The public sector extension services in which governments of less developed countries (LDCs) have invested large sums often at the behest of donors are achieving uneven impact, often at unsustainable high costs. Further, the fundamental premise of public sector extension - that low-income farmers are unlikely to obtain technical information unless it is provided by government - increasingly requires re-examination. This paper reviews the pressures facing conventional agricultural extension, examines the prospects of recent approaches that are participatory, institutionally pluralistic and geared towards cost-sharing, and suggests ways forward for governments.