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Farm advisory services play a crucial role in transforming production systems. It is an essential lever for building producers' capacities, improving yields and ensuring farm resilience in the face of crises. On March 20 and 21, 2025 , Ouagadougou hosted a regional workshop to present the results of a study on the mapping of modern and innovative extension tools and approaches. The meeting, organized by the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF), in collaboration with the Network of Agricultural and Rural Advisory Services of West and Central Africa (RESCAR-AOC), is part of the World Bank-funded Food Systems Resilience Program (PRSA/FSRP). The main objective of the workshop was to share the results of the in-depth study on innovative agricultural extension tools and methods. In this context, Dr Niéyidouba LAMIEN, Program Manager at CORAF, emphasized the need to rethink traditional extension approaches to ensure optimal access to agricultural technologies and know-how.

"We need to ask ourselves how effective the tools and methods of agricultural advice and know-how made available through this mapping are. The major challenge is to ensure that these tools and methods promote mass access and use of agricultural technologies and innovations by end-users, and that they are sustainably integrated into agricultural policies to improve farm productivity and resilience," he asserted.

The workshop, which brought together some twenty experts from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali and Togo, also served as a reminder of the importance of innovation in agricultural extension in West Africa. Component 2 of the FSRP program pays particular attention to the integration of digital technologies and modern approaches in agricultural advisory services. 

Capitalizing on innovative farm advisory methods and tools

The study covered 13 countries in West and Central Africa, including eight in West Africa (Burkina Faso, Mali, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Togo) and five in Central Africa (Cameroon, Gabon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad). The results of this study identified 49 methods and 86 tools currently in use in the 13 countries. The evaluation of all these methods and tools also enabled us to identify fifteen (15) methods and seven (07) tools that are the most innovative that the countries have proposed for field documentation. This study highlighted innovative agricultural advisory methods and tools for scaling up agricultural innovations and technologies in West and Central Africa. During the workshop, participants had the opportunity to discuss a range of digital tools, such as online platforms, mobile applications, SMS services and agricultural call centers. These tools are designed to improve access to information and enhance the efficiency of extension services, thereby meeting producers' growing needs for technical support.

Dr Idrissa SEREME, Director of Burkina Faso's Institut pour l'Environnement et la Recherche Agricole (INERA), stressed the importance of integrating these tools into national extension strategies. 

"It is imperative that these agricultural advisory tools and methods are reflected in national extension policies to ensure their sustainability and appropriation by extension services", he said.he asserted.

The workshop, which was held interactively, with plenary sessions and group work, enabled participants to discuss the results of the study, analyze innovative practices, identify challenges and opportunities for deployment, and propose packages of methods and tools to be combined for effective agricultural extension, in line with local realities. The conclusions and recommendations arising from this workshop will feed into CORAF's future actions to improve the effectiveness of agricultural advisory services.