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A SIX YEAR REVIEW ON THEA SIX YEAR REVIEW ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF AN EXTENSIONIMPLEMENTATION OF AN EXTENSION
RECOVERY PLAN (ERP)RECOVERY PLAN (ERP)
AUGUST 2014
DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL: FOOD SECURITY AND AGRARIAN REFORM
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) ii
CONTENTSPage
List of tables iii
List of diagrams iv
Acronyms iv
Definition of terms vi
Executive summary vii
1. Background 1
2. Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) Deliverables per pillar 3
3. Progress achieved on each pillar of ERP for the past six years 3
3.1 Pillar 1: Visibility and accountability 3
3.1.1 The Farmer’s green book 4
3.1.2 The Digital pen system 4
3.1.3 Vehicles 5
3.1.4 Uniform 6
3.2 Pillar 2: Improving image and promoting professionalism of extension 6
3.2.1 Extension Conferences 7
3.2.2 Provincial awards 7
3.2.2 Extension as a field of practice 10
3.2.3 Extension Partnerships 12
3.3 Pillar 3: Recruitment of Extension and advisory Services Practitioners 13
3.3.1 Extension: producer ratio prior ERP implementation 13
3.3.2 Recruitment of Extension Practitioners 14
CONTENTS
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) i
CONTENTSPage
3.3.3 Extension: Producer ratio after 6 years of ERP implementation
Page
15
3.4 Pillar 4: Reskilling and reorientation of Extension and Advisory Practitioners 17
3.4.1 Qualification upgrading 17
3.4.2 Compliance to Norms and Standards in terms of minimum qualification requirements (four year qualification)
19
3.4.3 Training on skills programmes 20
3.5 Pillar 5: Provision of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure and other resources
21
3.5.1 Extension Suite Online (ESO) utilization 21
3.5.2 ESO Top users 23
4. Financial performance 23
4.1 Allocation of funds to provinces 23
4.2 Funding range 24
4.3 ERP fund allocation for 2008/09 to 2013/14 financial years 24
4.4 ERP allocations per pillar from 2008/09 to 2013/14 25
4.5 ERP budget allocation and expenditure from 2008/09 to 2013/14 26
5. Challenges 27
6. Recommendations and conclusion 29
7. References 32
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) ii
LIST OF TABLES
Page
Table 1: ERP delivery focus area per pillar 3
Table 2: Number of Digital pens procured and used by Practitioners 5
Table 3: Provinces hosting extension conferences during 2008/9 to 2013/15 7
Table 4: Extension Practitioners rewarded for excellent performance in different categories
8
Table 5: Categorization of Extension Practitioners for Professional Registration 11
Table 6: Recommended extension: producer ratio 14
Table 7: Extension: producer ratio in 2007 13
Table 8: Number of Targeted and recruited Extension Practitioners as at end 2013/14
15
Table 9: Extension: producer ratio as at end 2013/14 16
Table 10: Qualification status of the Government-employed Extension Practitioners in 2007
18
Table 11: Number of Extension Practitioners registered for qualification upgrading and completing as at end 2013/14
18
Table 12: Number of Extension Practitioners complying with Norms and Standards by 2013/14
19
Table 13: Number of Extension Practitioners targeted and trained 20
Table 14: National consolidated number of ESO users 22
Table 15: Registered ESO users against active users 22
Table 16: National consolidated Top users of ESO 23
Table 17: ERP Gazetted budget for the period 2008/9 to 2013/14 25
Table 18: ERP allocations per pillar for the past six years 26
Table 19: ERP budget allocation and expenditure from 2008/09 to 2013/14 27
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) iii
LIST OF DIAGRAMS
Page
Fig 1: ERP pillars funding range 24
ACRONYMS
BBBEE Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment
CASP Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme
DAFF Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
DI Declaration of interest
DOA Department of Agriculture (former)
DORA Division of Revenue Act
EC Eastern Cape
EDP Extension Development Plan
E.G For Example
E.T.C Et cetera
ERP Extension Recovery Plan
ESO Extension Suite Online
FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations
F’SAGRI French and South Africa on Capacity Development Initiative
FY Fiscal Year / Financial year
GDP Gross Domestic Product
GPS Global Positioning System
ICDL International Computer Driving License
ICT Information and Communication Technology
JICA Japan International Cooperation Agency
KZN KwaZulu-Natal
LP Limpopo
MEC Member of the Executive Council
MP Mpumalanga
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) iv
MTEF Medium Term Expenditure Framework
MTSF Medium Term Strategic Framework
NAP National Assessment Panel
NC Northern Cape
NDP National Development Plan
NGO Non-Governmental Organisation
NW North West
PDA Provincial Department of Agriculture
PhD Doctor of Philosophy also DPhil
PPEA Participatory Programmed Extension Approach
SACNASP South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions
SASAE South African Society for Agricultural Extension
SETA Sector Education and Training Authority
SHEP Small Horticulture Empowerment Programme
WC Western Cape
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) v
DEFINITION OF TERMS
3G Modem A mobile device that allows mobile phones, computers, and other portable electronic devices to access the Internet wirelessly.
Advisory Services A service provided by subject matter specialists, private organisations or firms to support commercial interest
Extension A systematic process of working with farmers or communities to help them to acquire relevant and useful agricultural or related knowledge and skills to increase farm productivity
Extension Recovery Plan A strategy developed by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) in 2007 to revitalise the state of agricultural Extension and Advisory Services in the country
Extension Suite Online An internet based Agricultural Decision Support system used by Extension and Advisory Practitioners to access information used to advice farmers
Smart Pen / Digital Pen An electronic ballpoint pen that digitizes stores and transfers what is written or drawn to the computer.
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) vi
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Despite past advances in agricultural innovations through improved crops and farming
systems, South Africa like other developing countries is characterised with rural
communities which still face challenges of food and nutrition security, non-sustainable
agricultural practices, poor access to markets and a falling contribution of agriculture to
national Growth Domestic Product (GDP). Rural farming communities have not really fully
benefited from advances in agricultural technology. Latest statistics indicate that about
20% of the South African population is food insecure. The major challenge is food
accessibility and affordability in rural areas. As the Department of Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries (DAFF) is entrusted constitutionally with the mandate to ensure access to
food, a policy on Food and Nutrition Security Policy has been put in place. The policy
extensively addresses issues of market access, food safety nets and increasing food
production amongst others. In order to increase food production, DAFF through the
implementation of the Fetsa Tlala Integrated Food Production Initiative will cultivate one
million hectares of land by 2019.
The New Growth Path (NGP) has identified agriculture as a significant sector for the
creation of jobs and an area with potential for growth and development. The agricultural
sector is expected to create one million jobs by 2030. The National Development Plan
(NDP) envisions by 2030 rural areas which are spatially, socially and economically well
integrated where residents have economic growth, food security and jobs as a result of
agrarian transformation and infrastructure development programmes. The NDP takes it
further by clearly stipulating ways and targets of eradicating poverty, eliminating inequality
and reducing unemployment by 2030. The plan recognizes that for development of rural
economy where poverty levels are at the high, Extension and Advisory Services has a
major role to play especially in mobilising and empowering producers to be market-
oriented hence improving economy right where they are. The NDP further determines that
the Extension and Advisory Services be adequately skilled in order to contribute to the
attainment of the set targets.
