Strengthening the role of innovation brokers in the livestock advisory services system of Pakistan

The 50 farm advisors from 22 partner organisations took part in a training program, which consisted of a 3-day community practice workshop every 6 months (from early 2018 until late 2019, details can be seen in Table 2). Organisations with both men and women as part of their farm advisory teams nominated at least one male and one female to participate in this collaboration and training program to align with the WFEA principles. However, organisations without this option designated the farm advisors available (either male or female) to attend these training workshops. Farm advisors who were part of this program came from diverse backgrounds depending on their role and the scope of their organisation. Therefore, technical knowledge ranged from individuals being trained as veterinarians and veterinary assistants to agriculture graduates, social mobilisers and various diploma holders.

Taking into account the diversity in the participants and the objective of the training intervention, the workshops included a broad range of technical livestock information covering the whole farming system (see Table 3). During each training workshop the project team covered two of the technical modules outlined in Table 3. In addition, to support the integration of the WFEA into the extension programs of the collaborating organisations, an array of community development and engagement principles were conveyed. Hence, the training workshops incorporated activities to help participants understand social mobilisation, gender mainstreaming, participatory communication skills and were given the opportunity to engage in a collaborative learning environment where individuals reflect on their own field experiences and the challenges they face.

Although this research is focused on understanding the role that farm advisors play as ‘innovation brokers’, the training was not specifically designed to build the innovation-brokering capacity of the participants. Instead it focused on supporting participants to understand the WFEA, and build capacity around engaging and communicating with smallholder livestock farmers. All training interventions were organised and facilitated by the project team (from UVAS), who were Pakistani nationals with expertise in veterinary sciences, livestock farming systems and farmer extension.

Field follow-up visits were conducted by the project team to further support and emphasise the information provided to collaborating farm advisors during the training workshops. The project team consisted of both males and females in both provinces, which was part of the project design to assist with the engagement of both men and women at the farm-advisor and farmer level. These field visits occurred every 6 months in-between the training workshops (see Table 2). During these follow-up visits, project team members provided one-on-one mentoring to the farm advisors, which included strategies to support effective farm advisory services and monitoring of implemented activities relating to the WFEA. During these visits, the project team conducted semi-structured interviews (see Supplementary Appendix S1) with collaborating farm advisors to better understand their progress, challenges and successes with their role and any changes to their extension program.

The majority of farm advisors from NGOs (7/8), private sector (5/7), research organisations (3/5) and government organisations (2/2) shared ideas with each other at various facilitated discussions regarding how the WFEA project interventions helped improve their technical, social and communication skills, which subsequently helped achieve both their routine job targets and organisational goals. For example, one farm advisor from the private sector noted that smallholder farmers started implementing improved farm-practice changes, resulting in increased milk production, after participating in farm-level extension activities delivered by this advisor who had been trained in the WFEA. This then contributed to the farm advisor reaching his routine milk-volume targets with greater ease, benefiting both the individual and the company (source: FD-17 December 2018).

Another common theme found was that participants in the training shared stories about how they had acquired and used their new skills within their own organisations in some teaching or training capacity. This included an NGO farm advisor reporting that their organisation had involved them in various other projects with farmer-engagement components (source: FD-17 December 2019) and one female farm advisor from a research organisation shared that she has started sharing the applied field knowledge she has gained with her students and farmers (source: FD-17 December 2018). One farm advisor from a government department explained that his role as ‘master trainer’ allowed him to use his new teaching skills in various on-going training programs within his organisation. Furthermore, he shared that the participants in the training are more engaged as a result of the participatory approach he is now using, making his routine job much more target oriented (source: FD-17 December 2018).

Similarly, with respect to organisational benefits, one farm advisor from the private sector noted that their core job is milk collection from smallholder farmers and their employer does not require any technical (veterinary/animal sciences) background of their staff. Hence, when they have previously been faced with farm-based problems, they have needed to pay technical experts to assist in addressing the issue. However, after becoming part of WFEA training, the farm advisor is feeling more confident, resourceful and technically sound to solve these challenges without any additional technical support and, in the process, providing value to his organisation by saving time and funds (source: FD-17 July 2018). Another private-sector advisor noted that the social mobilisation training helped him build trust with farmers by taking more time to provide support beyond his routine job (source: FD-17 December 2018). One farm advisor (NGO) shared the success of an on-farm practice-change competition he organised among farmers. This included making a documentary of the winner of the competition and screening it on a popular TV channel to share the information and motivate other farmers (source: FD-17 December 2019).

These examples, including saving funds for their organisation while improving job targets, and the different types of ‘capacity’ training and improvements within organisations illustrate how farm advisors in this program have shared ideas about success and addressing problems (such as a lack of technical knowledge). This highlights the role of the farm advisor as an innovation broker by facilitating information flows, articulating demands and facilitating linkages between/among different actors and supporting innovation processes.

