Extension Service and Farm Productivity in Nepalese Agriculture

Agriculture extension services have been recognized as a complementary input for increasing farm productivity. Nepal has developed wide network of agriculture extension service over the last two decades. We examine the impact of agriculture extension service on farm productivity in Nepalese agriculture using a switching regression model. Using a panel data set obtained from the two waves of Nepal Living Standard Survey, we find that there is a significant difference in the farm productivity between the farmers who receive the extensive service and those who do not. Despite the benefits of agriculture extensive service, we identify underutilization of the available services as one of the major problems of extension service in Nepal