Realising the lack of capacity in Extension and Advisory Services even before the NDP
was developed; DAFF conceptualized and developed the Extension Recovery Plan (ERP)
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) vii
in 2008. The main objective of the plan was to revitalise Government Extension and
Advisory Services. This plan strives to achieve the aims and objectives of the Norms and
Standards for Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services (2005). The ERP is
implemented through five the Pillars namely: Ensuring visibility and accountability,
Promoting professionalism and improving image, Recruitment of Extension Practitioners,
Reskilling and reorientation and Provision of the information communication technology
(ICT) infrastructure and other resources. Through the skills development programme,
increased human resources and adequate tools, the Extension and Advisory Services is
positioning itself to significantly contribute towards the attainment of Outcome 7 “ Vibrant,
equitable, sustainable rural communities contributing towards food security for all” ,
Outcome 4 “Decent employment through inclusive economic growth”, Outcome 5 “A
skilled and capable workforce to support an inclusive growth path” and Outcome 10
“Protect and enhance our environmental assets and natural resources”.
With the financial assistance of over R1, 5 billion in a form of a grant from the National
Treasury over the past six years, DAFF has improved capacity of the service in terms of
human resources, skills development and tools. Through ERP implementation by the
provinces since 2008/9 financial year to 2013/14 the following was achieved: Recruitment
of 1 351 Extension Practitioners, Registration of Extension Practitioners for qualification
upgrading of whom 375 Practitioners completed their studies. The training on skills
development programme was provided to Extension Practitioners in soft, technical and
ICT skills. The Extension Practitioners were provided with tools such as ICT equipment
package consisting of cellphones, 3G Cards, laptops etc. These tools provided were
enablers for Extension Practitioners to deliver an effective Extension and Advisory
Services to their clients.
The review provides information on the ERP set targets over the past six years, what has
been achieved and to what extent. It also provides the allocated budget for the six year
period and the financial performance. The last section covers the challenges and
recommendations.
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) viii
1. BACKGROUND
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has a concurrent function with
Provincial Departments of Agriculture (PDA’s) on Extension and Advisory Services.
DAFF is responsible for the policy formulation, provision of frameworks and guidelines,
funding advocacy and coordination. PDA’s are responsible for ensuring success and
productivity of the agricultural sector, providing funding and support to programmes and
implementation mainly.
When the democratic government took over in 1994, a number of programmes aimed at
inclusion of previously disadvantaged group into the mainstream economy were
introduced. Concerning agriculture programmes such as Land Reform, i.e. redistribution
and restitution were implemented. Such programmes introduced a number of producers
as new entrants in the agricultural sector for economic gain. Extension Practitioners
were no match in terms of skills on demand and capacity for those kinds of producers.
They were, through inequalities of the past, only equipped to deliver services at
subsistence level, hence they were deemed inefficient by those beneficiaries of these
government initiatives.
In 2002, the then Department of Agriculture in collaboration with the Dutch Government
commissioned a study in pursuit to find the most appropriate Extension Approach. This
study was succeeded by another study in 2005, in collaboration with the Netherlands
Government looking at the ideal standards the Extension and Advisory Services could
take mandate from when rendering the service. The Norms and Standards for Extension
and Advisory Services in Agriculture were developed, approved and published in 2005 to
be the guiding document governing the rendering of Extension and Advisory Services in
South Africa. The Norms and Standards document clearly stipulates the skills and
competencies every individual rendering Extension Services should possess, the
required qualification and the ideal extension: producer ratio (1:250-500 depending on
the enterprise) which should be adhered to if an effective Extension and Advisory
Services was to be realised.
In order for the Norms and Standards to be implemented, it was imperative that the
baseline information on the Extension and Advisory Services be drawn. The department
commissioned a study to profile the government-employed Extension and Advisory
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 1
Services officers in 2007. The study covered a wide range of demographics ranging from
qualifications, gender, skills accrued, ratio of officers to farmers etc.
The study revealed that there were capacity deficiencies such as, out of 2 210 Extension
Practitioners only 20% possessed the correct minimum qualification requirements of a
four year qualification. It also revealed that the extension: farmer ratio was unrealistic. In
predominantly rural provinces (former homelands), one extension officer was servicing
farmers ranging from 540 to 1 700.
The then Minister for Agriculture therefore hosted the Extension Indaba in 2008 in order
to come up with an intervention to deal with the discrepancies in Extension and Advisory
Services. Through the thematic areas discussed in the extension indaba, the five pillars
of Extension Recovery Plan were formulated. During the first two years, only three pillars
were implemented which were Recruitment, Reskilling and ICT provision. The ERP
document from the onset had objectives focused on reforming the Extension and
Advisory Services. As stipulated in the ERP document, the objectives which had
underlying actions to be taken mainly focused on:
Ensure that Extension Practitioners are accountable and visible
Ensure the development and implementation of the ICT policy
Improve the image of the profession
Ensure the establishment of Extension and Advisory Services monitoring tools
Forge linkages between Extension, Training and Research
Promote the implementation of new qualifications for extension.
This review seeks to identify to what level were the set objectives achieved through
implementation of five the pillars of the Extension Recovery Plan over the past six years.
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 2
2. EXTENSION RECOVERY PLAN (ERP) DELIVERABLES PER PILLAR
The Extension Recovery Plan is implemented through five pillars as indicated in Table 1
below. Under each pillar, there are deliverables which provinces ought to achieve/
deliver on as guided by DAFF. The table below indicates delivery areas per pillar.
Table 1: ERP deliverables per pillar
Pillar 1: Ensure visibility and
accountability
Pillar 2: Promote professionalism and
improve image
Pillar 3: Recruitment of Extension and
Advisory Practitioners
Pillar 4: Re-skilling and re-orientation of
extension
Pillar 5: Provision of ICT infrastructure
Procurement of digital pens or any other M&E tools deemed appropriate
The use of farmer’s green book
Formation of study groups in partnership with the commodity organizations.
Provide funding for extension officers to participate in professional bodies such as SASAE, congresses as per provincial corporate services policies
Host and fund the provincial extension conferences which include the presentation of papers by extension, research and training components of provinces
The recognition of excellent performance by the Extension Practitioners through the bestowing of provincial awards.
Recruit Extension Practitioners in line with the provincial agricultural production strategies
Recruit in support of the provincial growth and development strategies.
Fund the qualification upgrading of Practitioners
Fund targeted short course training in line with competency profile of extension cadres
Fund the management training of local Extension Managers operating at local municipality levels.
Provision of ICT equipment as a package
Ensuring the training of Practitioners on the use of Extension Suite Online (ESO)
Procure other useful resources in consultation with DAFF.
3. PROGRESS ACHIEVED ON EACH PILLAR OF ERP FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS
3.1 Pillar 1: Visibility and Accountability
The increase in the number of producers owing to programmes such as Land Reform,
inclusive of both redistribution and restitution resulted in the thin spread of Extension and
Advisory Services. The beneficiaries of such government programmes often raised
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 3
concerns and complained that the extension service was not available to support them
and that they lacked the necessary skills. This pillar of ERP seeks to discard this
perception by creating an environment whereby producers know who their advisors are,
where to find them and how to relate/communicate with them. To ensure visibility and
accountability of Extension and Advisory Practitioners, the tools which are utilised are
the Farmer’s green book, Digital pen system, vehicles and uniform.
3.1.1 The Farmer’s Green Book
The Farmer’s green book is a record-keeping tool that farmers use to record their daily
interactions with various agricultural advisors from government and outside government.
This tool serves as a record keeping system for the farmers. The green book which was
developed in English and further translated, is available in all eleven (11) official
languages, i.e. Afrikaans, English, isiXhosa, isiZulu, siSwati, isiNdebele, Sepedi,
Setswana, Sesotho, Tshivenda and Xitsonga. This book was developed in 2008/9 and it
was piloted in 2009/10. It was adopted in 2010 and evaluated in 2011/12 financial year.
