Ernst Gabathuler Boeken

The main objective of this book is to demonstrate the potential that geoprocessing tools have for supporting rural extension and development. The focus is on the Global Positioning System (GPS), virtual globes, and simple geographic information systems (GIS). Remote sensing – the analysis and manipulation of satellite images – is not included, owing to its complexity. Based on examples, and without any claim to comprehensiveness, the book offers a range of insights into the use of these geoprocessing tools in interventions in the context of international development cooperation. The aim is to encourage extensionists and rural advisors who work with communities and have little or no experience with mapping tools to start using them whenever this makes sense and adds value to their initiatives and projects. Rural advisors with stronger technical skills in GIS and mapping will find inspiring examples of projects that have successfully made use of these tools – examples.

This book focuses on effectively reaching small-scale farmers and providing the necessary support for improved livelihoods through agriculture. Approximately 2.6 billion people, or 40% of the global population, depend on agriculture, with rural poverty accounting for over two-thirds of worldwide poverty. Most farmers operate small-scale farms, and the 2008 report from the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) raised doubts about achieving the Millennium Development Goal of halving poverty by 2015, especially for those reliant on small-scale farming. Agricultural extension has evolved over the past century in industrialized nations and for about fifty years in developing countries, primarily aimed at enhancing productivity. However, current environmental challenges, such as climate change and resource degradation, have gained importance. Since 1975, agricultural land has been decreasing, while the number of people in farming continues to grow, despite many being pushed out of agriculture. The book advocates for an integrative, learning-oriented approach to extension that promotes economic, ecological, and social dimensions of rural sustainability. It features two case studies demonstrating this innovative method, “learning for sustainability,” applied in Madagascar and Mongolia. This book is highly recommended for anyone involved in rural extension in both developed and develop