Perceived Effectiveness of Agricultural Transfer Methods for CLCA improved Technologies: Evidence from extension and technical agents in Algeria

Abstract

The IFAD funded CLCA Project aims to develop contextually relevant processes for enhancing the broad uptake of conservation agriculture (CA) within integrated crop–livestock systems in drylands and in NENA regions (Algeria and Tunisia). Experience across North African countries has shown that the adoption and dissemination of CA technologies is low. Farmers are considered very conservative in regard to change and are unaware of CA technologies when it comes to the integration between cropping and livestock. Widescale adoption of these technologies remains a challenge, especially among smallholder farmers in arid areas. There is evidence that extension activities can help to accelerate the adoption of new technologies, particularly if the new technologies can be proved to be more successful than existing ones, if their effects can be observed, and if they are socially compatible, simple to learn, and can be trialed or tested — as is the case with CLCA technologies. However, the level of adoption should not always be used as a measure of the success or failure of an extension program because it is the effectiveness of the extension delivery mechanism that is, to a large extent, responsible for the success or failure of an extension program. An alternative means of evaluating CLCA extension programs is through the assessment of the technology transfer methods applied by the project. This mainly consists of the measurement and empirical evaluation of the learning situations provided — the extension delivery mechanism or process — as a means of measuring the effectiveness of extension methods as part of a transfer model for these improved and sustainable technologies. Within this framework, the CLCA project team is conducting interviews with extension officers and technical technicians in Algeria who are experienced with CA and CLCA cropping systems. The aim of this study is to: i) determine the perception of the effectiveness of extension methods for the CLCA improved technologies by this category of stakeholders, and ii) assess the factors affecting the effectiveness of the extension methods deployed to disseminate CLCA technological packages. The findings will help decision makers and extension program planners to accelerate the adoption process and consequently conduct a rigorous assessment of its impact relative to the effectiveness and efficiency of the extension delivery process for CLCA improved technologies.