Agricultural Education and Extension Services in Subsaharan Africa: Educational Institutions and Challenges of New Task Domains and Emerging Paradigms

Abstract

Impressive progress in the science of agriculture and food production has helped significantly in feeding the world’s growing population over the past 50 years. Surprisingly, major challenges still remain. Though formal education or schooling and the cognitive skills it helps to develop, contributes to agricultural production and productivity in a number of ways, there is still poor performance of the agricultural sector owing largely to inadequate agricultural education and training, poor investment in agricultural education and the challenges posed by the new task domains and emerging paradigms. Agricultural and extension educators must have to deal with the expectations of major stakeholders and the public at large. They need to build sustainable curricular that reflect quality and relevance to the stakeholders and the society. They need to form alliances with institutions, multinationals and decisionmakers and individuals who already have access or means to accessing policy makers.

Key Words: Agricultural Education and Training, Extension Services, Sub-Saharan Africa, New Task Domains, Emerging Paradigms.