know 
coffee/rice/etc. farming" and "how can I move into this or that technology?" 
remain. In other words, the gaps are in dissemination and acceptance of AST 
even within one country like the Philippines. 

Just this weekend we put in a proposal for a Community-managed Agrarian Reform 
and Poverty Reduction Program together with another partner. 740 business plans 
are to be developed in just 2 months with agrarian reform beneficiaries. Where 
will they get their ideas from, their farm technologies from? Well, that is 
part of our job in the farm business planning process.

Identifying one agency - preferably NGO - as conduit for AST would be a 
significant step forward. Whilst I have a suggestion on which NGO this could be 
for the Philippines, questions then arise on how to make this role of 
information database and disseminator sustainable. So, for sure it is important 
for support agencies such as CORAF and CGIAR to be assisted but then perhaps 
there is also a need for DFID to support local projects that pull many 
different threads together - an accessible database that has a budget to 
disseminate information by participating in local events, where farmers and 
representative groups really can attend. Innovative ways of getting information 
out could also be tried. Surprisingly, SMS could become a useful vehicle for 
disseminating such information sources, at least in a country like the 
Philippines where text messaging is a way of life even in rural communities. 

Perhaps this line of thought could be continued by others in this working 
group/topic area....

Chris Prior,
Marketing and Promotions Executive
Philippines CEFE Network of Entrepreneurship Trainers 
6069-B Palma Street, 
Barangay Poblacion,  Makati City MM Philippines
Tel: (63) 2 7573753 or (63) 919-3169923
Email: <address removed>, <address removed>

Check our website at www.cefephil.com