Publication: Determinants of Agricultural Extension Services : The Case of Haiti
Date
2013-05-24
ISSN
Published
2013-05-24
Author(s)
Arias, Diego
Leguía, Juan José
Sy, Abdoulaye
Abstract
The Haitian population is among the
poorest in the world, with over 78 percent living on less
than United States (U.S.) 2 dollar a day and over 50 percent
living on less than U.S. 1 dollar a day. This paper extracts
relevant lessons from historical data on factors influencing
the receipt of extension services in Haiti, taking stock of
the use of agricultural extension services prior to the 2010
earthquake. The goal is to influence future policies and
development projects involving the provision of extension
services as well as the type of extension services offered.
This paper uses data from the 2010 agricultural census and
examines the characteristics of farmers in Haiti receiving
extension services by gender, education, agricultural
training, farm size, and type of crop. Through in-depth
study of each variable and a review of trends in the receipt
of agricultural extension services, the study analyzes the
equilibrium between the demand for and supply of extension
services to particular farmer groups. The study draws the
following nine key conclusions: (1) the proportion of
households receiving agricultural extension services in
Haiti is non-negligible; (2) location is an important
determinant of the recipients of agricultural extension
services; (3) there are no statistical differences between
men and women in terms of receipt of extension services;
however, the impact of agricultural training and farm size
change when the head of household is a woman; (4) education
level has a positive, yet small, effect on receiving
extension services; (5) prior agricultural training is a
major determinant of the recipients of extension services;
(6) rehabilitation of the Ecoles Moyennes Agricoles (EMAs)
for vocational and farmer field education on a nationwide
scale will increase the demand for extension services,
especially among small farmers; (7) farmers with larger
farms receive more agricultural extension services; (8)
coffee producers make more use of extension services than
other farmers; and (9) promoting a hybrid system of
extension may be more efficient than supporting only public
or Non-governmental organizations (NGO) provided extension services.
Citation
“Arias, Diego; Leguía, Juan José; Sy, Abdoulaye. 2013. Determinants of Agricultural Extension Services : The Case of Haiti. LCSSD Occasional Paper Series on Food Prices;. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/16291 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”