ANNUAL REPORT 2002 CIAT PROJECT SN-3 Editor: Carlos A. Quirós Susan Kaaria Translator: Trudy Brekelbaum October 2002 CONTENTS Project Overview Objective Description Outputs Gains Milestones Users Collaborators Linkages with CGIAR System CIAT Project Linkages Output 1. Participatory research approaches analytical tools and indigenous knowledge that lead to the incorporation of farmers´ and other end-users´needs in integrated agroecosystem management, developed for interested R&D institutions (580 kb) Output 2. Strategies and organizational procedures for procedures for PR, developed (904 kb) Output 3. Professionals and others trained as facilitators of the participatory research approach (816 kb) Output 4. Materials and information on participatory research approaches, analytical tools, indigenous knowledge and organizational principles, developed (1184 kb) Output 5. Impact of SN-3 project activities documented (1504 kb) Output 6. Internal projects and other institutions supported and strengthened in conducting PR (193 kb) Output 7. Capacity of the SN-3 team, strengthened (211 kb) OUTPUT 1. PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH APPROACHES ANALYTICAL TOOLS AND INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE THAT LEAD TO THE INCORPORATION OF FARMERS´ AND OTHER END-USERS´NEEDS IN INTEGRATED AGROECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT, DEVELOPED FOR INTERESTED R&D INSTITUTIONS MILESTONES ✴ Model for building capacity of farmers in participatory breeding, evaluated ✴ Appropriate participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) system for Bolivia, developed ✴ Model for building capacity in establishing and supporting participatory monitoring and Evaluation systems, developed ✴ Methodology for analyzing the institutionalization of participatory approaches, tested ✴ Framework for analyzing institutionalization of participatory approaches, developed ✴ New technologies to address soil-fertility issues related to market-orientated production, that are accessible to women and the poor, identified. ✴ A more diverse range of improved soil-fertility management technologies adopted by farmers, especially women and the poor, and widely disseminated to communities. ✴ Capacity of rural communities for identifying and selecting sustainable enterprises that generate income and employment, and diversify the range of options open to farmers, improved Complementing Farmers’ Genetic Knowledge: Farmer Breeding Workshop, Turipaná, Colombia, 29 Oct-1 Nov 20011 Researchers: Luis Alfredo Hernández R2, Nadine Saad3, Nelson Morante4 Introduction Genetic conservation and improvement depends, among other things, on the action of local people (CBD, 1994). We know that farmers are extremely knowledgeable about their crops and that they continuously experiment with them and with new materials arriving from various sources (Richards, 1989). Certain farmers are locally recognized as having “expert” knowledge about agrobiodiversity. They are the farmers who stand out during participatory breeding and conservation exercises for their knowledge, experience, interest and dedication to plant genetic resources. One way of ensuring that agrobiodiversity is not lost is to encourage these local experts to continue experimenting 1 Description of poster presented at International Symposium: Managing Biodiversity in Agricultural Ecosystems, Montreal, Canada, 8-10 Nov 2001. 2 SN-3 Project 3 CGIAR Systemwide Program for Participatory Research and Gender Analysis (PRGA) 4 IP-3 CIAT Project 15 with, conserving and enhancing their genetic resources. There are many ways of going about this. This workshop explored the feasibility and methods for complementing farmer experts’ knowledge and skills in the enhancement and conservation of agrobiodiversity. The idea of using skill enhancement as a way of encouraging local people to conserve and enhance biodiversity is not new (McGuire et al., 1999; Pelegrina, 2000), but it is one that has not been studied systematically or in depth. This workshop was planned as part of a project called "Participatory Plant Breeding with Women and Small Farmers in Africa and Latin America," funded by DfID and backstopped by CIAT and the PRGA Program. During the first phases of this project at the Latin American site - the Atlantic Coast Region of Colombia - farmers evaluated 32 cassava clones, of which they selected 5. During the final phase of the project, a select group of the participating farmers attended the workshop in order to learn how to make crosses with these five clones. The specific objectives of the workshop were to show the farmers the origins of experimental varieties (including those that they had been evaluating during the project); to explore their knowledge about genetics and breeding; to find out whether they considered it useful to know how to make crosses and understand heredity; to enhance their skills in making crosses, obtaining seed (and selecting in populations); to reaffirm their varietal selection skills; and to motivate them to develop an action plan to follow up the workshop in their communities. This article is a brief account of the workshop - the participants, the methodology and the lessons that we learned in this first attempt at enhancing farmer-breeders' skills in the Atlantic Coast Region of Colombia. Farmer- Breeders’ Workshop Participants. Selection of participants was done by the field technicians of the project, based on the following criteria: o Involvement in the cassava varietal selection project o Interest in breeding o Desire to continue the breeding process on their farms o Experimenter quality (the person has made selections or experiments on his/her farms by his/her own initiative) o Leadership, organizer and/or communicator quality In addition to these criteria, we sought a gender balance within the group and a representative variety of production objectives. The workshop was conducted with 13 resource-poor farmers (6 women, 7 men) from several communities in the Atlantic Coast region of Colombia. All the participants had been involved in the varietal selection project for a number of years. In addition to cassava, they grow various cross-pollinated crops, and around 50% of them breed gamecocks and other animals. All the participants were literate, except for two of the women who got help from the other participants and the workshop facilitators. 