LOCAL INSTITUTIONAL LINKAGES IN FARMING SYSTEMS RESEARCH AND EXTENSION

The purpose of this paper is to present an approach for improving local level linkages among research and extension institutions in Botswana. The approach is used to strengthen the impact of FSR specifically' and agricultural development in general. The primary linkage mechanism has been the Regional Coordinating Committee (RCC), an informal body composed of representatives from a wide range of agricultural development oriented institutions. The paper discusses how these committees function, and type of research-extension collaboration that have stemmed from their work. The RCCs have also improved government-NGO collaboration and coordination, and most importantly a more effective delivery of information and services to farmers. An important factor explaining the RCCs' success is their bottom-up approach to coordination, which stands in contrast with largely unsuccessful efforts to mandate coordination from the centre