During the past six years over 38 000 green books have been printed and utilised by
farmers nationwide. Provinces such as Western Cape were innovative to digitalise the
Farmer’s green book to be incorporated into the Digital pen system.
3.1.2 The Digital Pen System
The Digital pen is a tool used by Extension Practitioners for information management
and project monitoring purposes. It utilises a digitalised form and a pen that records,
digitalises and stores information. The other tool needed for its effective use, is a
compatible smart cellphone. This tool provides real time information which the
Practitioner records in the field during interaction with producers through the server to
the relevant viewers. The system also allows for attachment of pictures and it records
the location where the information was recorded.
Due to poor record keeping and projects monitoring especially government funded
projects, DAFF adopted this tool and recommended to provinces to procure this tool
through ERP funding. It was after the Western Cape had piloted the tool in 2009 that in
2010 all provinces embarked on a full scale roll-out. The table below indicates the
number of pens procured and the level of their use.
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 4
Table 2: Number of Digital pens procured and used by Practitioners
Province No of pens procured No of pens active No of registered projects
EC 350 195 -
FS 150 96 681
GP 120 96 915
KZN 504 81 302
LP 700 323 655
MP 260 175 427
NC 110 47 157
NW 250 120 -
WC 200 120 1 059
Total 2 644 1 253 4 196
Table 2 shows that a total of 2 644 pens were procured nationally. It further shows that 1
253 are actively being utilised and have registered a total of 4 196 projects were
registered. As seen on the table, the low usage of the Digital pen system is due to none
compatibility with the cell phones that some Practitioners already had (Limpopo), the
delay in the procurement of the system (Eastern Cape) and the delay in printing of
relevant forms (North West). The other challenge is a slow pace in the approval of the
forms sent in by Extension Practitioners by relevant authorities hence they are not
validated for storing in the server. The strengthening of the use of the Digital pen system
as an information management and project monitoring tool is very critical.
3.1.3 Vehicles
One of the factors impeding the visibility and accountability of Extension and Advisory
Practitioners is the inability to reach the producers because of the unavailability of
transport. To address this challenge, the provinces procured vehicles through the
subsidy scheme and state vehicles. Over six years, a total of 72 vehicles have been
procured under this pillar. The operational costs are borne by the provinces through their
equitable share which still poses a challenge that even though vehicles are available but
they are not utilised optimally due to limited funds availability.
3.1.4 Uniform
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 5
In order for the Extension and Advisory Practitioners to be visible to producers, the
general public and to be professional, the use of an identifiable uniform has been
recommended. DAFF developed a draft policy on uniform in 2009 but this deliverable
was put on hold during 2010/11 financial year due to focus being shifted to other areas
which were of major priority such as the information management system (Digital pen
system). KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng went ahead and provided Extension and Advisory
Practitioners while Western Cape provided name tags, Eastern Cape, Limpopo and
North West have provided protective clothing. The branding of these items provided is
province specific and in the future one Extension and Advisory Services of South Africa
logo like the universal Veterinary or LandCare logos will be utilised for the whole country
guided by the policy on uniform.
3.2 Pillar 2: Improving Image and Promoting Professionalism of Extension
The Norms and Standards for Extension and Advisory Services in Agriculture set the
basis for a professional service by putting into perspective the skills and competencies
required in provision of Extension and Advisory Services, institutional arrangements in
mechanisms for delivery of advisory services and implementation guidelines in relation
to suitable extension model or approach. This document took cognisance that different
organisations in collaboration with government have a role to play in extension service
delivery. To put the proclamations on the Norms and Standards in practice, the ERP
document of 2008 prescribed for the establishment of the statutory body to guide and
uphold the image of extension and putting in place the award system in recognition of
service excellence. They mostly prescribed for the strengthening of the linkage between
extension, training and research. In improving the image and professionalism of
extension, this review focuses on the achievements in terms of extension conferences,
provincial awards, extension as a field of practice and extension partnerships.
3.2.1 Extension Conferences
As part of improving image and professionalism, the ERP framework prescribed for
provinces to host extension conferences to provide a platform for information sharing
where all the experts in the field convene and deliberate on extension related issues.
This gathering also encourages presentation of papers by Extension Practitioners on
topical issues on which research was conducted. Not all provinces hosted the provincial
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 6
awards during the past six years, the table below shows those provinces which did host
them.
Table 3: Provinces hosting extension conferences from 2008/9 to 2013/14
Provincial Extension conferences held Year of hosting
1. Free State 2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13
2. Gauteng 2011/12
3. Limpopo 2009/10, 20010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2013/14
4. Mpumalanga 2010/11, 2011/12, 2013/14
5. Northern Cape 2009/10
6. North West 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12, 2013/14
7. Western Cape 2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2013/14
Table 3 shows that seven provinces hosted annual provincial extension conferences.
The non-listed provinces, never hosted any conference at a provincial level rather held
district summits in some of the years.
3.2.2 PROVINCIAL AWARDS
In 2009, DAFF developed the National Framework on the award system to guide
provinces on how to go about awarding best Extension and Advisory Practitioners who
exceptionally performs in their area of work. Over and above recognising good work, this
framework also motivates and encourages all Extension Practitioners to go an extra mile
in serving their clients. All provinces adopted the framework and customised it to suite
their provinces’ individualistic characteristics.
To honour those Extension and Advisory Practitioners who excel in their area of work,
the Members of Executive Council (MEC) of Agriculture in provinces hosted the awards
ceremonies during provincial conferences. The MECs awarded the outstanding
performance by Extension and Advisory Practitioners in different categories as outlined
in the Awards System Framework namely: Top performer/s in the category of
Agricultural Advisor, Top performer/s in the category of Senior Agricultural Advisor, Top
performer/s in the category of Subject Matter Specialist, Top Performer in the category of
Supervisor and Top Performer/s in the category of Support Services. Awarding of the
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 7
outstandingly performing Extension Practitioners was not consistent and varied from
province to province. The table below indicates Extension and Advisory Services
winners who were awarded with provincial awards dating back from 2010.
Table 4: Extension Practitioners rewarded for excellent performance in different categories
Year Place Top performer/s – Agric. advisor
Top performer/s supervisor
Top performer/s subject matter specialist
2009/10 Limpopo1st Grobler RJ Greeff BF Maake LP2nd Maake ML Nethononda LO Sithomela M3rd Tlolana LF - -
2010/11 Limpopo1st Netshithuthuni
NCMpe BA Nevhufumba L
2nd Raseruthe MP Matlou JM Munyai M3rd Mokhudu D Radamba MS Tshabutse TE
Free State1st Van Loggenburg
R Mofutsanyane MS -
2nd Van der Westhuizen M
Mahne CJ -
2011/12 Limpopo1st Moriri SC Schoeman C Makhura TD2nd Rathongwa AT Diale NR Morutse MH3rd Kgoelele Mbedzi SE Napo LM
Free State1st Van der Walt G Willemse T Mphahlele PK2nd Malate TB Smith CTB Mane CJ
Mpumalanga1st Madonsela R Ratshidzea P Mhlanga J
Western Cape1rd September W Cronje A Dr P.R Botha
2012/13 Free State1st Ntsoetsa BJ Dr J Van
Rensburg-
2nd Van Der Walt GA
Willemse MJ -
Limpopo
1st M.J. Manganyi G. Coetzer T.R. Napo
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 8
Year Place Top performer/s – Agric. advisor
Top performer/s supervisor
Top performer/s subject matter specialist
2nd V.G. Lengwate C. Mojela N.M. Mamaila3rd N.D Mabitsela J.K. Legodi Napo L.M.
