Participatory Agricultural Development

Farmer-First Process Design

The problem is not one of producing enough food in the world. It is more of who grows it, where it is grown, and who has access to it.

Robert Chambers, 1993

Three Types of Agriculture

Industrial Green Revolution

Diverse, Risk-Prone

Industrialized countries,

Plantations in developing countries.

Developing countries, resource rich areas.

3rd world, resource poor areas and countries.

“Poorest of the Poor”

Industrial Green Revolution

Diverse, Risk-Prone

Over-production.

Very high external inputs.

Simple, stable systems.

High, continuous inputs from research

High-production.

High external inputs.

Simple, fairly stable systems.

Frequent inputs from research.

Undeveloped, low production.

Low external inputs.

Complex, diverse environment.

Low to none.

Diverse Risk-Prone Farming Systems

• Complex environment.• Many crops/ species/

animals.• Risk-prone, climate,

prices, sickness, social/physical disasters

• Diverse –many farming systems.

• Small to very small holdings. >6acres.

Is technology being transferred to Diverse Risk-Prone areas?

How well?

• Formal Transfer– Agricultural Schools.– Government Research

Stations.– NGO Demonstration /

Training Farms.

• Informal Transfer– Being there, working

with entrepreneurial groups and persons.

• Peace Corps.• Mission Workers

Participatory Agricultural Development

• Participatory

• Community ownership and empowerment

• Use of local resources

• Individual to individual transfer of technology

• Holistic

A. Selecting Villages

CHE Villages With Agricultural Needs

What do we have to offer?

• Particular skills, knowledge and technologies.

• Is our expertise relevant to farmers needs?

Where will we be likely to have the most impact?

• Do many farmers in this village have an important problem which we can help solve?

• Is there local support, leaders?

• Person who is a “champion”?

• Spiritual atmosphere for cooperation, learning together?

• Where people trust each other.

B. Agreeing To Work Together

• Confirm that there is real potential for participatory agricultural development.

C. Participatory Diagnosis Villagers meet to:

• Identify and prioritize which problems to solve or opportunities to develop.

• Identify who in the village is most affected by these problems, and

• Nominate who in the village will be responsible for working together to solve these problems.

• Outcome: Agreement on which problems to solve or opportunities to develop, and how to work together to find solutions.

Participatory diagnosis is not just a process to extract information from farmers. It is the first step in engaging with a village as partners in finding solutions.

Is there real potential for working in this village?

1. Are there problems or opportunities which the farmers consider important enough to commit their time in working towards a solution?

2. Are there many farmers and other villages who have the same problem?

3. Are some farmers already trying to solve this problem?

4. Are there potential solutions which you can offer farmers (and which can provide substantial benefits)?

5. Is the CHE Committee/Program functioning well?

6. Does the CHE Committee and local champion(s) share the vision for agricultural development?

C. Participatory Diagnosis:Step 1. Planning –village walk

• Learn about the village. Familiarize yourself with the farming system by walking through the area and holding discussions with village leaders and farmers.

• Decide who in the village would like to attend the participatory diagnosis. Ask “Am I going to reach the farmers who are most likely to benefit from what I have to offer?”

• Identify your ‘interest group’. Make sure they are well represented.

C. Participatory Diagnosis:Step 2: Identifying major issues

–village meeting

• Explain objectives.• Encourage active participation.• Define social groups. • Discuss major farming issues.• List, discuss and prioritize the

most important problems now facing the village.

C. Participatory Diagnosis:Step 3: Agree on a plan of action

–village meeting• Come to an agreement on

which problems or opportunities to address.

• Ask the villagers to nominate a small group of farmers with particular interest to work on behalf of the village (focus group).

• Agree on a time to start working in the focus-group in search for technology options to test.

C. Participatory Diagnosis: Searching for technology options: Step 1: Analyze the problems:

(Problem-cause diagram).

Step 2: Searching for potential solutions:

(discussion/games).

Step 3: Deciding which options to test.

Farmers are keen experimenters and will want quick action once they have decided which options to test!

D. Testing Options-Starting small

• Start on a small scale. Minimizes risk and gives opportunity to experiment with the options. Design to answer questions: i.e., “Do my animals like to eat these varieties”. “How well does each variety grow in the dry season”.

• Keep the trials simple. Large numbers of technology options are difficult for farmers to manage and compare.

• Encourage farmers to ‘play with’ the

technology options. Farmers adapt rather than adopt. They are looking for ‘ingredients’ or ‘building blocks’ which they can put together in innovative ways to fit their particular needs.

D. Testing OptionsHow to test options

Step 1: Planning how to test the options

• What characteristics of the new technologies they would like to measure and when are they planning to do these measurements?

• How to test the technologies? In a group at one location, or on each farmers land?

• Include a control treatment which compares farmers’ practice with the new innovation.

D. Testing OptionsHow to test options

Step 2: Testing the options –support needed…

• Locating materials needed for the technology options (e.g., seed),

• Helping farmers establish their trials,

• Making regular visits soon after establishment, and,

• Regular follow-up visits to discuss progress and help resolve the simple problems that inevitably arise at this early stage.

Providing this active support for farmers will encourage them and build their confidence.

D. Testing OptionsHow to test options

Step 3: Evaluating the results.

• Regular monitoring.• Measurements.• Understanding experiences

(Preference Analysis).

As farmers test and adapt new technologies they are continually evaluating them. They are looking for benefits, problems, and ways of using them on a larger scale. You need to understand options farmers prefer or reject and reasons for choices.