The new wave of agricultural extension and farmers’ agency

Staying connected: A farmer prepares rice seedlings at a paddy field in Cilacap in Indonesia’s central Java province. Smartphones are the easiest and most widely used tool by the country’s farmers for decision-making support on technical problems. — AFP

THE challenges and complexities of Indonesia’s food system, which is affected by unfavourable environmental conditions, climate change and price volatility, have hindered the country from achieving food security for its 270 million people.

This has again raised the issue of the role of agricultural extension in disseminating technology to farmers.