Labour productivity remains low, amounting to 23.3% of Malaysia’s and 37% of Thailand’s in 2010. Extension services face several challenges, including limited human resources, the dominance of a top-down approach, a lack of services tailored to different types of farms, a weak participation of the private sector, and poor monitoring system. Most agricultural research is carried out by state research agencies with limited funding and not able to meet the practical requirements of farmers and private enterprises.