Current status of agricultural extension services for market oriented agricultural development in Ethiopia: Results from a household baseline survey

Abstract

In Ethiopia, the public extension service has a key role in the introduction and promotion of value chain development interventions to transform the rural sector. The Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project conducted a household baseline survey to assess the current status of the public extension service from a market oriented development perspective. A total of 2502 (2025 male- and 477 female-headed households), randomly selected from LIVES intervention peasant associations (PAs), were interviewed. Data were analysed using descriptive analysis. The survey results show that, while extension services in Ethiopia have recently focused on the production of high value commodities, advice, training and linkage facilitation support on market information, storage, processing and marketing of value chain commodities is not generally strong. The use of innovative extension service delivery methods and tools for market oriented agricultural development has not yet been widely used in Ethiopia.

Keywords: market oriented extension, value chain development