16 Content and methodology. The workshop content included modules on the following themes: methods of plant reproduction and basic genetics: heredity, flowering and pollination, true seed and seedlings, variability and segregation, varietal evaluation and selection. Each module began with an exploration of participants’ knowledge so as to start from what they already knew. Activities and exercises were planned around their experiences, and small group learning was emphasized. There were practical field sessions on flower identification and manual pollination, and many visual didactic materials were used. Different methods were used to address and to explain different topics. At the beginning of the workshop “ice-breaking” activities helped the participants to get to know each other and to learn one another’s names. The facilitators also used these activities to introduce an element of the topic of the workshop by adding two questions to the introductions of each participant: Which of your parents do you look like? What are the main problems you face with your crops at the moment? The participants’ answers to these questions later helped to contextualize discussions on heredity and breeding objectives. Brainstorming was used quite frequently during the workshop to decide among the participants, for example, the ground rules of the workshop and to explore their expectations. It was also useful in the exploration of the participants’ knowledge about what breeding is, what the different types of plant reproduction are, together with their respective advantages and limitations, and what is needed for successful breeding. While on some occasions the brainstorming worked nicely for pooling the participants’ thoughts on a particular subject, the success of this method depended greatly on how and whether the question was understood by the participants, and also, naturally, on the degree of confidence that each participant felt in speaking out. An activity that was particularly successful was one in which the participants worked in small groups, drawing (or otherwise explaining) their own experiences of crossing animals and plants. They were asked to discuss their experiences in their groups and to select one to share with all the participants. Each group explained which two parents were crossed and why and what was the outcome and why. This was an important activity because it further contextualized the content of the workshop and enlightened the facilitators as to the extent and areas of the participants' knowledge (and gaps therein). One of the participants had a particularly interesting experience for the group and the facilitators. Don Ignacio crossed a gamecock with a wild hen, but he thought that it had been unsuccessful as all the offspring were, in his words, “cowards.” He had thought that a cross between these two parents would result in “tigers,” in other words, strong, aggressive and brave fighting animals. Needless to say, he was very disappointed to see that they did not win any cockfights. During the discussion, two participants opposed Ignacio’s opinion. One woman (Doña Elcy) told him that his roosters were not “cowards” unless they refused to fight. On the contrary, she explained that because they did not flee but remained in the ring until they were almost killed by their opponents, they were very valuable animals and should be used to make further crosses. In this way 17 their remarkable bravery could be passed on to the next generation and perhaps be combined with better fighting qualities. Another participant (Don Pedro) said that what was important in breeding is follow-up, explaining that it was important that Ignacio not give up after the first cross because some traits are not manifested in the first generation. This example and others were used throughout the workshop by both the participants and the facilitators to talk about different heredity concepts. A similar activity, conducted near the end of the workshop, was one in which the participants were given drawings of cassava plants to use as hypothetical progenitors. They were asked to draw the offspring of two generations of crosses and to show which plants they would discard and why. This served to review different types of heredity using specific cassava traits and to discuss selection pressures within first generation populations. Various practical sessions were important in the workshop. The first was one in which each farmer was given a branch of a cassava plant with male flowers and one with female flowers. In pairs they were asked to compare and note the differences in structure and characteristics. Important components were identifying which flowers were ready for pollination and which were not, and later, practice making crosses - both essential for breeding and not immediately obvious to the farmers. This was repeated by a field visit during which each farmer could practice identifying flowers and making crosses. As a complement to this activity, two large model flowers made of cardboard were used to show and practice identifying the essential parts of both masculine and feminine flowers. Different parts of the flower were removable from the base of the model flowers to allow farmers to place them appropriately and explain their functions. Another practical activity was one in which small groups of farmers were given packets of true cassava seed to note and discuss their characteristics and differences. During this session seed selection, viability, storage and germination were addressed. Practical sessions were essential to the farmers and extremely effective in explaining the manual aspects of the workshop. Several of the modules of the workshop, particularly the ones on basic heredity and on flowering and making crosses, were greatly enhanced by the use of slides (for example with photos of different varieties and different crop reproduction methods, of cassava flowers and fruit in different stages of development, and of the process of hybridization). These sessions were accompanied by basic explanations given by the breeder-facilitator and were essential complements to the practical sessions and the activities. Preliminary results o We learned that although the farmers had substantial knowledge about heredity due to their experience in breeding animals, much of the content on cassava breeding (crosses and work with early generations) was in fact new and very relevant to them. Despite their being new, these concepts were not too complex for the farmers as some of our colleagues had warned. 