Research Extension Linkage – A Review

Abstract

The flow of information from research centres to farmers requires continuous contact between actors. If the link is weak the agricultural productivity will not increase. With the introduction of improved technologies, food production can be increased at a geometric pace in response to population growth. However, large numbers of production technologies developed by research institutes over time have not achieved food sufficiency due to poor linkage between research and extension.  At times, it takes unnecessarily too long for promising technologies to develop to achieve their objectives.  The broad objective of this review is how weak links can be strengthened to improve agricultural communication between research and extension organisations. The specific objectives are to: (i) examine factors influencing research, extension and farmers’ linkage; and (ii) highlight the strategies for strengthening the connection between research and extension. A random sampling technique was used to review 20 relevant articles from Google Scholar. The review concludes that strengthening the link between research and extension is vital for improving agricultural productivity and achieving food security. Key recommendations include fostering collaborative partnerships amongst the stakeholders, enhancing public-private cooperation, and ensuring active involvement of farmers in the research and extension process