Agriculture extension needs a boost, says researcher

 AGRICULTURE extension in Papua New Guinea needs a lift, says agriculture researcher from Manus province Ted Sitapai.

He said rural extension had been poor in the country.

He said while agriculture extension was critical to rural development because it involved the process of applying scientific research results and new knowledge to agricultural practices through farmer education, its impact on rural development since Independence was mixed.

He said funding levels of extension programmes had declined in relation to other sectors. 

Sitapai said the ration of government extension officer to farmer had widened and the farmers were left on their own and sourcing support from a variety of sources.

“A weak and dysfunctional extension system is a constraint to agricultural development,” he said.

He said global trends indicated that public extension programme were not sustainable, and forging productive partnerships with other service providers was the only alternative. 

Sitapai said a national movement to raise the voice of extension stakeholders for leadership on pluralistic, demand-driven extension services in the national development agenda was now a priority. 

According to Sitapai, agriculture had been contributing 26% of the gross domestic.

He said opportunities to increase the agriculture GDP included improving existing cash crops, coffee, livestock, cocoa, oil palm and staple food.

He said emerging industries that would also increase the agriculture GDP were cassava and sago, floriculture, aquaculture, apiculture and coconut lumber.