Extension delivery concept realigns to major government initiatives and policies

By SOLDIER BURUKA of DAL

The realignment of agricultural extension systems such as the Smallholder Support Services Expansion Project (SSSEP) with the National Agriculture Development Plan (NADP), DSP 2030 and Vision 2050 will further strengthen and boost agriculture productivity and development.

Department of Agriculture and Livestock deputy secretary for technical services, Francis Daink, said this in Lae when opening the SSSEP Inception Workshop today.

Delegates from Eastern Highlands provincial administration and SSCF Unit discuss their strategy before the workshop.-Pictures by JOY WOKTAMUL, SSCF Unit, Lae

Daink called on all the stakeholders involved with the SSSEP and in the realignment process to work closely to achieve these objectives.

He said this was a government direction that needed to be carried out and urged all partners to make positive contributions.

One of the pillars in the Vision 2050 relates to wealth creation focusing on amongst other renewable resources, the agriculture sector, whilst DSP 2030 considered agriculture as one of the important sectoral strategies through economic corridors concept and NADP based its key programmes on enhanced productivity, research and extension, food and nutrition security, agro-forestry, human capacity and information improvement.

The SSSEP concept now being introduced into two new provinces, Central and Chimbu, looks at research and extension for development, innovations, human capacity development and others.

Daink told the workshop participants that their positive and valued contributions would assist in ensuring that the realignment process would bring good results for the SSSEP so that it was successfully implemented in the provinces.

 Morobe province’s deputy administrator for corporate affairs, Geoving Bilong, said the SSSEP concept, trialed in Morobe and Eastern Highlands provinces could be successfully introduced and implemented into the current delivery of extension services.

He said the concept had been successful in these provinces and believed that it could also improve extension services in Central and Chimbu provinces.

 He said in Morobe, many farmers who went through the pilot phase of SSSEP said that it had had a positive impact in their livelihoods.

Bilong said due to its overwhelming success, the SSSEP should be extended to other provinces. He thanked the New Zealand government through NZAID for contributing over K3 million for the expansion phase.

The Lae workshop was attended by officers from Morobe, Eastern Highlands, Chimbu, Central, Department of Agriculture and Livestock, Department of National Planning and Monitoring and NZAID.

Smallholder Support Contract Facility staff from Morobe, Eastern Highlands and project coordination unit in Port Moresby facilitated the two-day workshop.

The issues discussed included the implementation approach, implementation schedule, logical framework, monitoring, and status of inception report, management information systems, service provider associations, and gender mainstreaming.