In pluralistic EAS systems, innovative entrepreneurship models must be adopted to act proactively and to respond to the increasing diversity of farmers' demands, yet staying independent and sustainable.

In the rapidly changing context of agri-food systems, extension and advisory services (EAS) are expected to provide new roles and services that go well beyond the traditional production-related technology transfer. Consequently, pluralistic EAS systems with diverse actors have emerged with diverse actors, including private and civil society organisations. These multiple EAS actors must adopt innovative entrepreneurship models if they are to act proactively and respond to the increasing diversity of farmers’ demands while staying independent and sustainable.

Entrepreneurship in EAS means applying creative and sustainable business models that can capture opportunities and new ideas, broaden the range of services and clients, and foster innovation in the agri-food system. It can strengthen autonomy (e.g. from donor funding), empower community-engaged providers that offer locally relevant services, create job opportunities, and strengthen resilience of EAS to shocks and disruptors.

EAS entrepreneurs can include private agribusinesses, scalable start-ups, farmer champions and local volunteers, producer organisations and cooperatives, as well as public sector actors with innovative ideas who can network, create successful partnerships, and are result-oriented, willing to change and take risks.

However, the development of appropriate EAS entrepreneurship models is conditioned by internal and external factors, like farmers’ demands, economic motivation, enabling and risk-mitigating policies and regulations, capacities and, perhaps most importantly, a profound mindset change of all the actors, moving towards sustainable and inclusive entrepreneurship and away from institutional silos, rigid public-only and big agribusiness-only schemes.  

Requirements

• Private actors as EAS providers need regulatory framework, reduction of administrative procedures, still ensuring quality standards

• Change of mindset towards collaborative and inclusive entrepreneurial approaches

• The more divers providers are the more increases the possibility that harder-to-reach and marginalized groups are served, yet flexibility is needed!

Making it happen

• Transform EAS providers into entrepreneurs: (1) awareness raising to reach mindset change; (2) training to acquire necessary business skills to run the business; (3) engage youth, women, landless agricultural graduates; (4) create and promote opportunities for exchange via business and value chain platforms, start-up incubators, professional associations; (5) set incentives (organise fairs, exhibitions, rewards); (6) EAS providers to become an EAS entrepreneur, applying business skills (needs assessment, business plan development, make the business legal and accredited, offer respective services, engage in partnerships for funding if needed;

• Make the enabling environment entrepreneurship-friendly: (1) Government support is key; private EAS clearly mention as part of the policy; (2) facilitate entry into the business with incentives (tax exemption for start-ups or small enterprises, access to capacity building …); (3) reduce bureaucracy for registration a business, PPP, ensure that profit-oriented business in organisations is possible (revise legal status of PO); (4) encourage decentralisation of EAS mandate for easier support and coordinate provisional plurality; (5) promote PPP; (6) ensure coordination to avoid duplication and ensure synergies; (7) strengthen PO, platforms in view of business skills.

• Ensure that smallholders and vulnerable groups have access to affordable, good quality services: (1) public services should continue to be still available, especially related to environment and social service; (2) accreditation and quality standards for service providers coupled with incentives and M&E; (3) provide information (space) to make offer of providers known; (4) watch transparency and fair conditions; equip actors with negotiation skills and knowledge to establish and understand contracts; (5) foster demand and strengthen willingness to pay and make benefits of private services visible; (6) issue vouchers and subsidies for services and channel them through associations.; (7) Strengthen digital literacy and capacities of small and vulnerable farmers.