18 o As a result of the workshop, the participants can now implement a full cassava breeding cycle understanding phenotype, genotype, dominant and recessive traits, variability and segregation. They can identify feminine and masculine cassava flowers (and their main organs) and know when they are ready for crossing and how to make a cross, protect a pollinated flower and harvest and plant true seeds. o A workshop facilitators’ guide as well as a farmer-breeders’ guide will be developed. Conclusions One of the objectives of the workshop was to explore the farmers’ knowledge about breeding and heredity. As a result of our exploration we discovered that the participants did indeed have considerable knowledge about heredity and breeding, mostly from their experiences with breeding animals. This was extremely useful during the explanations of concepts because the main challenge was to make sure that all the participants had the same level of knowledge (those that knew more could explain to the others) and to make the association between animals and plants. What none of the farmers in this workshop knew beforehand was that crosses could be made in cassava, that this crop can be planted from true seed, and that in this way, traits from one variety can be “transferred” to another. Some of the participants had harvested volunteer plants but had not given them too much importance nor thought. As a result of the workshop the participants have developed action plans to follow up on the workshop in their communities. These action plans include crossing some of their own materials and passing on the knowledge they acquired to other members of their communities. In reflecting on this workshop it is important to ask what we can expect to be the broader and longer term outcomes of farmer-breeder skill building and in what ways we can ensure that these are positive and sustained. o We must be realistic and cautious about the possible genetic gains and dangers. We know that genetic variability can be a serious limiting factor for farmer breeders (McGuire et al., 1999). Does enhancing farmer-breeders skills really solve this problem? In some cases it could; in others, no. Much depends on what is already in the field, what other materials are accessible to farmers through formal and informal channels, and what are the objectives of farmer-breeders and their communities. The danger of enhancing farmer-breeders skills is a concern of conservationists who fear farmers will lose traits and perhaps varieties by outcrossing them. Although this is possible, it is not likely to happen very quickly nor on a very broad scale. If participant farmers are carefully selected on the basis of their conscientiousness of the value of their varieties and of specific traits, it is unlikely that too many crosses among varieties could dissipate local varieties. A more realistic danger is that farmers’ expectations are held too high and that they lose a lot of time and resources trying to attain unrealistic gains in the short term. The management of expectations is an essential component of farmer-breeding workshops. 19 o We know that farmer skill-building is an empowering approach, one that enhances their skills, knowledge, awareness, control, independence, etc. This is an important objective in many participatory plant breeding projects as well as in numerous development projects. It is essential however to note who is really being empowered and at the possible expense of whom. Social relations are extremely important in rural communities and in farmers’ agrobiodiversity strategies. The empowerment of one or more expert farmers in a community can change social relations and deepen inequities. It is important to keep this in mind when selecting participants and planning a workshop. o Farmer breeder-skill building is not the only type of encouragement for biological conservation and enhancement. Other incentives include (a) identifying niche markets and developing specific marketing strategies for local produce (Wasik, 1996); (b) raising awareness of the existence and importance of genetic diversity (often done through local “diversity fairs”); and (c) developing policy measures that include intellectual property protection for local varieties (Brush, 2000). It is important that farmer breeding workshops not be held in a vacuum and that they are related or linked to other activities related to local varieties that are taking place in the locality. o Although farmer-breeder skill-building has been proposed as an approach (or an element of an approach) to genetic conservation and enhancement, it has not yet been elaborated nor tested as such. This workshop is one of the first attempts at implementing a farmer-breeding workshop, but the broader, longer term outcomes have yet to be seen. References Convention on Biodiversity. 1994. Convention on biological diversity text and annexes. Interim Secretariat for the Convention on Biological Diversity, pp 90-96 Geneva. Guire, S.; Manicad, G.; Sperling, L. 1999. Technical and institutional issues in participatory plant breeding Done from a perspective of farmer plant breeding. PRGA (Participatory Research and Gender Analysis) Program. Cali, CO. p 87-.96. (Working Document # 2) Pelegrina, D. 2000. SEARCE, Philippines. Personal communication. Richards, P. 1989. Farmers also experiment: A neglected intellectual resource in African science. Discovery and Innovation 1(1):19-25. The issues of in situ conservation of crop genetic resources 2000. In: Brush (ed.). Genes in the field: On- farm conservation of crop diversity. IDRC/IPGRI Lewis Publischers, Montana State A&M University College Station, U.S.A. pp 57-80. Wasik, J.F.1996. Green marketing and management: A global perspective. Blackwell Business, Cambridge, MA. p. 66-75. 