2013/14 Limpopo1st Netshithuthuni
N.CMakhura T.D C,Ratshidzea
2nd Tshiambwa T.C Morutse M.H -North West
1st K. Sereo Mr D. Mache -2nd K. Senosi Mrs T. Mosadi -
KwaZulu-Natal
1st B Gcaba T Xulu -2nd K Dlamini P Jele -
MpumalangaPlace Land reform
projectInfrastructure Project
Masibuyele Emasimini
1st J. Skosana H. Mphahlele MM Monyamane2nd A. Magolela RT Malumane L.W Kutu3rd ME Ramashapa MS Mahasha ST Ngemntu
Place Female Farmer LandCare CASP project1st NC Mazhaka BG Mbuyane MC Mamabolo2nd SV Tsela MG Shivambu ES Dlamini3rd NC Mhlongo SJ Mathebula A. Sibuyi
Table 4 indicates that in the first three categories were almost consistent; it is in only in
2013/14 whereby Mpumalanga awarded Practitioners in terms of programmes they
facilitated best.
3.2.2 Extension as a Field Of Practice
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries formally recognised the need for
professionalism in extension in 2005 when it published its report on the “Norms and
Standards for Extension and Advisory Services in Agriculture”. The pillar on improving
the image and professionalism of Extension and Advisory Services of ERP, strives to
fulfil this need. However, although there are a number of regulatory initiatives and
strategies aimed at ensuring improved Extension and Advisory Services, the lack of a
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 9
National Extension Framework for registration of Extension Practitioners with a
professional council remained a challenge in South Africa. As an interim measure,
Extension Practitioners were encouraged to register with the Extension Association
called South African Society for Agricultural Extension (SASAE) in order to be
professionally groomed and developed.
In order to address this shortcoming, DAFF developed a National Framework on
Extension as a Field of Practice to formally recognise Extension as a profession and
establish clear categories for the registration of Extension Practitioners with a
professional body. The negotiations with the South African Council for Natural Scientific
Professions (SACNASP) to review and amend Act No. 27 of 2003 for inclusion of
Extension Science as a Field of Practice concluded well. The Minister of Science and
Technology, as a custodian of Science and Technology in South Africa approved the
substitution of Schedule 1 to the Act on the 3rd of December 2013. The Extension
Science Field of Practice was published in Government Gazette Notice No.: 36 on 24
January 2014. The approval came after a series of consultations and negotiations
between DAFF, the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP),
South African Society for Agricultural Extension (SASAE) and other relevant
stakeholders.
The National Framework on Extension as a Field of Practice seeks to ensure a high level
of professionalism and ethical conduct, that is internationally acceptable and in broad
interest of the South African community. This initiative will enable extension to regain the
dignity it deserves by promoting professionalism in Extension and Advisory Services
through the registration of Extension Practitioners with a professional council. The
mission of DAFF is to improve the image and professionalism of Extension Services in
South Africa. This will create the circumstances in which society is confident that the
extension service profession in South Africa is able to carry out the functions necessary
for the socio-economic growth. The categories for registration agreed to are indicated in
the table below.
Table 5: Categorisation of Extension Practitioners for Professional Registration
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 10
Category and registration suffix Qualifications and work experience
Professional Extension Scientist
(Pr.Ext.Sc.)
PhD, Masters and 4 years Degree in Ext (120
min credits)
Minimum 5 years of relevant work experience
Candidate Extension Scientist
(Cand.Ext.Sc.)
Same aforementioned qualifications in category
1
Lacks 5 years relevant work experience
Extension Technologist (Ext.Techn.) A recognized extension qualification (60 min
credits)
5 years of relevant work experience
Candidate Extension Technologist
(Cand.Ext.Techn.)
Same aforementioned qualifications in category
3 above.
Lacks 5 years relevant work experience
Associate Extension Technician
(Assoc.Ext.Tech.)
10 years positive extension work but lacks
appropriate academic training
2 credible and independent witnesses to make
submissions
Table 5 shows different categories for registration as well as the required qualifications
and work experience. As indicated in the table, the lowest level of registration is
Associate Extension Technician which requires 10 years of positive extension work but
lacking academic training and the highest being Professional Extension Scientist
possessing a PhD, Masters and 4years Degree in Extension and minimum of 5 years
working experience.
3.2.3 Extension Partnerships
In attempts of creating a platform for learning, information sharing and strengthening
research linkages, local and international stakeholders were engaged. Nationally, a
number of commodity organizations were consulted to obtain a deeper understanding of
the Extension and Advisory Services’ support that they require from government as well
as the services that they (in partnership with government) can provide to agriculture,
forestry and fisheries clientele particularly smallholder producers. The study showed that
a number of commodity organizations have taken proactive steps in terms of providing
support (training in particular) to smallholders farmers.
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 11
With the support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
(FAO), the DAFF facilitated the attendance and participation of three smallholder farmers
at the Extension Week which was held in Gaborone, Botswana from the 5 th – 9th August
2013. A total of twenty five (25) government officials participated in the extension week
of which twenty two (22) of them were representatives from the various Provincial
Departments of Agriculture (PDAs) and three (3) were from the Department of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF).
With attempts to forge partnerships internationally, partnership possibilities were
explored with French and Japanese. The former entails the collaboration between the
French and South Africa on Capacity Development Initiative in Agriculture (otherwise
known as F’SAGRI). The main objective of this programme is to promote high level
human resource development in scarce skills areas, especially among previously
disadvantaged students, thereby contributing to the national priorities identified in the
Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF). These priorities include Outcome 5: “A
skilled and capable workforce to support the inclusive growth path” and Outcome 7 “A
vibrant, equitable, competitive and sustainable rural communities with food security for
all”.
DAFF is also in partnership (no formal agreement yet) with the Japanese through the
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on Smallholder Horticulture
Empowerment Programme (SHEP). This programme aims to promote “market-oriented”
agriculture, which is effective for increasing income of smallholder farmers in Africa.
Three officials from Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga were selected to visit
Kenya in order to get a clear understanding and meaning of market-oriented agriculture.
With a clear understanding of the market-oriented agriculture concept, participants would
formulate an Action Plan based on their learning and observation, which will be
implemented in South Africa.
3.3 Pillar 3: Recruitment of Extension and Advisory Services Practitioners
The drive behind the recruitment of Extension and Advisory Practitioners is to attain an
ideal extension: producer ratio as recommended by the Norms and Standards for
Extension and Advisory Services in Agriculture for 2005. The Norms and Standards
identified that the most common challenge of the extension services relates to the lack of
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 12
capacity. The demand for advisory services varies according to the nature of production
practices as well as the state of advancement. The market oriented producers are often
serviced through a higher extension: producer ratios while the subsistence through a low
extension producer ratio. The recommended ratios are as indicated in the table below.
Table 6: Recommended extension: producer ratio
Scale of operation Nature of operation
Crops Livestock Mixed
Subsistence and
household
1:400 1:500 1:500
Semi-commercial/
smallholder
1:250 1:250 1:300
Market oriented and
large commercial
1:500 1:500 1:500
3.3.1 Extension: producer ratio prior ERP implementation
The profiling study on government-employed extension and advisory services conducted
in 2007 to assess its capacity, revealed that there were 2 210 Extension and Advisory
Practitioners nationally. The highest number was in Limpopo (30%) followed by Eastern
Cape at 28% and the lowest in Gauteng and Northern Cape with 1% respectively. The
spread of Practitioners per province, producers (extrapolated from the population) and
ratios are indicated in the table below.
