Evolution of Agricultural Services in Sub-Saharan Africa : Trends and Prospects

This paper traces the evolution of World Bank support to agricultural services, particularly agricultural extension and research in Sub-Saharan Africa. It describes the Bank's experience with the implementation of national programs in agricultural extension and research and how these are evolving to face the problems of the future. The paper concludes that participation of the beneficiaries in the design and implementation of programs is critical and will ensure the programs' convergence towards rural development.