20 Developing an appropriate PME system for Bolivia Researchers:1 S.Kaaria, L.A.Hernandez, and E. Claros These are the results of a PME Evaluation Workshop conducted in Bolivia, the purpose of which was to analyze existing PME experiences in order to develop an appropriate system in the country context. The specific workshop objectives were to: o Share experiences emerging from PME implementation activities o Identify a group of people interested in PME research for future collaborative activities o Develop an appropriate PME system for Bolivia o Develop plans for proceeding with the project Results and discussions It was evident throughout the workshop that the establishment of a PME system is a slow process that involves learning and adapting throughout. The establishment process must involve research to identify what works and what does not in each specific context. This requires that the PME system be adapted according to the context for each project and community. Below is a summary of the key issues identified during the PME evaluation workshop: Building on local knowledge systems In Bolivia, we found that rural communities have indigenous systems for monitoring and evaluating change and progress. Thus one conclusion of the workshop was that it would be crucial to build on these indigenous M&E processes to ensure success. Several strategies were discussed: o Conducting an initial diagnosis prior to the establishment of a PME system to understand informal and formal PME systems existing in the community o Conducting an assessment of how the local PME systems function and how to establish linkages with these existing systems • • Develop a local vocabulary for the different concepts of PME. This is fundamental, not only for enhancing communication with the communities but also for building their capacity to understand and apply these systems. It is also helpful to identify appropriate examples of PME based on the community's livelihood and common activities. Linking PME systems to the project planning and implementation process 1 Researchers of the PR, SN-3 CIAT Project 21 The PME process can also be used to plan with the community. This would ensure that indicators for change are developed at the beginning of the project as part of the planning process and can therefore be monitored throughout the project cycle. One of the strategies can involve integrating PME as a component of the CIAL project planning process. On the other hand, in existing CIALs, their research objective would be incorporated into the PME and would be one of the objectives monitored by the group. Clarification and agreement on objectives to be monitored It is important to make sure that the objectives are clarified and that they are developed by the community (as opposed to outside researchers involved in the project). This can include making sure that the PME system belonging to the community focuses only on issues important to the group and collects information that the group finds useful from their perspective. o It is crucial to understand that community objectives are much broader than just the experimentation process. During the workshop we found that there was some confusion between M&E experimentation activities and PME that focuses on the group's broader objectives such as organizing and income-generating activities. In this instance researchers were using the PME as a way of improving their own research rather than as a contribution to empowering the group for self-management. o If appropriately established, PME can provide the opportunity for the realization of a farmer-led process where researchers become more responsive to product and process demands. Opportune moment to establish PME Our experiences show that the PME system cannot be used to improve the functioning of a group that is not cohesive. Therefore it will be critical to strengthen groups that are not functioning before trying to establish the PME. Capacity-building activities In the initial stages the PME processes are very demanding in terms of resources: time of both community and technical personnel; skills in establishing and supporting the process; and financial resources. Secondly, capacity building requires developing a process that is simple and comprehensive to allow rural communities to understand the key issues and concepts. It is also necessary to build the capacity of technical staff to improve their skills and capabilities in establishing and supporting PME. Documenting the processes Documenting the process is critical in ensuring that lessons are built into the future development of the project. Keeping notes of the entire process or taking minutes at the PME establishment workshops is essential for learning and deriving lessons. This may involve monthly reporting systems to ensure that information is not lost. 22 Building a capacity for Participatory, Monitoring &Evaluation Researchers: Luis A. Hernández R., S. Kaaria, and E. Claros1 An important component of scaling up participatory monitoring and evaluation processes is capacity building. In this regard, IPRA plans to build the capacity of technical personnel from different institutions and community leaders, so as to construct a critical mass of people with skills and capabilities for establishing and supporting community- based PM&E processes. To achieve this goal IPRA is developing capacity building materials geared to two different levels of training: (1) training technical personnel to improve their skills and capabilities in establishing and supporting PM&E (2) training local communities or community leaders (farmer "promotores2"). 