Over the last 15 years working with smallholder farmers I have come to terms with the increasing importance of private agricultural extension services after the demise of public agricultural extension services. This is necessary as farmers need reliable information at the different stages of their production to optimize resources. In developing countries, after the introduction of the Internet and mobile phones, many farmers are still unable to use them because of their costs, and poor access to Internet infrastructure, and also some do not have sufficient knowledge on how to surf for information. Thereby, they rely solely on the services of extension workers. The demise of the public extension services created a big knowledge gap and affected the growth of the sector over the years.

The business case of private extension services is hinged on the assumption that every farmer needs support services that increase their yield directly and is willing to pay for it only if it brings a significant increase in their revenue as a result of the support services received. Services like market linkage and produce offtake are easy for farmers to pay for as they seem tangible but services like training and capacity development are intangible, they struggle to pay for them as they are perceived to be provided for free. Therefore, for private extension services, for the business model to be sustainable, there is a need for market development. So, having various markets developed gives more opportunities for the farmers and changes their needs over time.

In conclusion, the sustainability of the private agricultural extension service delivery depends on effective market development (with different market requirements) and the type of business models adopted in working with farmers (individuals, cooperatives, out growers, growers amongst others). It should be noted that transforming the agricultural sector in developing countries requires more information readily accessible to the farmers and this can be achieved faster through the development and support of private agricultural extension services. So, the market is key to satisfying the different needs of the consumers, knowledge is the power to produce to specifications. Therefore, knowledge is power but appropriate knowledge gives the right power to the farmers to achieve zero hunger.