Strengthening agricultural research-extension linkages in Malaysia

Explaining the challenges to strengthening agricultural research-extension linkages in Malaysia, Mr. Tapsir Serin, Deputy Director, Economic and Technology Management Research Center, Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) said national research-extension policies aim to advance agriculture in step with other sectors of the economy in order to realize the vision of making Malaysia a developed country by 2020. “In our point of view, to meet our goal, agriculture needs to move together with other sectors.” 

Mr. Serin introduced the concept of Research and Development and Commercialization (R&D&C) in agricultural development to take science to commercialization “What we produce should be commercialized.”

Technology transfer through extension services is a combination of knowledge, skills, technique and expertise covering the production of crops, livestock, fisheries, aquaculture and food processing. The beneficiaries are not only farmers but also the scientific community, small and medium industry, and the private sector. MARDI employs several mechanisms to transfer technology to beneficiaries such as publications, exhibitions, technology incubators, technical training, pilot projects and technical visits.

MARDI is successfully implementing R&D&C through many projects. It is recommended that R&D&C should be implemented selectively, based on customer needs and focus on products and appropriate technologies. “Technology is successfully adopted by users only if it fulfills their needs,” Mr. Serin emphasized.

There are still many challenges to strengthening research-extension linkages in Malaysia. Smallholder farmers cannot adopt high-cost technologies unless these are subsidised. Technologies should also be easily understood by farmers. For a sophisticated technology, it is better for the researcher to be involved in the extension process as an extension agent. Malaysia is restructuring agricultural agencies with the establishment of one-stop centres to provide agricultural services under one roof and to decentralize expertise to the district level.

Mr. Serin suggested incorporating R&D&C as an important component of the proposed Regional Action Framework for strengthening research-extension linkages in order to promote public-private partnerships in agribusiness.