1. Building capacity of technical personnel to establish and support PM&E processes: To date IPRA has held two international training workshops, in Honduras and Bolivia. An additional PM&E evaluation workshop was conducted in Bolivia, to enable IPRA to derive lessons and adapt the training materials. The training workshops have focussed on building skills and capabilities of technical personnel working with different institutions (NGOs; foundations; CIAT staff, amongst others) in establishing and supporting PM&E processes. This capacity building involves: Aims and objectives of the workshops are for participants to: a) gain new insights about: - the principles of participatory orientated monitoring and evaluation - current trends in PM&E theory and practice - creating a learning culture in community-based organizations - developing training needs to address questions of behavior and attitudes, and; b) strengthen skills in: - designing of PM&E systems that enable communities to evaluate progress from their perspectives - understanding the critical steps in establishing a PM&E system - establishing, supporting, and facilitating PM&E processes - working with and communicating with local communities Building on the experiences gained, IPRA has adapted the training materials to enhance the learning process. IPRA has learned that it is critical to conduct constant follow-up and support to people trained, to ensure that they can apply the knowledge. Additionally, that 1 PR SN-3 CIAT Project 2 Farmer leaders who provide support to community based groups, such as CIAL groups 23 PM&E process requires constant monitoring, especially during the initial phase of establishment, so as to identify weak points early on in order to correct them opportunely. 1. Building capacity of local communities and local leaders in establishing and supporting PM&E processes Our experiences indicate that building the capacity of local communities requires the development of processes that are simple and comprehensive to allow rural communities to understand the key issues and concepts. To achieve this we have developed a series of four training modules -- each module is conducted for a period of two days. This capacity building model was tested in Cauca, Colombia, and was used to train "Guias1 CIALs”. The program for each particular module was very flexible and was developed in accordance with the participants’ needs or priorities. In each module, theoretical aspects were presented on the first day of the workshop, followed by a practical exercise with the community the next day. This strategy allows any weaknesses to be identified in the following areas: (1) topics, (2) tools developed, and (3) capabilities of those who will be responsible for multiplying this work methodology. The most important results obtained with this training strategy are analyzed for each component. Module A This component presents the basic concepts of PM&E and also explores the community’s interest in implementing the PM&E system in their projects. During this module, the workshop explores participants understanding of the concepts of “monitoring,” “evaluation” and “participation”. On the second of the workshop participants organize community meetings to explore local communities understand of these concepts. Some examples of the results obtained from participants in Cauca, Colombia, are: o Monitoring: “to make a continuous follow up,” “constant observation,” “supervision of an activity.” The concept of monitoring is confused with the term monitor, which is understood as a person who guides, oversees or directs. A pertinent clarification was made. o Evaluation: “examine and analyze how a process is going,” “rank the outcome of activities.” o Participation: “involve all stakeholders in the process,” “take everyone’s opinion into account,” “share experiences.” Module B This component involves the formulation of community objectives. Here it is very important to ask the following questions: What is the community’s goal? What does it hope to solve? This is an important component of the PM&E process because indicators to be monitored are developed based on the identified objectives. 1 These are CIAL members who are trained and provide support to other CIAL groups. 24 Module C Project indicators are conceptualized in this component. While exploring the understanding of the concept of indicator, we found that participants associated it with: “something that gives us a message,” “a signal that triggers an action,” “measurements made to evaluate an activity,” “indicators that illustrate the specific status of a system or event at a given time,” “values, figures, or quantities that allow us to know the current status of a project,” “a guide.” The foregoing discussion indicates that there is a good correlation between what participants think and the definition of indicator. Module D The final module focuses on: (a) creating a PM&E committee to collect and analyze data, (b) developing formats to document the data, and (c) building skills of PM&E committee in presenting PM&E data to the CIAL and in analyzing the data. Lesson Learned in Capacity Building 1. During the Graphics were used extensively to facilitate learning and to strengthen concepts. Several lesson were drawn during the exercises: o When sample drawings are used to explain basic concepts of PM&E, the participants should discuss them in small groups. Interesting results were achieved from sharing half-finished graphics with the participants because this generated discussion and encouraged participants to say how these drawings could be improved so communities can understand the underlying message. o The drawings used should relate to the daily activities of the target communities. For example, if the community is mainly dedicated to agricultural activities, then drawings should deal with local crops (common beans, maize, cassava) and pertinent activities carried out in each of these. o Drawings should be easy to understand and sufficiently clear so they speak for themselves and efficiently convey the message. 2. A very important lesson was learned during the PM&E training processes was that, PM&E concepts presented to communities should be as simple as possible to guarantee the understanding of topics by farmers. 3. Drawings are a valuable tool to help explain concepts or processes to farmers because they have excellent visual memory. 