Agricultural and rural extension systems for rural development:a case study of the Umbria region

The earliest reports of agricultural extension in Italy dated back to 1548, which probably make the extension systems in Italy one of the oldest systems in the world, if not the oldest. History shaped the Italian socio-economic environment and Italians over the past millenniums had to adapt to changing circumstances for survival. South Africa can learn from experiences in Italy. The challenge is to identify normative frameworks and guidelines for efficient extension systems and methodologies according to the socio-economic needs of South Africa without compromising the present competitiveness of the South African agricultural sector in an African context The classic economy approach supplies some insight on the delivery of extension services in a free market system. Supply and demand determines the price farmers are willing to pay for extension or new technology. The public extension services tend to focus on “government driven” programs such as land reform and therefore reduce its ability to supply proper services to the “private driven” sector (commercial farming). Commercial farmers then look for alternative extension services, which are normally available at a cost. If the alternative service (supply) is of better quality, the farmers (demand) are willing to pay a certain price for it. Most Italian farmers are small and could not afford expensive extension services, yet they were dissatisfied by the services offered by the government. They did what their ancestors did more than 400 years ago. They take extension into their own hands. The lessons learned for South African circumstances are that the changes that took place in extension services are not unique if compared to the Italian experience. New governments implement new policies and extension services must address these needs. The supply and demand of an extension service or system determines the clientele of the extension service. Commercial farmers in South Africa need more sophisticated technology and information that is currently supplied by the public services and they will therefore seek their information elsewhere, even if they have to pay for it. This article suggests that South African commercial farmers also take extension into their own hands.