Table 7: Extension: producer ratio in 2007
Province No. of Practitioners No of Producers – extrapolated from
the population
Extension: producer ratio
EC 623 671 695 1:<600-3000
FS 70 25 583 1:<400-600
GP 29 9 502 1:1000-2600
KZN 360 354 776 1:<400-3000
LP 666 590 259 1:<600-3000
MP 189 168 717 1:<600-800
NC 23 13 114 1:483-570
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 13
Province No. of Practitioners No of Producers – extrapolated from
the population
Extension: producer ratio
NW 137 64 235 1:<600-1000
WC 119 30 669 1:<200-800
Total 2 210 1 928 820 1:542-1 707
Table 7 shows that a total of 2 210 Practitioners were responsible for 1, 9 million
producers in 2007. Provinces which had a ratio closer to the recommended one of 1:500
were Free State, Northern Cape and Western Cape. If practical extension: producer ratio
was to be achieved for instance a ratio of 1:250, a total of 7 706 Practitioners would be
needed. If the ratio was to be 1:500, a total of 3 559 would be needed for 1, 9 million
producers (the speculated ratios did not take into consideration diversity of producers in
terms of enterprises).
3.3.2 Recruitment of Extension Practitioners
The ERP document aimed to recruit Advisors and Subject Matter Specialists. This is in
line with the Guidelines of the implementation of grading levels in Extension of 2009,
which recognized only three titles in Extension and Advisory Services namely:
Agricultural Advisor, Senior Agricultural Advisor and Specialist Agricultural Advisor. As
indicated in the table below, a total of 2 001 was therefore a target (planned recruitment)
for the years 2008/9 to 2013/14.
Table 8: Number of targeted and recruited Extension Practitioners as at end 2013/14
Province Target and recruited Practitioners TOTAL
2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14
Target 396 272 253 388 378 324 2 001
EC 139 86 19 0 0 14 258FS 26 8 4 16 0 0 54GP 62 0 52 0 9 0 123KZN 0 38 197 235 0 0 470LP 55 43 39 14 0 0 151MP 22 13 9 31 14 21 110NC 16 4 5 7 4 0 36NW 15 8 21 0 0 49 93
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 14
Province Target and recruited Practitioners TOTAL
2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14
WC 15 17 17 7 0 0 56Total 350 217 346 310 27 84 1 351
Table 8 shows that a total of 1 351 Extension Practitioners were recruited on a
permanent basis during the six years period. It further shows that KwaZulu-Natal
recruited most number of Practitioners (470) and Northern Cape the least (36). Overall
the table indicates that a target of 2 001 was planned and the achievement was 1 351
Extension Practitioners recruited. The challenge indicated by most provinces hindering
full scale recruitment was the lack of assurance of continued existence of ERP funding
for further maintenance of the recruited Practitioners since it is a conditional grant.
3.3.3 Extension: Producer ratio after 6 years of ERP implementation
Recruitment of additional 1 351 Extension Practitioners increased human capacity of on
the ground from 2 210 in 2007 to 3 602 in 2013/14. The Stats SA, General Household
Survey of 2013, indicates that there is a total of 2.82 million producers actively practicing
agriculture which implies that 3 602 Extension Practitioners are responsible for rendering
Extension Services to those producers. The table below looks at two scenarios
demonstrating the status of extension: producer ratio at the end of 2013/14.
Table 9: Extension: producer ratio as at end of 2013/14
ProvinceSCENARIO A SCENARIO B
No. of total Practitioners
No. of producers
(in thousands)
Extension: producer
ratio
No. of Practitioners with 4 year
qualification
No. of producers
(in thousands)
Extension: producer
ratio
EC 794 583 1:734 332 583 1:2 569
FS 124 176 1:1 419 108 176 1:1 629
GP 130 176 1: 1 354 115 176 1:1 530
KZN 1 044 625 1:599 800 625 1:781
LP 817 658 1:805 489 658 1:1 346
MP 263 349 1:1 326 204 349 1:1 710
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 15
ProvinceSCENARIO A SCENARIO B
No. of total Practitioners
No. of producers
(in thousands)
Extension: producer
ratio
No. of Practitioners with 4 year
qualification
No. of producers
(in thousands)
Extension: producer
ratio
NC 59 35 1:593 48 35 1:729
NW 250 170 1:680 215 170 1:790
WC 121 47 1:388 104 47 1:452
Total 3 602 2 820 1:878 2 415 2 820 1: 1 009
Table 9 indicates the existing scenarios A which shows the total number of individuals
practicing Extension and the number of producers they are serving and existing
extension: producer ratio. As indicated in existing scenario A, 3 602 Practitioners are
responsible for 2. 82 million producers and the extension to producer ratio is 1:878 on
average. This shows improvement in extension: producer ratio compared to 1:1 707 of
2007. The purpose of bringing these two scenarios is to indicate that as much as in
existing scenario A the ratio has improved, about 1 187 (33%) Practitioners’ credibility to
provide advice is questionable in terms of the Norms and Standards. These individuals
possess less than a four year qualification. This may be one of the causes leading to
Extension and Advisory Services being deemed inefficient and having this negative
perception and image presently due to a third of the cadre lacking expertise and
competency. In 2007, 80 % Extension Practitioners lacked competency and skills to
practice the extension profession efficiently.
The table further shows ideal scenario B which indicates the number of qualified
individuals meeting the minimum requirement of expertise and competency as
prescribed in the Norms and Standards implemented as per the 2009 Guidelines for
implementation of grading levels for Extension Practitioners. Scenario B demonstrates
the qualified Practitioners (2 415) against the total number of producers who are 2. 82
million, the extension: producer ratio is 1: 1 009. Ideally these are individuals who should
be making up the cadre of Extension and Advisory Services in the country. In this
scenario, the portrayed ratio is unrealistic meaning efforts to have more qualified
Practitioners should continue.
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 16
3.4 Pillar 4: Reskilling and Reorientation of Extension and Advisory Practitioners
The Norms and Standards recognise the dynamic nature of the agricultural extension
and advisory services profession due to the changing policy environment and clients’
needs. The Norms and Standards therefore prescribe for an extension service that is
well-trained, motivated and has dedicated staff skilled in agricultural production,
business and communication techniques. Since Extension Practitioners core work is to
deal with clients, the Norms and Standards further prescribe for individuals who are
competent in the following areas: Client orientation and customer focus, Communication,
Project Management, Knowledge Management, Service Delivery Innovation, Problem
solving and analysis, Honesty and integrity as well as People management and
empowerment. Under this pillar, the focus is on qualification upgrading and training of
Practitioners in a skills development programme.
3.4.1 Qualification Upgrading
The study on profiling of Government Extension and Advisory Services in 2007
established that only 20% or 438 of the total number of Extension Practitioners (2 210) in
the country possessed the required four year qualification or more to match the
responsibilities that the job required. The Norms and Standards for Extension and
Advisory Services prescribed that for anyone to practice Extension, the qualification
requirements is a four year Bachelor’s Degree. To implement the Norms and Standards,
the job evaluation was conducted and clearly indicated that a minimum of a four year
qualification is required for the Practitioner to deliver the Extension and Advisory
Services. Based on the findings on qualifications of extension cadre of 2007, there was a
need for 1 772 Extension Practitioners to enroll and upgrade their qualifications. The
ERP document therefore required for facilitation of the programmed qualification
upgrading for extension personnel, Recognition of Prior Learning and review of
extension qualification against the qualities of the 21st century cadre. The Extension
Practitioners were therefore registered with institutions of higher learning across the
country for qualification upgrading as indicated below.