4. Dividing the training workshop into modules proved to be a good strategy, allowing individual topics and groups of topics to be discussed in detail. 5. There should be constant follow-up during the initial stages of establishing PM&E systems to ensure appropriate establishment of the project. 6. The identification of local vocabulary equivalent to technical terms such as monitoring (“follow up”), evaluation (“be on the alert”), participation (“set aside a space so everyone can intervene”) and indicators (indications) is a good communication strategy that facilitates the conceptualization process with farmers. 25 Going to Scale up: A participatory procedure applied to selection of forages by farmers (PPSF) Researchers: Luis Alfredo Hernández1, Michael Peters2 Tropical Grasses and Legumes: Optimizing genetic diversity for multipurpose use Scaling has multiple contexts - institutional, spatial, economic, temporal and technological. Scaling up of research products through participatory procedures applied to the development and selection of forage technologies (PPSF) entails certain factors that can impede or contribute to spontaneous diffusion. Factors related to stakeholders, partnerships, sites, capacity building and the participatory model have been considered from the beginning of the procedure. A successful, sustainable PPSF initiative needs to be scaled up in order to spread the benefits more widely. Principles and lessons derived from the proposed model could shed light on how a larger number of farmers can be reached. The model was based on the following aspects: 1. Selection of stakeholders and agroecology system. 2. Stakeholder participation and empowerment. The procedure starts with consultative participation, using small plots. This step facilitates the farmers' participation in small samples, with a minimum risk, exchanging experiences with other members (your right) of their social organization. 3. Capacity building through interaction/exchange among different sectors (farmers, technicians, etc.) 4. Expanding results in larger areas. Farmers can validate results with technical support. Analogous to increasing areas and other resources contributed by the farmers and hence an increased risk assumed in the development and application of forage options; participation moves towards farmer-led research and application. 5. Community empowerment through strengthening of grassroot groups 6. Sharing information of successes and failures with stakeholders. Farmers can become promoters. 7. Germplasm made available through seed production by farmers. 8. Expand and strengthen linkages among institutions and organizations with complementary agendas and expertise (e.g., FONDEAGRO) 9. Selected technologies go through validation and institutionalization processes. 10. Monitoring and evaluation processes have to be established from the beginning. 1 SN-3 CIAT Project 2 Tropical grasses and legumes 26 Applying and adjusting the framework developed for institutionalization of participatory approaches Researcher: Harriet Menter1 Despite the potential benefits of participatory approaches and the support they receive from powerful institutions such as international donors, their uptake has been notably slow in the R&D institutions of developing countries, especially those institutions that are funded and controlled by the State. In reality, the successful adoption of participatory approaches requires profound changes in the way an organization works - a fact that is often overlooked by the proponents of these approaches. The complexity of these change processes is a major barrier to the adoption of participatory approaches. Institutions need to become learning institutions that can assimilate and respond to information from the end-users about their needs and demands. At present we know very little about the process of change required. In 2001 IPRA developed an evaluation framework to enable researchers to study this process in a rigorous way in order to learn lessons and further our understanding of the same. In 2002 this framework was tested and adapted to carry out a study of a similar process in a very different sort of institution. The framework was adapted to examine the process of the institutionalization of participatory approaches for working with communities within the institutions that make up a local watershed-based consortium of government and non - government organizations and an international agricultural research center. The framework starts by looking at the changes that have occurred thus far within the institution. This change can be separated into changes in practice, changes in policy and changes in culture. After the change has been characterized, the factors affecting this change are examined. These are divided into causes of change, facilitating factors, obstacles and strategies that have been used. By expanding the scope of the research to include very different types of organizations, the robustness and adaptability of the framework will be tested. In this case the framework was found to be very useful although changes in research methods were necessary. More importantly, we are able to compare the factors that affect change in different types of organizations. This helps us to understand the extra - polability of the different factors for other institutions. 