Going beyond FADN: The use of additional data to gain insights into extension service use across European Union member states

Abstract

This paper examines the use of extension services by farm households across eight European Union (EU) Member States, exploring the type of extension service engaged with, the degree of engagement and the type of information sought. The impact of extension on economic, environmental and social sustainability is also considered. European data utilised are those collected from a pilot sample of 820 households in 2015/2016 as part of the EU Framework 7 project FLINT, from which the Irish results are incorporated further with Irish Farm Accountancy Data Network data. The results outline the key contrasts across the countries investigated and suggest that the degree to which households engage with extension services is primarily influenced by national policies. In addition, this analysis indicates that the extent of this engagement has implications for sustainability at the farm level. The final conclusions and policy recommendations in this paper support the development of a large-scale version of the FLINT pilot survey.