Nepal is predominantly an agricultural country. However agriculture's dominance does not match its performance. Literature portrays this as a result of weaknesses in services of the dominant agricultural extension service provider that is particularly affecting service to small and marginal farmers which indicates need for agricultural extension reform. Review of literature indicates that incorporation of past lessons from similar environment and integration of modem concepts and theories related to agricultural extension are two complementary routes for the agricultural extension reform process. Although government of Nepal has also realized the need for reform, efforts towards it seem lacking and less comprehensive. To guide this reform process, this research aims at identifying the success factors within agricultural extension projects run in the diverse organizational settings of government, nongovernment and donor-funded projects specifically considering the smallholder commercial vegetable fanning context of Nepal. To measure effectiveness and identifying success factors, this research developed a CIPPIREES matrix framework of variable selection-and utilized it on the three case studies selected. Utilizing mixed method approach, data was collected through document analysis, questionnaire survey, focus group discussions, key informant surveys, observation, and some PRA tools under the case study design. The cases for the study and the ultimate sampling units for qualitative data collection methods were selected purposively while for the questionnaire survey, stratified random sampling has been done dividing farmers' groups into successful and unsuccessful ones. Altogether 90 sample households were utilized for the purpose. The study was conducted in Jyamire of Chitwan, Bankatwa of Banke, and Kunathari of Surkhet for the DADO, ILISSCON, and CDP projects. The results show that the projects under study have been mostly effective in improving wellbeing status of the participants by transforming their livelihood strategy from subsistence oriented, mainly traditional agriculture and labour work to largely commercial vegetable farming and some non-agricultural diversification. These outcomes were mainly found achieved due to appropriate selection of project locations and participants, leadership quality of the field staff and the community and participant farmers, demonstration effect from the neighbours, villagers, and relatives, participant relevant innovation and program activities, and provision of innovation relevant infrastructural and market support. It was also revealed through the study that strengthening and motivating the fanners' groups and their networks is very much vital for project success along with inclusion of women fanners as project participants. In the context of time bound nature of different nongovernmental agricultural extension projects, linking the project participants with the permanent and dominant agricultural extension entity has also evolved as an important determinant factor for the, especially, post-project sustainability of the project effects.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:590133 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Shah, Tapendra Bahadur |
| Publisher | University of Reading |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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