1 Consultant SN-3 CIAT Project 27 The resource-to-consumption approach: Case study of Muguli B Community, Uganda Researcher: Pascal Sanginga1 Collaborators: Susan Kaaria2, Robert Delve3, Rupert Best4, Colletah Chitsike5, Robert Muzira6 Highlights ✴ Methodology, the "resource-to-consumption" approach to design, test, evaluate and disseminate innovative agricultural technologies that meet women’s special needs and constraints, developed. In 2001 we begun testing the resource-to-consumption (R-to-C) approach with a community called Muguli B in Kabale District, Southwestern Uganda. The approach involves the following steps: Steps in the R-to-C system for building assets of rural women 1. Participatory diagnosis with the community, with strong emphasis on gender and stakeholder analysis to identify differentiation of roles and perceptions 2. Participatory market analysis to identify market opportunities for competitive products that will increase farm income and employment 3. Prioritization of opportunities and selection of household food consumption and agroenterprise options 4. Formation of farmer research (FRG) and market research groups, and building their capacity to participate actively in selecting, testing and evaluating marketing strategies and technology options 5. Identification of research questions related to entire R-to-C system 1 Senior Research Fellow, CIAT Africa 2 Senior Research Fellow, IPRA Project, CIAT, Colombia 3 Senior Research Fellow, TSBF Institute of CIAT, Nairobi, Kenya 4 Senior Scientist, Agroenterprise Project, CIAT Africa 5 Senior Research Fellow, BAPPA Project, CIAT Africa 6 Research Assistant, CIAT Africa 28 6. Planning and implementation of experiments and marketing strategies with FRG and market research groups 7. Development of community enterprise and strengthening their agroenterprise initiatives 8. Feedback of results to the community and R&D institutions, and identification of further research questions 9. Participatory monitoring and evaluation, learning to derive lessons and impacts, and scaling-up and out of PR results and community-enterprise development process Figure 1 diagrammatically illustrates the different steps of the Resource to Consumption framework for linking FPR to participatory market research (PMR). The participatory diagnosis process in Muguli B involved all members of the community. Participation empowered the community and ensured that priorities and differences in perception of different stakeholders (e.g., women, the poor) are taken into consideration in identifying and selecting options. During the meeting a consensus was reached as to the products or groups of products that should be investigated further for their income- generating and food potential. This process was not just community based as researchers brought in new ideas and information for consideration by the community. Following these initial investigations and prioritization, a second round of market information gathering, discussions with extension agents and cross-site visits to other villages to gather more accurate information were realized. The community selected pyrethrum based on criteria developed by them such as the level of market demand; potential numbers of farmers that would be involved and could benefit from the enterprise; the role of women; and any negative effects that producing the products might have on the environment. The next stage involved the systematization of information, detection of knowledge gaps and the identification of potential research questions during a follow-up community meeting attended by the farmers, pyrethrum extension agents (private company), NGO and CIAT staff. During this meeting the community raised many questions. This led to the identification of research questions that need to be addressed through strategic on- station research;1 adaptive research conducted by National partners and adaptive research conducted by farmers. 1 Farmers can also be involved in on-station research to ensure that local knowledge and farmers' preferences are considered in the early design stage of the research. 29 Systematization and collection of market information Monitoring and evaluation, and impact analysis Development of integrated agroenterprise projects Farmer experimentation and technology development Selecting household food consumption options Selecting enterprise options Identification of market opportunities and characterization of options Participatory diagnosis Scaling-up and scaling-out Feedback of results to community and R&D system Figure 1. Framework for linking FPR to participatory market research (adapted from: R. Best 2002. Agroecology highlights, CIAT Africa). 30 Table 1 provides examples of the issues identified and the role of each partner in the R- to-C approach. The different partners then agreed on the ways to address these issues: o The FRG will conduct adaptive research on behalf of the community. In June 2002 the FRG established a range of experiments and will be responsible for monitoring the experiments and reporting back to the whole community on the results. o Applied research questions will be addressed by national agricultural research (NARS) partners through an array of methods ranging from on-station to on-farm research. o Strategic research questions will be addressed by CIAT, TSBF1, and other partner international research institutes through an array of methods ranging from strategic on-station research to on-farm research. In Muguli B, the design of an integrated agroenterprise project for the products selected, which involves creating or strengthening community agroenterprise initiatives, is now under way. The development of the agroenterprise project is being conducted parallel to the research process to ensure that research findings are fed into the enterprise development process. Table 1. Examples of research questions identified through interactions with the community and type of experimentation required Research Questions Type of Experimentation √ Production aspects √ Which hybrids are appropriate for the region (testing germplasm from Kenya and Tanzania) √ Does existing germplasm meet farmers' current and projected needs? Are new varieties or crops needed? √ Where should the crop be grown on the slope? √ Propagation of pyrethrum √ On-station variety testing and farmer experimentation √ On-farm trials NARS and farmer experimentation Management options √ Options better suited to local conditions √ Appropriate niches for legume cover crops for soil-fertility improvement √ Potential for legume crops and trees (cover crops; improved fallows) to improve soil in pyrethrum production systems √ Guidelines for appropriate use of organic/inorganic materials for soil-fertility improvement Experimentation at different levels: √ Farmer experimentation √ On-station experiments by NARs and CIAT scientists Nutrient cycling and nutrient flow balances √ Management options for