2015 年 6 巻 2 号 p. 133-139
Agriculture is still important for socio-economic development in rural areas of Bosnia, Montenegro, and Serbia (BMS), especially in terms of employment and income generation. Good extension is recognized as a key to agricultural development. The paper aims to provide an overview on public agricultural extension and advisory services (AEAS) in BMS. It is based on an extended secondary data review and primary data collected by questionnaires with rural people, as well as semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with agricultural advisors and extension specialists carried out in the years 2012-2013. Current agricultural extension structures has mainly been developed in the last two decades with international donors’ help. Public extension structures exist besides other advisory services providers. Advisors use many groups and individual extension methods. Advisory services face many financial, management, and technical problems. Extension agents spend most of their working hours doing administrative tasks and lack systematic professional in-service training offers. Agriculture multifunctionality and the increasing rural economy diversification represent a real challenge for agricultural extension services. Public extension is largely focused on crop and animal production while rural development is only partially served. Rural advisory work is restricted to the activities of individual extension agents, as well as NGOs, donor projects, and private advisors. The involvement of other actors in rural extension work is crucial if the system is to meet rural people’s needs. AEAS have been trying to address the emerging challenges through modernization of their extension approaches and communication media, as well as diversification and decentralization of their services. Nevertheless, there are still some weaknesses that should be overcome. Developing a pluralistic, participatory, decentralized, farmer-led, and market-driven advisory system is a milestone in the process of promoting rural innovation and diversification, and harmonization with the European Union’s acquis.
