The universal application of the T&V model of agricultural extension in more than 50 countries is one of agricultural development’s best known failures. The approach worked well in places where it was originally developed, but proved inappropriate almost everywhere else. In the September edition of the LINK News Bulletin, Rasheed Sulaiman V. and Andy Hall worry that an apparently successful extension innovation piloted in India is set to suffer a similar fate.
Developed in India, ATMA — Agricultural Technology Management Agency — was part of a large World Bank-supported project aimed at strengthening and reforming the agricultural research and extension system. The central idea of the ATMA model was that it would act as a mechanism to bring together the different agencies involved in extension in a district.
However, ATMA is currently facing numerous implementation challenges, including:
- Insufficient support
- Mismatch with diversity of application contexts
- Lack of local ownership
- Capacity and institutional constraints
ATMA seems to be going the T&V way and it is only a matter of time before we will hear people talking about it as yet another model that failed due its universal promotion. Is there an alternative to promoting turnkey, “one-size fits all” approaches in countries as vast as India — where agriculture-related poverty needs urgent solutions? Is extension still a relevant concept? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
