Slides prepared for the launch of the Family Farming Decade, FAO, Rome May 2019

1. Souvanthong Namvong
National Project Director, Lao Upland Rural Advisory Service
Department of Technical Extension and Agro-Processing, Lao PDR

2. What is Green Extension?
 Green extension is a type of rural advisory service which supports the
scaling up of sustainable agriculture by facilitating socio-ecological
learning processes with farmers
 Green Extension is a service can be provided by a range of differing
organisations: government departments, NGOs, private enterprises, and
by farmer groups. Everybody can contribute!
 Green Extension is not a single approach or blueprint for achieving
sustainability; it includes a range of methods to promote various types of
content
 Green Extension supports farmers in analysing local problems and
opportunities, and testing alternative practices under local conditions.

4. Green Extension Content
 Promoting agroecological practices
 These practices maintain diversity, support nutrient cycles,
and enhance biological interactions
 Examples include agroforestry, intercropping, organic
production, IPM, SRI, and integrated farming (VAC)
 Practices must be selected and adapted to local conditions
 The key to successful agroecology is the way in which
farmers make decisions, and how that process is
facilitated.
 A learning process is required that involves farmers
conducting mini-experiments

5. Green Extension Content
 Promoting green agribusiness
 The primary aim of green agribusiness is to create
sustainable livelihoods for rural people, through market-
oriented activities that are both profitable and fair.
 Focus on upstream of value chains: groups and small
enterprises involved in ...
• providing inputs and services (eg. seed and feed supply, ploughing)
• post-harvest handling (eg. drying, milling, transportation)
• food processing (eg. noodles, meat products, tea packing)
• marketing (eg. food stalls, organic outlets, fair trade)
 Activities include: strengthening FOs, piloting ways to add
value, improving bargaining power, certification

6. Green Extension Methodology
Steps in GE process What this involves
Participatory agro-
ecosystem analysis
rural families take stock of available resources;
inventories and maps prepared
Community Planning analysis of opportunities and constraints;
agreement reached on priorities for innovation
Action research innovations are piloted; options are compared;
communities collect data and analyse results
Farmer-to-farmer learning experience is shared among households and
communities; knowledge and skills transferred
Organisational
development
informal networks and/or formal groups are
created to sustain and scale up innovations

7. Example: GE for Forest Coffee
 Action research and farmer-to farmer learning

8. GE for Forest Coffee (cont’d)
 Community managed facilities and contracting

9. Results of GE for coffee in Laos
 Productivity of existing coffee gardens improved
 Nurseries established to expand production area
 Processing centres constructed and managed by farmers
 Purchasing contracts signed with private sector, giving
organic and social premiums to producers
 Farmers have started their own research to help them
identify further ways to improve yield
 Coffee farmers are training other coffee farmers
 Making money and helping protect the forest!

10. The Policy Challenge
 The success or failure of Green Extension depends on the
enabling environment for sustainable agriculture.
 Changes in knowledge and skills will not lead to changes in
practice unless other factors are in place. Most importantly:
financial returns
 Some factors affecting profitability of sustainable agriculture:
 Labour availability
 Price premiums
 Market demand
 Value chain governance
 Opportunities for enterprise development

11. Thank You!