+45 8740 5000v�@v�.dk

KNOWLEDGE CENTRE FOR AGRICULTUREAgro Food Park 158200 Aarhus NDenmark

For many years the Knowledge Centre for Agriculture has worked on designing and developing ad-visory systems internationally. We draw partly on the experiences of the Danish system, partly from cooperation with advisory services in many countries – in terms of organisational development, development of methodology, training of advisers and development of financial models.

Cooperation and local informationOur approach is maximising the user involvement and ensuring that the consultancy services are ef-fective and that the advisers possess the relevant knowledge and are able to disseminate this to the users. The result is advisory service systems that can achieve their main objectives, namely to: • Empower farmers• Ensure food supply• Reduce poverty• Manage risks and uncertainties

These objectives are achieved only through advisory systems that are adapted to the rural commu-nities in which they are to operate. Rural areas are all different when it comes to political leadership, resources, methods of management, environmental conditions, market opportunities, etc. This is to be reflected in the agricultural advisory service and the way it is organised.

Despite the variations, a number of values are repeated in our solutions, including: • Flexibility at affordable prices• Grassroots perspective • Social equity • Environmental sustainability • Gender equality

Concept for gender equality As leader of an international working group we have a thorough understanding of gender equality an advisory service. And here is much to be gained: FAO has estimated that if women had equal access to production resources and services on their farms, they could increase their yields by 20-30 per cent – enough to reduce the number of malnourished people in the world by 12-17 per cent.

The Knowledge Centre for Agriculture is a member of internationale networks related to agricul-tural advisory services, including EUFRAS and GFRAS.

Agricultural Advisory Service– a key to doubling food productionBy 2050, world food production has to be doubled if the needs of 9 billion people are to be met. This presents a challenge with enormous demands on agricultural advisory service globally. The Knowledge Centre for Agriculture can help designing and developing effective advisory systems.

MAR 2014

Women farming ...

... and learning ...

... all over the world.

Sanne ChipetaInternational Senior Adviser+45 8740 5102 | +45 2025 3405sac@vfl.dk