A large number of farm advisors from NGOs (5/8), private sector (5/7), and research (2/5) and government (1/2) organisations reported in various facilitated discussions that the project interventions helped improve their technical skills in on-farm practices, efficiency and resourcefulness, which subsequently helped meet the needs of the farming communities they work with. For example, one farm advisor from the private sector mentioned that the majority of his farmers were more interested in technical information related to increasing milk production (e.g. animal nutrition and husbandry practices). After becoming part of WFEA training, he provided the farming community with the desired technical information and used his connections within his organisation to launch a scheme to provide concentrate feed to the farmers on credit and at a subsidised rate to increase milk production. As a result of this success, this scheme has now been allocated additional resources and has been replicated in 23 villages (source: FD-17 December 2019). A farm advisor from the private sector reflected that previously their company had to hire technical experts to run farmer training to meet the needs of the farmers. Now that this advisor is part of the WFEA network, he is confidently running those training workshops and the company is saving funds because they do not need to hire more veterinary/animal technical experts (source: FD-17 December 2019). A farm advisor from the private sector explained that WFEA training delivered technical information through simple, evidence-based participatory approaches which they had never experienced before, helping build trust with their farmers (source: FD-17 December 2019). These examples show that the farm advisors are using their skills and knowledge to be more resourceful within their own networks to better support farming communities through maintaining engagement and impact, as well as reducing their organisation’s costs.

A large number of farm advisors from NGOs (4/8), private sector (6/7), and research (2/5) and government (2/2) organisations noted that a common challenge they face is the non-availability of female extension staff within their organisations. Hence, a majority of the villages restrict the participation of female farmers to engage in various field activities such as discussion groups, practical demonstrations and field follow-up visits with male farm advisors. One farm advisor from the private sector mentioned that it is very challenging to improve on-farm practice change and production without the active participation of female farmers in extension activities. Furthermore, the farm advisor reported that their organisation does not have female extension staff to implement the WFEA field activities (source; FD-17 July 2018). This illustrates a common resource need across the breadth of organisations, pinpointing a challenge to be addressed when trying to engage women in farming communities.

The majority of farm advisors from NGOs (7/8), and government (2/2) and private sector (6/7) organisations have facilitated change or streamlined existing livestock farm advisory services within their organisation as a result of their participation in the WFEA training. These farm advisors reported on different ways in which they negotiated with management within their organisation to start various initiatives, including adopting the WFEA within specific projects, establishing school programs for educating children regarding improved farm practices, providing loan opportunities for farmers, lodged feedback mechanism with their management and involving female staff within their farm advisory services teams. For example, one female farm advisor from an NGO noted that the WFEA has now been adopted across all on-going projects (four major longterm pojects of more than 3 years) within their organisation (source: FD-17 December 2019), which includes projects in health, education, agriculture and livestock. Another farm advisor from a government department mentioned that previously the focus of his organisation was always on the treatment of animals. Now, they have initiated regular extension activities near their work place by implementing WFEA to educate farming communities regarding the best farming practices (source: FD-17 December 2019). Both these examples illustrate that the WFEA training is enhancing the scope of the mandatory work and functions within their organisations.

The majority of the farm advisors from NGOs, private sector, and research and government departments are sharing what they have learnt after each WFEA training workshop, with their managers, colleagues and junior staff. Utilising the knowledge and skills from the WFEA training, the majority of farm advisors from the NGOs (6/8) and private sector organisations (5/7) have initiated or strengthened their organisational training programs for their field staff. For example, one farm advisor from the private sector shared that his organisation has started a training program for farm advisors, sales officers and farmers on the basis of elements of the WFEA training program. He is running these training programs with great confidence (source: FD-17 December 2018). The research organisations have a broader scope of networking with various stakeholders owing to the nature of their roles and permanent positions they hold. One female farm advisor from a research organisation reported that her organisation initiated farm advisory services and she is sharing her applied knowledge and key lessons learnt after each WFEA training workshop with many networks within her organisation including students, field staff and farmers (source: FD-17 December 2018). The breadth of the examples from farm advisors here demonstrates the different ways in which they facilitate information flows within their organisations, as well as adding new ways to share these lessons with broader networks beyond the normal scope of their roles.

Since the commencement of the WFEA training program, male farm advisors from four organisations (two from NGOs, two from the private sector) started working in coalition with female field staff from other organisations to support the implementation of the WFEA. One male farm advisor from a private organisation reported that there is no female farm advisors within their organisation and therefore he had begun to collaborate with a female farm advisor from another local NGO to achieve common field extension goals and insure both women and men from the farming community were involved in their WFEA intervention (source: FD-17 December 2018).

Female farm advisors from NGOs (2/8) and private sector organisations (2/7) reported that they have established a network to work together across different organisational goals. For example, one female farm advisor from an NGO mentioned that she has networked with a private organisation within WFEA training to deliver training on fodder agronomy and to help her farmers source high-quality fodder seed (source: FD-25 June 2019). This underlines a role of the innovation broker in facilitating linkages among relevant actors who are willing to work together within the extension system.

