The Sasakawa Africa Fund for Extension Education (SAFE) is a product of two development imperatives. One is to bring Africa's agricultural colleges and Universities much more squarely into the rural development process, through the creation of new innovative continuing education programmes. The second is to expand and strengthen the skills of frontline agricultural and rural change workers to serve the needs of smallholder farm families.

Agricultural advisory services are under increasing pressure to make a positive difference to the lives of smallholder farm families and the resource base they depend on. This pressure is creating new demands for agricultural education, not only in terms of appropriate curricula, but also in the mode of instruction.

SAFE has taken the lead in developing responsive, custom-made agricultural education and rural leadership programmes that reach out to an ever-changing mix of develoment professionals that work directly with rural people to improve their livelihoods.