Agricultural extension, vital to the diffusion of new technology, is currently moribund in many African nations. Kenya has 12,000 extension agents but lacks operating funds to buy petrol for motorbikes. Zimbabwe recently merged its research and extension services but inter-service rivalries remain unsolved. Box 5.3 gives some insights into the way forward for Africa. There is a need for more research on the future of extension systems in Africa and the scope for designing private models. Here the International Service for National Agricultural Research can be especially helpful in distilling experiences of the past and experiments of the present into best practice options.

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