Why did Mozambique’s public extension halt the implementation of the National Agrarian Extension Program (PRONEA)?

Agriculture plays a crucial role in food security and poverty reduction in Mozambique, contributing around 25 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, despite the considerable agro-ecological potential and the need for increased production, agricultural productivity remains low. The prevailing gap between domestic food production and demand, as well as lagging exports, continue to pose significant challenges. As part of efforts to deal with these challenges, the government and other agriculture sector stakeholders have recognized the crucial role of extension services in increasing productivity. The government plays an important role in the extension system through the Ministry of Agriculture (MINAG). This paper assesses critical factors that constrained the successful implementation of the National Agrarian Extension Program, (PRONEA, from Programa Nacional de Extensao Agraria), by MINAG’s National Directorate of Agrarian Extension (DNEA, from Direccao Nacional de Extensao Agraria), which resulted in a decision to halt PRONEA in 2010, three years after its launch. A conceptual framework for planning and implementing programs and strengthening pluralistic agricultural extension and advisory systems identified factors that should ideally have been taken into account before launching PRONEA in order to reduce the risk of failure. The analysis was based on a review of the literature about agricultural extension in Mozambique, official documents, interviews with key informants and experts, and field visits to various provinces. The analysis found that factors related to the conceptualization, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of PRONEA led to its failure and subsequent discontinuation. Overall, the assessment underscores the need for institutional changes to support successful implementation of public agricultural extension programs. To be noted, a redesigned PRONEA started to be implemented in the second half of 2012.