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 17
Table 10: Qualification status of the Government-employed Extension and Advisory Practitioners in 2007
Province Number of Practitioners
Qualifications Percentage compliance to
Norms and Standards (%)
Less than a four year degree
Degree or more
EC 623 569 54 8.6
FS 70 27 43 61.4
GP 29 7 22 75.8
KZN 360 325 35 9.7
LP 666 517 149 22.3
MP 183 142 41 22.4
NC 23 12 11 47.8
NW 137 80 57 41.6
WC 119 92 27 22.6
Total 2 210 1 772 438 19.8
Table 10 shows that out of 2 210, only 19, 8% complied with the Norms and Standards
of 2005. The table demonstrates that the highest number of Practitioners who did not
meet the required requirements was from Eastern Cape followed by KwaZulu-Natal then
Limpopo while Gauteng, Free State and Northern Cape were at a 75, 61, and 47%
respectively.
Table 11: Number of Extension Practitioners registered (yearly) for qualification upgrading and completing annually at over the six years period (most upgrading took a minimum of two years on average)
Province No. of Practitioners registered (yearly) for qualification upgrading and those who completed
2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14
EC 0 225 134 225 134 222
FS 6 25 26 24 10 12
GP 0 0 7 9 0 7
KZN 12 49 215 209 377 55
LP 0 129 95 94 36 14
MP 0 131 65 82 46 69
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 18
Province No. of Practitioners registered (yearly) for qualification upgrading and those who completed
2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14
NC 15 16 20 20 9 15
NW 0 40 67 75 70 0
WC 0 31 41 46 32 25
Total 33 646 670 784 714 419
No. completing - - 81 107 142 45
Table 11 shows the number of Extension Practitioners registered for qualification
upgrading in each year and the number is non accumulative. The table further indicates
those completing each year from 2010/11 till 2013/14. As indicated in the table, during
2012/13 a high number of Practitioners (142) completed their studies. Contributing to this
good achievement might be the pressure to meet deadline set by the Guidelines on the
implementation of grading levels of 2009 which stipulated that by 2013 all Extension
Practitioners should have attained a four year qualification.
3.4.2 Compliance to Norms and Standards in terms of minimum qualification requirements (four year qualification)
Table 12: Number of Extension Practitioners complying with Norms and Standards by 2013/14
Province No. of Extension
Practitioners
Qualifications Percentage compliance to
Norms and Standards (%)
Less than a degree
Degree or more
EC 794 462 332 41FS 124 16 108 87GP 130 15 115 88KZN 1 044 244 800 77LP 817 328 489 60MP 263 59 204 78NC 59 11 48 81NW 250 35 215 86WC 121 17 104 86Total 3 602 1 187 2 415 76
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 19
Table 12 indicates that out of 3 602 Extension Practitioners, a total of 1 187 are having a
qualification less than four years while 2 415 have a four year qualification and more.
The table further indicates that the level of compliance to the Norms and Standards for
required minimum qualification is at 76%. The attributing factor to change of situation is
the results of qualification upgrading and recruiting Extension Practitioners who possess
the required qualifications.
3.4.3 Training on skills development programme
The profiling study of 2007 revealed that out of 2 210 Extension Practitioners only 204
had completed training in communication, 238 completed project management, 140
completed computer training and only 143 had completed training in people
management and empowerment. ERP therefore was to ensure that all employed
Extension Practitioners are trained in a skills development programme classified as
generic soft, technical and ICT skills. DAFF has also contributed to the training of
Extension Practitioners in generic soft skills through FAO –DAFF Capacity Building
Agreement; the numbers of trained Extension Practitioners were incorporated in the
table below.
Table 13: Number of training opportunities offered for the skills development programme
Category of TrainingNumber of training opportunities
2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14
Generic Soft Skills (GSS) 730 498 385 1 076 367 777Technical Skills (TS) 266 1 206 771 810 623 455ICT Skills 268 642 791 707 967 752
Table 13 shows the categories of skills provided training during the past six years. Skills
classified under Generic Soft Skills include courses such as Project Management,
Conflict Management, Customer Care, Communication etc. Under Technical Skills
courses included Broiler Production, Vegetable Production, De-horning etc. on ICT,
training focused mostly on International Computer Driver’s License, Digital pen usage.
3.5 Pillar 5: Provision of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure and other resources
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 20
The Extension Practitioners who are sources of information for producers need to keep
abreast with relevant, updated and reliable information. In this era, ICT plays a pivotal
role in the dissemination of information. ICT gadgets are therefore prone to abuse and
loss, hence the ERP document prescribed for the development of the ICT policy to
standardize the supply of ICT equipment and to guard against misuse of gadgets. DAFF
therefore developed a draft ICT policy in 2008. In order for provinces to regard Extension
Recovery Plan as an enabler for them and to mobilise the extension services not a
stand-alone programme, the use of ICT is therefore guided by provincial ICT policy of
the respective Provincial Departments of Agriculture. The standard was therefore set by
DAFF that for ICT provision, a package should be constituted as per provincial needs but
preferably comprising of a Laptop, cell phone, 3G modem and a Digital pen in order to
access information on the spot during the interaction with the producers. These tools
provided were accompanied by training on their use as elaborated in the preceding
section of the skills development programme.
3.5.1 Extension Suite Online (ESO) utilization
The implementation of the Extension Recovery Plan has highlighted an urgent need for
the adaptation of a decision support system for agricultural extension in South Africa.
Extension and Advisory Practitioners need a quick access to relevant, appropriate and
timely information. The Extension Suite Online is a decision support system (internet
based) which provides information that enables the Extension and Advisory Practitioners
to provide advice to producers during the interaction on the farm. The DAFF studied the
benefits/value of utilizing such a system in order to improve service delivery by the
Extension Practitioners to producers and found it most efficient. It was therefore,
recommended to provinces that they procure this system during 2009/10 financial year
sourcing funds from the ICT pillar of ERP. The provinces had to provide funding for
installation, maintenance, aftercare and training on the use of the system.
Provinces which managed to install the system in 2009/10 were North West, Eastern
Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape. The process of procurement was
dragging and there was no uniformity in the provision of the system amongst the
provinces. In June 2010, DAFF together with the provinces decided on centralizing the
system to be coordinated nationally. The service provider of the system was then
contracted to provide maintenance and aftercare in support of the Extension Suite
Online. The maintenance and aftercare of the system has since been funded by DAFF.
The figure below presents the registration of users during the past four years.
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 21
Table 14: National consolidated number of ESO new registration of users per year
Province 2010 2011 2012 2013
EC 264 159 27 172FS 170 62 5 5GP 122 60 25 22
KZN 421 79 250 432LP 144 334 169 188MP 110 122 33 31NC 76 23 11 174NW 131 6 20 11WC 314 27 34 8
National Annual Total 1 752 872 574 1043National Cumulative Total 1 752 2 624 3 198 4 241
National % growth from year 1 301 557 407
Table 14 shows the number of total registration of users of ESO and the growth in the
number of registered users per year. It furthers shows that the highest number of new
registrations was in 2010 and the least in 2012.
Table 15: Registered ESO users against active users at end of March 2014
Registered ESO users Active ESO users Non-active ESO users
4 241 2 750 1 491
Table 15 indicates that out of 4 241 registered users, 2 750 are actively using the
system. Active users are individuals who access the system on a regular basis, to view
or download the information. The non-active users are those individuals who only
registered and received passwords but had never logged onto the system. The 4 241
registered users, include a total of 85 DAFF officials. The table further shows that 1 491
registered user’s accounts are inactive. Continuous training is provided to ensure
effective utilization of the system, the challenge cited by provinces such as Eastern
Cape, as a cause of low utilization of the system is poor internet connectivity.
