This book analyses the relevance of agricultural extension to poverty and how far the system facilitates economic and social development among small and marginal farmers. The analytical framework is supported by empirical material - primary data in Bolivia, Colombia, Nicaragua, Uganda; secondary data in a range of countries including India. This makes for authoritative conclusions on the scope for action by governments and donors and will be of interest to policy-makers, technocrats, and NGOs concerned with the design and delivery of assistance programmes, researchers, agricultural universities, and students concerned with extension issues.