Preparing for PRA before fieldwork Site selection Selection

Preparing for PRA before fieldwork

Site selection • Selection of the action or field site is often associated with objectives of the FEAST • Sites are either selected purposively or randomly • • Purposive selection occurs where there is consensus on core research issues, contributing factors are known, variation and distributions are of less importance. While random selection occurs where there is need for identification of critical factors, interpretation of variation and distributions. Use the approach that best suits project objectives.

Advance preliminary scoping exercise with local stakeholders Visit to the area in advance to meet key local stakeholders i. e. local leadership and key farmers To collect secondary information and identify key informants in the community To understand target crop and livestock production systems To understand agro ecological factors prevailing in the area To find out if there exists any farmers groups in the community that could be an entry point Obtain clearance from local administrative officials

Forming PRA teams and farmer groups for PRA • PRA technical team: – Identify a team of members to collect reliable and precise information. – Pay attention to the composition (multidisciplinary) • Forming a farmer group for PRA: – Assemble farmers at a point of common interest – Assembly point should take into account social cultural needs of the community – Assembly point should be as central and accessible as possible to most participants

Select farmers evenly across the village Meeting point Farmers selected for PRA

Assembling farmers for PRA Invite a representative group of approximately 15 -25 men and women farmers to a ½ day meeting to assess the constraints and opportunities for improving livestock feeding systems. Follow up discussions with relevant stakeholders and visits to local farms to ground-truth the earlier discussions and to provide an opportunity for further discussion.

Key criteria for selecting participants for PRA A. B. C. D. Ethnic group Religion Gender Education level

Implementing a FEAST PRA interview with farmers

Setting the scene for FEAST PRA sessions • Report at the PRA sites well ahead of time • Before the meeting starts observe the local/social protocols • Conduct introductions • Explain the objectives of the Focused group discussions • Set timings of proceedings – That the PRA will take about 2½ hours – That 6 -9 farmers will be selected for individual interview – That the individual exercise will take a further 1 hour • Set rules and regulations for PRA together with participants

Record of the interview • To carry out an effect FEAST exercise the key roles required for PRA are: – A lead facilitator – Two note takers – A time keeper • Recording the details of interview is very important. In order to take good notes: – Record what is said and what is not said but can be detected – Record details of what is observed (the process) – Record who said it (gender, age, wealth and social status etc. )

Semi structured interviewing (SSI) • Overall, good facilitation has a great bearing on the quality of PRA findings. The key points for sensitive interviewing include: – Focus on how to ask questions. – Focus on assessing quality of information and need to listen, observe, probe, and judge. – Focus on group dynamic- conflict, attitudes, dominance etc. and how to deal with it. • Semi structured interviewing is a complex process. Hence one need to be aware of core elements SSI. (view handout) – Team work – Listening and learning – Probing – Cross-checking – Recording

Implementation of FEAST individual interviews during fieldwork

Selecting farmers for individual FEAST interviews • At the end of the group PRA section of the survey 9 individuals should be selected that represent the various classes of farmers

Selection process guide • In section 1. 1 of Annex 1 on page 1, the average farm size is determined. Use this figure as a starting point to determine: – how much land is small (below average land size) – how much land is medium (above average land size) – how much land is large (above average land size) The cut-off points between the various categories of herd size should be determined by the group of farmers during the PRA section of the questionnaire Select 3 farmers from each category (total of 9 farmers) be interviewed.

Selecting farmers for individual interviews • In extensive systems and or where there is freehold or communal land tenure systems number of livestock should be used to categorize the different farmer types: – How many livestock small keepers have (below average herd size). – How many livestock medium keepers have (average herd size). – How many livestock large keepers have (above average herd size. The cut-off points between the various categories of herd size should be determined by the group of farmers during the PRA section of the questionnaire Select 3 farmers from each category (total of 9 farmers) be interviewed.

Recording information • Based on the above information, determine the distribution of farmers in the area, i. e. percentage of farmers in the area that would be considered small, medium and large. Record this information in the table below. Category of farmer Landless Small farmer Medium farmer Large farmer - Range of land size 0 % of households that fall into the category After this table has been filled, select three individuals from each category (small, medium and large). Try to select individuals that have land holdings towards the middle of each category.

Record details of selected farmers • A total of nine individuals should be selected for further interview. Category of farmer Small Medium Large - Name of farmer 1. 2. 3. Contact number This will mark the end of the group PRA section of the survey and pave way for individual interviews Thank the unselected farmers for their time and explain how this information will be used.

Audience response quiz 2 • What criteria is used to select farmers who participate in individual interviews? A. B. C. D. Gender Landholding Group membership Village of origin

Criteria to select farmers for individual interviews A. Gender B. Landholding C. Group membership D. Village of origin

Acknowledgements This work is financed by the ……. . It is implemented in a partnership with MENTION MAJOR PARTNERS. It contributes to the CGIAR Research Program on NAME (NO number). ”

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