What drives the integration of lead farmers into public extension systems? unpacking institutional, policy, and operational factors in Tanzania’s Kagera Region
Loading...
Date
2026-03-23
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The sub Saharan Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities
Abstract
Integrating community-based intermediaries into public agricultural extension systems is increasingly
recognized as a strategy to address chronic service delivery gaps in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the systemic factors that
enable or constrain such integration remain poorly understood. This study investigates the institutional, policy, and
operational conditions influencing the integration of Lead Farmers (LFs) into Tanzania’s government-led agricultural
extension system, using the Kagera Region as a case study. Despite LFs being widely promoted by non-governmental and
donor-funded projects to facilitate peer learning and improve agronomic practices, their formal alignment with public
extension structures is limited, uncoordinated, and lacks long-term institutional backing. A cross-sectional, mixed-methods
design was employed, combining a household survey of 95 smallholder farmers with 18 key informant interviews and four
focus group discussions involving extension officers, NGO representatives, researchers, and local leaders. The findings reveal
that while LFs are highly valued for their accessibility, credibility, and complementary role in extension delivery; with over
80% of surveyed farmers acknowledging their positive contribution to productivity; their effective integration is severely
constrained by a lack of political commitment, the absence of coherent policy frameworks, weak institutional coordination,
and inadequate administrative and financial preparedness. The study contributes to policy and practice by moving beyond
project-level assessments to provide a systems-level analysis of the structural determinants of LF integration. It highlights
that without deliberate efforts to embed LFs within formal planning, budgeting, and accountability mechanisms, their role
remains informal and unsustainable. The study concludes that leveraging the potential of LFs requires a fundamental shift
from project-based engagement to institutionalized integration. It recommends the formulation of a national policy guideline
to standardize LF roles, the mainstreaming of LFs into district agricultural plans and budgets, the establishment of multistakeholder coordination platforms, and the provision of structured, ongoing training through public institutions
Description
Journal Article
Keywords
Lead farmers, Agricultural extension systems, Institutional integration, Policy frameworks, Tanzania