There is one example of a private organisation who did not feel that this training program met their needs, and chose to leave the WFEA training program. The organisation joined in the beginning of the program in 2017 and their farm advisors participated in training activities until late 2018. However, due to changes in their organisational policy and a mandate shift to focus more on medium to large corporate dairy farmers, they no longer sent their farm advisors to participate in WFEA training workshops.

A large number of farm advisors from the NGOs (5/8), and private sector (5/7), research (2/5) and government (1/2) organisations explored ideas and shared potential solutions to various field challenges with other farm advisors at various facilitated discussions in the WFEA training workshops. One farm advisor from the private sector shared a potential solution regarding the lack of female extension staff. He utilised his knowledge and skills gained during the WFEA training to establish stronger relationships with farmers by using social and communication skills. These stronger relationships have helped build trust, and as a result, the farm advisor is not facing any issue to run male and female training in field, which is quite uncommon owing to the social norms in that area, which would usually require a local female extension officer to help facilitate (source: FD-17 December 2018). Another farm advisor from an NGO mentioned that his core job is to improve the livelihood of smallholder livestock farmers through improved on-farm practice change. He noted that the majority of farmers he worked with were unable to make animal sheds at their farms to implement improved husbandry practices because of financial constraints. Therefore, he advocated for those farmers and negotiated with his organisation to provide access to funding to support these changes. His organisation launched a scheme to provide interest-free loans to farmers of Rs. 50,000–200,000 to build animal sheds. This scheme has now been successfully running since 2019 (source: FD-17 December 2018) and illustrates an important role this farm advisor has played as an intermediary between the organisation and the farming communities he works with.

The majority of farm advisors from NGOs (6/8), and private sector (5/7), research (2/5) and government (1/2) organisations shared ideas with each other during facilitated discussions at the WFEA training workshops on how regular self-reflection and feedback from their management staff helped achieve both their routine job targets and organisational goals. For example, one farm advisor from an NGO reported that after becoming part of the WFEA network, he realised that majority of the technical messages he delivered to the farmers were wrong. Since participating in the WFEA training program, he is feeling much more confident and technically capable to solve the farm-level challenges of the farmers who are working with him (source: FD-25 June 2019).

A farm advisor from the private sector disclosed that he lacked technical expertise and had limited knowledge about livestock to share with farmers. When farmers queried him about their livestock, he often deferred responses, promising to provide answers later or consult technical team members within his organisation. This behaviour led to a decline in respect from farming communities. However, following participation in the WFEA training, his organisation appointed him as a master trainer to conduct training sessions for other extension staff. This recognition within his organisation boosted his confidence (source: FD-25 June 2019). Another male farm advisor from a private organisation shared that during their annual conference, he initially expressed reluctance to attend the WFEA training. However, on his manager’s encouragement, he decided to seize the opportunity. Prior to the WFEA training, there was no established feedback mechanism within their organisation (source: FD-25 June 2019). The majority of the farm advisors involved in the WFEA training program reported that their management staff found that their technical, social and communications skills have improved after being the part of WFEA network. As a result of this, the farm advisors have found that their relationships between (1) their organisation and farming communities and (2) their immediate supervisors have significantly improved. For example, one farm advisor from a private organisation shared that previously he had never updated his management staff regarding field activities or problems that he was facing. After becoming a part of the WFEA network, he started providing them with regular feedback. He reflected that he felt great honour when his line manager shared his pictures of field activities with other management staff and that it helped improve relationships and his status within his organisation (source: FD-17 December 2018).

A small number of farm advisors have reported on effecting changes in organisational policies after being the part of WFEA network. For example, one farm advisor from an NGO shared that all the technical lessons became the standard operating procedure within his organisation, including having farm-level targets, along with monitoring and evaluation plans to assess these. The aim is that all the field staff within their organisation have to achieve those targets at their registered farmers doorstep. For example, calf mortality should not be more than 5% and animal herd fertility should be more than 60%. The NGO is also providing the loan facility, quality of veterinary and artificial-insemination services to his target farming-community members to achieve those targets. The farm advisor learnt these technical lessons from the WFEA training and shared them with his higher management (source: FD-17 December 2019) and this helped them make the decision to include these as targets for their field staff. This demonstrates an essential role of the innovation broker in extension system facilitation, which is providing regular feedback and communication between farm advisors and their organisations, which can lead to process or systemic changes.

The present study aimed to understand how a holistic training intervention affects the innovation-brokering capacity of farm advisors in the livestock advisory services system of Pakistan. In this section, we discuss (1) capacity-building of farm advisors in the role of innovation brokers, (2) lessons from the intervention design and (3) key additional functions of innovation-brokering in a developing-country context.