Creating linkages: lessons from agricultural research and extension liaison in lowland Bolivia

Abstract

An effective model for linking agricultural research and extension using a liaison unit has been developed in lowland Bolivia. The liaison unit is based within the Santa Cruz agricultural research centre and works with a range of Intermediate Users (IUs), including Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs), rural development projects and producer associations, which carry out extension. The unit's functions have evolved over time, leading to the development of a wide range of linkage mechanisms with IUs including rapid rural appraisals, zonal meetings, recommendation workshops, joint verification trials and publications targeted at extensionists. Evidence from case studies suggests that the demand pull on research has increased and that more appropriate technology is reaching extensionists as a result. Similar models could be used in other countries where formal extension is weak or absent.