3.5.2 ESO Top Users
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 22
The following ESO users were recognized for being top national users in each financial
year over the past four years. The top national users’ names were presented with
various prizes to acknowledge and encourage the use of the system. The value in the
use of the system has been realized by the direct linkage of the top users of the system
to being the best performing officials in some of the categories for provincial Extension
and Advisory Services Awards.
Table 16: National Consolidated Top Users of ESO
Year Province Name Rating
2010 EC Vukile Samuel Gqodwana 4 921
2011 GP Lesego Phakedi 5 695
2012 GP Vhuthu Gavhi 6 648
2013 EC Sindile Magoda 10 016
Table 16 shows that over the past four years of ESO implementation, overall top users
are from two provinces Eastern Cape and Gauteng. The table further indicates the rating
each user acquired which was the highest for Sindile Magoda (EC) and lowest for Vukile
Samuel (EC). The points rating is based on the visits to the system, number of pages
visited and the duration of visits. The system users see value and keep on searching for
information hence top users ranked in the top ten users on a yearly basis.
4. FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
4.1 Allocation of Funds to Provinces
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries approached the National Treasury
to fund the Extension Recovery Plan. Financial resources in a form of a grant, to the
value of R1. 524 billion were made allocated for ERP implementation over the six year
period. The ERP is a schedule 4 grant-funded plan, administered through the Division of
Revenue Act (DORA). The allocation from the National Treasury is done to the national
department (DAFF), which then further transfers the funds to the provinces for the
implementation of the plan.
4.2 Funding Range
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 23
Funds allocations for the six year period were in accordance with the priorities and
needs as identified by DAFF and in consultation with provinces. The funding range was
put into place to create flexibility in allocating funds per pillar.
Fig. 1: ERP pillars funding range in percentages
4.3 ERP Fund Allocation for 2008/09 to 2013/14 Financial Years
The allocation of funds to provinces is based on the recommendations and findings
outlined in the report on Profiling of Government Extension and Advisory Services, 2007.
Provinces which the report identified to have an acute human resource capacity gap
received substantial funding. These were the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo
and Mpumalanga. Provinces with healthier Extension and Advisory Services received
the balance of the funding. These were the Free State, Northern Cape, North West and
Western Cape. Table 16 shows the funds allocation for the past six years.
Table 17: ERP Gazetted budget for the period 2008/9 to 2013/14
PROVINCE
DORAGAZETTED
R'000TOTAL AMOUNT
GAZETTED
2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2008/09 – 2013/14
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 24
EC 16 828 31 337 65 635 70 731 74 268 78 183 336 982
FS 9 177 15 169 22 252 23 980 25 179 26 854 122 611
GP 4 735 9 922 16 202 17 460 18 333 18 695 85 347
KZN 16 458 23 850 38 136 41 097 43 153 44 190 206 884
LP 15 162 30 891 60 767 65 485 68 759 71 384 312 448
MP 9 912 15 388 23 112 24 906 26 151 27 194 126 663
NC 6 881 12 781 19 637 21 162 22 220 27 877 110 558
NW 12 793 15 600 20 273 21 847 22 939 23 794 117 246
WC 8 054 15 825 18 740 20 195 21 204 21 756 105 774
Total 100 000 170 763 284 754 306 863 322 206 339 927 1 524 513
Table 17 shows that the financial resources through ERP have increased over the period
from R100 million in 2008/09 to R340 million in 2013/14. By the end of the 2013/14 more
than R 1, 5 billion had been allocated for implementation of ERP. As seen on the table,
Eastern Cape received a sizeable amount totaling R337million for the duration of six
years while Gauteng received only of R85 million.
4.4 ERP Allocations per Pillar from 2008/09 to 2013/14
The gazetted funds allocated to provinces were further broken down to allocations per
pillar. This measure was put in place to standardize the allocation and spending of funds
into the priotised deliverables. The table below indicates the compliance to the
recommended funding range per pillar of: Visibility and accountability (3-10%), Image
and professionalism (2-10%), Recruitment (45-55%), Reskilling and reorientation (5-8%)
and ICT provision (30-32%)
Table 18: ERP allocations per pillar for the past 6 years
PILLARS Budget Allocation Per PillarR’000
Total %
2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 25
100 000 170 763 284 754 306 863 322 206 339 927 1 524 513 100
Visibility 0 4 774 14 610 26 846 36 762 53 967 136 959 9
Image 0 3 165 14 719 14 953 24 878 27 244 84 959 6
Recruitment 58 000 89 446 142 104 160 583 127 529 124 334 701 996 46
Reskilling 10 181 21 948 29 624 26 501 46 197 38 025 172 476 11
ICT provision 32 001 50 271 78 611 77 976 85 301 96 372 420 532 28
Table 18 shows the spread of funds allocation per pillar. It further indicates that the pillar
which received most allocation was recruitment at 46% followed by ICT at 28%. The pillar
which was allocated least funds was image and professionalism. This shows a general
compliance to the recommended funding range.
4.5 ERP Budget Allocation and Expenditure from 2008/09 to 2013/14
During each financial year, Provincial Departments of Agriculture which are
implementers of the ERP develop Annual Business Plans with expressive targets and
deliverables for the following year. The Business Plans are scrutinized by DAFF
(National Assessment Panel) in accordance with the annual framework and the Division
of Revenue Act prescripts, and upon satisfaction they are recommended for approval by
the Minister. Upon approval, the process of transfers of funds unfolds at the beginning of
the year and every subsequent quarter (four disbursements). Provinces are expected to
utilize the funds according to the approved business plans and for any deviation to plans,
a request to deviate must be requested and approved by DAFF. The monitoring of the
implementation of approved plans is conducted by DAFF on a quarterly basis in the form
of Quarterly Review Meetings and provincial verification visits. Provinces also submit
monthly financial and quarterly non-financial reports to DAFF. The quarterly reports from
provinces are consolidated by DAFF for submission to National Treasury. At the end of
the financial year, provinces provide annual reports which are consolidated by DAFF to a
National Annual Report. Table 21 indicates the budget and the percentage of the
expenditure for the past six years.
Table 19: ERP budget allocation and expenditure from 2008/09 to 2013/14
Items Gazetted Budget and expenditure for six yearsR’000
2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 TOTAL
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 26
Budget Allocation
100 000 170 763 284 754 306 863 322 206 339 927 1 524 513
Expenditure 81 617 153 393 261 838 295 392 322 206 339 927 1 454 373
Unspent funds 18 383 17 370 22 916 11 471 0 0 70 140
Expenditure % 82 90 92 96 100 100 95
Table 19 indicates the funds allocation during the six year period as well as the
expenditure incurred. It further shows the percentage expenditure over a six year period.
As seen on the table, during 2012/13 and 2013/14 all allocated funds were spent. The
notable under expenditure was in 2008/9 of 82%. The overall expenditure on ERP is
95% for the duration of six years. This is a good indication that indeed the financial
resource to improve the state of Extension and Advisory Services in the country is
needed and utilized.
5. Challenges
The Extension Recovery Plan has successfully put in place the initial base from which
Extension Services can grow through its recruitment, resourcing, reskilling and
professionalising of the service. However the coordination (through policy directive) of
the service is still in the process of being formulated which until then remains cause of
concern on the actual role and responsibilities of the service. This alone brings a
negative perception of the service. Often than not, Extension and Advisory Services is
accused of being invisible while the actual issue is the misunderstanding of what should
the service provide. To this date, it remains a challenge how to measure the impact of
the service and this is due to the nature of the service. These are some of the issues
which will be solved by the implementation of the Policy on Extension and Advisory
Services which is still a draft at this point.
