Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
and Scholes, 1990) were constructed for institutions, associations, organizations,
social groups, and cooperatives with membership from the study site. Focus groups
designed along group boundaries were used to obtain group specific data. These
were compared to data generated in presentations to account for instances when
participants are unable or unwilling to speak or act in the presence of others. Where
complex and messy problem situations (such as lack of a cooperative context, people
unable to speak or act publicly, unbridgable conflicts of interest, irreconcilable
contradictions, and differences in perspectives) existed, soft systems methodology
(Checkland and Scholes, 1990) was adopted. The use of soft systems methodology is
described in Chapter 5.
3.2.2 i
n i t i A l
C
o n t A C t
w i t h
C
o m m u in i t i e s
i n
t h e
s
t u D y
s
i t e s
The initial contact with communities in the intensive study sites (ISSs) was through
public meetings. First, an awareness campaign was carried out in the selected areas
through administration officials (chiefs and assistant chiefs) and in churches and
markets using posters and presentations as well as by word of mouth through elders,
opinion leaders, and agricultural extension staff. Suitable dates and venues for pub-
lic meetings were identified through consultation with local elders and government
officials. All people living near the selected study site were invited to the meeting.
The agenda of the meeting was described as a discussion of development, health,
agricultural, and environmental issues in the area. The date and venue of the public
meeting were similarly publicized. Meetings began with self-introductions and an
explanation of the objectives. This was followed by an outline of the objectives and
methods of the entire project. Participants were asked to share their fears and expec-
tations with regard to the proposed processes and methods and whether they were
willing to participate. Dates, time commitment, venues, and other itinerary of initial
participatory workshops were discussed and agreement reached.
3.2.3 i
n i t i A l
v
i l l A g e
p
A r t i C i pAt of r y
w
o r k s h o p s
Initial participatory workshops were held in each of the six ISSs with the objective of
facilitating residents to describe the study sites systemically in terms of holarchical
structure, physical boundaries, resource endowment, institutional structure, histori-
cal background, social structure, farming system characteristics, pest and disease
dynamics, constraints to human well-being and productivity, and coping strategies.
The workshops were held from 7 July to 3 October, 1997. A workshop in each vil-
lage lasted between 5 and 10 days, depending on the working hours chosen by par-
ticipants. Facilitators in these workshops were a team of PAR-trained researchers
and research assistants from the University of Nairobi and PAR-trained agricultural
extension staff and government departmental officials in the district.
After a brief introductory review of the agenda of the workshop, a description of
the steps of an action research process and of the objectives and proposed methods
of the project was provided. Table 3.1 shows the sequencing of the participatory
techniques used in the initial workshops. Transect routes were decided on in a par-
ticipatory process, with the social and resource maps as a guide. The main criteria
for their selection were topography and location of various resources. In all villages,
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