Experiences Training in TaroWorksAndrew Zacharias, Monitoring & Evaluation

TaroWorks Customer Sharing SessionMarch 23, 2015

Introduction to TREES• Trees for the Future is dedicated to planting trees with rural communities in

the developing world, enabling them to restore their environment, grow more food, and build a sustainable future.

• We work with small holder farmers to create intensively managed, agroforestry systems that utilize vertical layers to produce food and marketable products, called Forest Gardens.

Introduction to TREES• Active in seven (7) countries across Africa

Senegal

Mali

Cameroon

Uganda

Tanzania

Ethiopia

Kenya

• 15 active project locations

How TaroWorks Helps Us• To record and organize a variety of metrics on SF database

Land use change

Planting habits

Number of trees planted

Crop varieties

Food access

Food security

Economic resilience

Local Group information (name, location, general demographics)

2014 Rollout: East Africa• April 2014, Moshi, Tanzania

Purchased and prepared 20 Android devices (Samsung Minis)

Trained 17 Field Staff

Hardware usage & maintenance

TaroWorks usage & maintenance

Data collection processes & techniques

Reporting timelines

2014 Training Format• Theory (~3 hours)

What data we are collecting and why

PowerPoint Presentation

Main benefits:

Understanding the survey questions’ intents and purposes

• Practicals (~3 hours classroom, ~1.5 hours field)

Classroom role playing activities

Very structured scenarios to track correct responses

Field based role playing activities

Completed mock jobs during field visits

Main benefits:

Experience navigating a possibly new technology

Experience accessing the correct surveys for the appropriate situations

Experience working with real participant farmers to complete jobs

2014 Training Format continued…• Distance Training

Attendants acting as trainers to other Field Staff not in attendance

Ongoing assistance

Technical support

Assistance on following the established reporting guidelines

Main benefit:

Increased the training event’s impact by including more Field Staff

Increased effectiveness of training by improving coordination of activities

2014 Training: Lessons Learned• Reserve enough time for device setup

Be sure devices are compatible with the requirements listed on the TaroWorks website

• There WILL be hiccups, but avoid fixing surveys while deploying

Explain the issue and move on if possible

Time is finite and it is often best to make necessary adjustments after/between sessions

• There exists varying degrees of technological aptitude amongst participants

Field Staff are generally excited to adopt new practices and technologies

Keep language simple and clear

Avoid unnecessarily lengthy and technical explanations, but be open with those individuals who have inquiring minds

• Role Playing is an effective strategy for training. Use it wherever possible.

2015 Rollout: Cameroon & East Africa• New Surveys and M&E Plan

New metrics

USAID Household Dietary Diversity Score Survey, USAID Household Food Insecurity Access Scale Survey, USAID Household Resilience Capacities Survey, and TREES Technical Data Form

New Timelines and Sample Selection Protocol

• Cameroon

Five (5) Field Staff being trained

First exposure to TaroWorks and new surveys

• East Africa

12 Field Staff being trained

Review of TaroWorks

First exposure to new surveys

2015 Training Format• Theory (~2 hours)

Similar to 2014’s Training Format

Explained the “Logical Framework” behind the metrics chosen for the surveys

Review of the TaroWorks jobs available to Field Staff

What surveys they included

When to complete the jobs

• Practicals (~4 hours)

Utilized the Role Playing methodologies employed in 2014

Both in-class room and field based activities

Less structured question-answer format

Focused more on the mechanics of accessing and navigating TaroWorks jobs and selecting the correct job for the correct situation

Led to great in-depth discussions of survey questions and intent

2015 Training: Lessons Learned• Device setup gets easier with more practice

• Role playing activities led to some great conversations about survey question intent

Be aware of language barriers and translation issues

Should reserve more time in future training events for similar discussions and additional practice time

• Great feedback on the Ethics portion of the presentation

Develop additional training material to improve Staff-Participant discourse