IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICE PROVIDERS IN A PLURALISTIC EXTENSION SCENARIO

Agriculture has had an enormous effect on national development. To increase productivity, promote food security, and create market linkage, it is imperative to ensure the Impactful Extension and Advisory Services (EAS). There is a wide variety of EAS providers in the pluralistic extension scene, including governmental, private, and non-governmental organizations. Each provider works with distinct mandates and initiatives to support farmers in various agricultural and associated endeavors. Given the heterogeneous landscape, assessing various EAS providers’ impact across various metrics is essential. This study primarily evaluates the impacts of these EAS providers: Input dealers, KVK, FPC, ATMA & DoA, either alone or in different combinations in three Districts of West Bengal, considering 80 farmers from each district, a total of 240. Different beneficiary groups are categorized according to their beneficiary status to embrace the Impact Assessment’s spillover effect. A composite measure of changes in cropping intensity, practices, skill development, awareness, knowledge, and adoption of innovations was calculated to create the Impact Index. The groups were then compared with respect to the metrics and their Impact Index. An ANOVA was used with a post-hoc test to understand the Impact Index’s variance. The outcomes showed notable differences in the impacts that recipients experienced in various combinations. Also demonstrated that influence is generated higher when the Extension mechanism is more pluralistic and how different EAS providers are facilitating in creating meaningful impact.