CHAPTER 3: From comparative analysis of policies or programmes for agricultural advisory services in Africa to identification of key challenges
CHAPTER 3: From comparative analysis of policies or programmes for agricultural advisory services in Africa to identification of key challenges I.
Comparative analysis of six public policies for agricultural advisory services in Africa
A comparative analysis of five different cases that we contributed to involving the creation of national policies or programmes for agricultural advisory services in Africa (Morocco 2013, Tunisia 2016, Niger 2016, Ivory Coast 2016, Cameroon 201739), plus one case in Uganda, reveals very different strategic approaches with regard to agricultural advisory policy. Those strategic approaches differ from one another in terms of who manages the schemes in the field, governance methods and funding mechanisms. The analysis also reveals shared priorities among the different countries. This analysis of the different strategies and policies (whether recent or currently being developed) for advisory services shows the place given to advisory services in the policies and projects for agricultural development in the different countries, the challenges that have been identified by stakeholders and the balance of power between stakeholders, which has an influence on how problems are tackled and on the solutions proposed.
II.
Presentation of six public policies
(See Table 4 below for brief overview of the six public policies) In Cameroon: The ACEFA40 programme, which was set up in 2008 and is funded through “C2D” (debt-reduction and development contract) funds, mobilises more than 2,100 public advisors in the field with several areas of specialisation, giving priority to managerial advisory services for more than 17,000 basic producer groups and FOs to ensure their longevity and help them develop, and to implement production-focused projects. Coaching advisory services are coupled with technical advisory services and collective technical/economic advisory services for the main areas of production of the members of those groups, and with ad hoc producer groups. Certain management advisors offer individual assistance to family farms (currently about 3,000 farms), which has led to the creation of an observatory for producing technical/economic reference materials on the different types of production and production systems they represent throughout Cameroon. Joint management, which is being established with agricultural professionals at regional and national level, is presented as a necessary
39
Note, however, that the studies did not have the same scope: development of national strategies for agricultural advisory services in Niger and Cameroon, development of projects/programmes relating to managerial advisory services in Morocco, Tunisia and Ivory Coast. 40 Improving the Competitivity of Agropastoral Family Farms. https://www.afd.fr/fr/ameliorer-la-competitivite-desexploitations-familiales-au-cameroun-quels-impacts
50 | TECHNICAL REPORTS – No. 55 – MAY 2022
