Science and Technology Mailing List Archive

["Eli Minja" <<address removed>>]

Dear Colleagues,

I concur with Pamela, Dick and Paul in that there is need to preserve 
and avail research information to stakeholders and especially the end 
users. 

Smallholder farmers in an on-going DFID project confirmed that when 
research information reaches them through the extension agents, they do 
not understand most of it unless it is demonstrated and they see how 
things happen.  Farmers also confirmed that they make changes to what 
they observe to suit their own conditions.  For example, an improved 
crop variety is demonstrated in an on-farm plot as a sole crop.  When 
farmers accept that variety and they have a small piece of land where 
sole cropping is rare, they interplant that variety with other crops or 
change the spacings. 

Farmers become confident if such changes are discussed with researchers 
and extension agents.  The weak point here is that most scientists 
hardly visit farmers to discuss such and instead they leave their 
juniors to handle most issues in the field where most junior staff are 
unable to view practical issues as a reality for the farmer.

It is coming out clearly that awareness among farmers is greatly 
increased when high level researchers, local policy makers and donor 
representatives (e.g. Donor Programme officers, ARI DGs and senior 
scientists, NGO coordinators, etc.) visit such farmers in their villages 
and share knowledge with them even for even 5 minutes in 5 years of a 
project. Sending the message in a leaflet or poster and junior staff 
only to a farmer may therefore not be enough particularly where the 
literacy level is low.  It is not possible to reach every farmer but a 
visit to one village in a country can stimulate farmers to spread the 
news through the local radio.

Farmers have also decided to preserve available information (including 
their own which has been generated by their research groups) by setting 
up village information centres (VICs).  Village community members are 
free to use the centres.  Farmers have further insisted on participating 
in developing and designing leaflets, posters, etc. to suit their level. 
 They volunteer to translate the material into their local languages.  
Copies of the extension materials have so far been distributed to 
project stakeholders at village, district, research institute and donor 
offices.  Electronic copies are also sent to donor offices and 
stakeholders with access to computers.  We hope to reach the web site 
soon. 

Eli Minja


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