Strides have been made over the years to have an effective linkage one way between
Extension and Research by information dissemination through ESO; however there is
still a grey area (two way communications) which still needs to be strengthened. On the
other hand, relationships with other stakeholders have been forged and they are seen to
be valuable for empowerment of government Extension and Advisory Services as well
as producers. This however needs to be well coordinated and formalized.
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 27
Another challenge which has been voiced out in different platforms is the irrelevance of
the formal skills on Extension and Advisory Services. Currently, the institutions of higher
learning produce graduates who are not fully competent in this field. This is due to the
curriculum which was developed years ago only designed to service the commercial
sector. With the number of Smallholder Producers growing everyday with different a set
of demands, Extension and Advisory Services finds itself in a tight corner in delivering
exactly what is needed.
The above challenge links directly with the unrealistic extension to producer ratio that
still exists in the service. Whilst ERP has facilitated through the appointment of over 1
300 extra Extension Practitioners, the gap is still very huge. With the total number of
Extension and Advisory Practitioners being at 3 602 currently of whom a third is not
qualified in terms of the Norms and Standards, an additional personnel of more than 6
000 Practitioners who are properly qualified are still needed to attend the 2, 8 million
producers (mostly smallholder and subsistence). Delaying the process of recruitment,
has however been due to the lack of assurance for the PDA’s on how long would the
ERP grant be available for, since they do not have enough budget to take over the
responsibility of extra recruited Practitioners.
It has been a notable challenge that the use of ICT tools is not at a peak. The mostly
mentioned challenges are the lack of connectivity, delays in maintenance of the tools in
case they are at fault, limited training on the use of tools. These challenges are mostly
experienced by the older Extension and Advisory Practitioners. As much as ERP
afforded allowance in terms of procurement of vehicles in order for Extension
Practitioners to reach their clients, challenges were then on the limited number of
kilometers officials are allowed to travel per month which then impedes them from
visiting their clients after the limit has been reached.
With the implementation of other ERP deliverables, re-direction of resources impedes
delivery. Most often, the funds allocated for ERP would be utilized for other activities not
aligned to the national framework for ERP.
6. Recommendations and Conclusion
6.1 The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has noted the challenges which
were brought forward by the different stakeholders in the manner in which Extension and
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 28
Advisory Services is currently being rendered in the country. The deficiencies are well
known and it is high time to address them. The lack of proper coordination from a policy
perspective could only be addressed by developing the policy and implementation plan.
This process is currently unfolding as the draft policy has been developed and is being
consulted. Upon approval/finalization of the policy, it is therefore recommended that a
long term plan (20 years) be drawn by the department which will stipulate where it
foresees the service and outcomes over the long term period.
6.2 Linkages between extension and research have remained a challenge, it is
recommended that the relationship be strengthened. There must be a clear line of
communication between the department, private sector, research and the institutions of
higher learning. The extension triangle which demonstrates the linkages between
extension, research and producers needs to be considered because the three are
interlinked.
6.3 It is therefore recommended the different institutions should take note of the producers’
needs and prioritize them when planning research. Amongst other methods, provide
feedback to farmers through a more suitable method. The Extension and Advisory
Services Practitioners should continuously be trained in order to capacitate them to
transfer relevant technologies in an appropriate manner. Development of innovations is
also key in this regard but caution should be taken not to ignore the indigenous
knowledge systems of the producers. Actually, innovation by producers is highly
encouraged. Without research very little can be effectively done by Extension and
Advisory Services to uplift the lives of producers.
6.4 Another recommended strategy to strengthen stakeholder engagement is in a form of
collaboration in all issues relating to the Extension and Advisory Services. This refers to
the establishment of forums at different levels such as Districts, Provincial and National.
These structures will have representation from the private sector, research, farmer
organizations, commodity organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs),
training institutions etc. Sharing of information, knowledge and experiences as well as
coming up with innovations, research needs will all be dealt with in such fora.
6.5 The Extension and Advisory Services cadre should be competent in the line with the
Public Service Regulations of 2001. These Regulations prescribe for the Extension and
Advisory Services Practitioners to be competed in Client orientation and customer focus,
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 29
Communication, Project management, Knowledge management, Service delivery
innovation, Problem solving and analysis, Honesty and integrity and People
management and empowerment. The Norms and Standards for Extension and Advisory
Services also recognized that the service needs a cadre who is well-trained, dedicated,
motivated and skilled in agricultural production (scientific and technical expertise),
business (economics, marketing and financial management expertise), and extension
and communication techniques.
6.6 There is a challenge of misalignment of the curricula in extension with what is demanded
by the market, it is recommended that a curricula review be conducted with clear
recommendations on the correct curricula mix that should be adopted by institutions of
higher learning. It is also recommended that the curricula must incorporate an element of
practical experience in order to prepare students for the real life situation in the field.
There should be a system in place to recognize prior learning (RPL) by the institutions of
higher learning.
6.7 The recommendation on recruitment is to continue to recruit since the Extension
Practitioner: Producer ratio is still too high. Caution should be taken therefore that
recruitment should be done right meaning people with relevant skills, qualifications
should be recruited. It is also recommended that for the new recruits coming straight
from tertiary institutions without hands on experience, that they shadow experienced
Extension Practitioners or willing Producers to gain the necessary experience. In the
future, the curricula should have inbuilt practical experience on the field work before
qualification for a degree is bestowed.
6.8 This is the technology era as it assists in reducing the turnaround time for service
delivery. ICT tools assist in doing business efficiently and effectiveness. In Extension
and Advisory Services ICT tools have been introduced and adopted even though the
adoption rate is low. It is therefore critical that when tools are adopted, training on such
tools should accompany the tools provided. Thorough research needs assessment
should also be conducted to ensure that the tools provided are actually the tools needed
by the Practitioners. It is recommended that as the grant allocation increases on an
annual basis and more Extension and Advisory Practitioners should be appointed and
the provinces should also budget sufficient operational budget.
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 30
6.9 This report has indicated the level of success in improving capacity in Extension and
Advisory Services in terms of Practitioners, skills and tools. It is without doubt that the
Extension Recovery Plan has succeeded in improving capacity of the Extension and
Advisory Services Practitioners throughout all nine provinces. It is yet to be established if
the well-resourced Extension and Advisory Services Practitioners through ERP have
made impact to the producers who are at the receiving end of this service.
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 31
7. REFERENCES
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES. 2005. Norms and Standards for Extension and Advisory Services.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES. 2007. Report on the profiling of the current government employed extension and advisory service officers.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES. 2008. Extension Recovery Plan.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES. 2013. Agricultural Policy Action Plan.
DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.2011. New Growth Path: Framework
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES. 2013. National Food and Nutrition Security Policy
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES. 2002. Integrated Food Security Strategy (IFSS)
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES. 2009. Guidelines for implementation of grading levels for Extension
NATIONAL TREASURY: MEDIUM TERM STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK. 2014. Government Outcomes
NATIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION, 2011. National Development Plan Vision 2030
PRESIDENCY: THE CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, Act 108 of 1996
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA: GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, Act No. 6 of 2012. Division of Revenue Act (DORA).
STATISTICS SOUTH AFRICA. 2013. General Household Survey
A Six year review on the implementation of an Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) 32
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