optimal use of the legume-N in combination with strategic applications of mineral fertilizers to maximize nutrient cycling and soil organic matter replenishment √ Analyses of different organic/inorganic nutrient interactions in pyrethrum farming systems √ On-station experiments by NARs and CIAT scientists 1 Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Institute 31 OUTPUT 2. STRATEGIES AND ORGANIZATIONAL PROCEDURES FOR PR, DEVELOPED MILESTONES ✴ Second-order organizations of CIALs, being strengthened and empowered ✴ Model of CIAL-municipalities interaction being tested ✴ Literature review on mechanisms of self-financing, finished ✴ Appropriate community-based participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) ✴ System managed by rural communities and that empowers them to reflect on and analyze change, and to adjust project activities accordingly, developed. ✴ Log frame for the project Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation (PM&E) for rural innovation: Processes to articulate demands and increase supply accountability ✴ Proposal for integrating the CIALs in NRM, developed Second-order organizations of CIALs as a strategy for sustainability Researchers: Carlos A. Quirós, José I. Roa1 The PR Project SN-3 at CIAT has continued to strengthen the second-order associations as a strategy for achieving sustainability of the CIALs. To facilitate the formation of associations, the PR Project and its partners targeted their efforts on consolidating nuclei or concentrating CIALs in several regions. The second-order association's objectives are to: o Establish regional alliances with governmental entities or other local organizations, thereby linking CIALs to sources of credit, input and output markets, and seed systems o Represent CIALs before other organizations and institutions, and ensure that their "voices" are more readily heard at policy-making levels. o Support and strengthen the social capital already existing in the different committees o Strengthen and sustain a two-way flow of information among the CIALs, communities and formal research at both the regional and national levels. The current situation of the associations and the progress achieved to date are presented here. Associations of CIALs (ASOCIALs) in Honduras There are four associations of CIALs in Honduras, distributed across four regions, namely: 1 SN-3 CIAT Project o Santa Barbara. Currently, 14 CIALs have been grouped into a regional association known as ASOCIALAGO.1 o Yorito. In this region of Yoro, 21 CIALs have formed the ASOCIAL Yorito.2” o El Paraíso. In the mountainous region around the Zamorano Valley, 15 CIALs have grouped into ASOCIAGUARE.3 o Vallecillos. 15 CIALs in this region have grouped into the ASOCIAL Vallecillos.4 Figure 1. Leaders of ASOCIAGUARE planning actions to be developed with the CIALs in the region of Yeguare. Progress to date o Legal registration of the associations. From their initiation the associations have endeavored to be registered legally as formal organizations. This has been a challenging undertaking because of the restrictive government requirements for registration of new associations in Honduras. In January 2002, the four Associations completed the necessary paperwork and presented the documents to the appropriate 1 The Association of CIALs in the Yojoa Lake Region. 2 The Association of CIALs in Yorito. 3 The Association of CIALs in the Yeguare Region. 4 The Association of CIALs in the Vallecillos Region. Honduran authorities. They expect to have the respective decisions on their legal status within 6 months. o Development of action plans. Each of the associations has developed an action plan and has continued to function while waiting for the formal legal paperwork to be finalized. o SWOT analyses. In August 2002, the PR Project SN-3 facilitated a self-analysis of the ASOCIALs, using the SWOT methodology. This analysis is an effective way of identifying potential strengths and weaknesses and of examining opportunities and possible threats. This framework helps organizations focus activities and plans in areas where the organization is strong and where the greatest opportunities lie. The results of these self-analyses are summarized in Table 1. o Capacity-building activities: Strengthening Human Capital of CIAL Associations. A key priority o expressed by all the ASOCIALs is the need for capacity-building activities to enable them to assume a leadership role in their community. The ASOCIALs have received capacity building in a variety of topics, ranging from agriculture production, project management and proposal writing, to community organizing. Training activities have been organized in accordance with the identified demand of the ASOCIAL members. Box 1 presents a summary of some of the key achievements in capacity building. Box 1. Capacity-Building Activities • Agriculture-related topics - Preventive veterinary medicine - Workshops on food security - Soil conservation - Training paratechnicians and CIALs on beans, maize, soybeans and rice • Community diagnosis and social analysis - Systematizing CIAL experiences - Participatory monitoring and evaluation - Conducting a knowledge inventory • Project management: - Developing organizational norms - Credit management - Proposal writing - Computer skills and accounting (administration) - Training CIAL secretaries in records and minutes • Community organizations - Organizing community events - Preparing each CIAL for its role on the ASOCIAL Board Table 1. Principal strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities as identified by the directors of the four ASOCIALs (second-order organizations of CIALs) in Honduras. Strengths Weaknesses Threats Opportunities √ Support received from various institutions (EAP - Zamorano; IPCA; PRR; EDISA, ASOHCIAL) √ Access to economic resources (limited) for microcredit scheme √ Good management team, including Board of Directors and members √ Growing recognition of the important role of CIALs in the region √ Confidence in associations (CIAL members) √ Compliance with internal norms √ Plans of action for each association √ CIALs too dispersed throughout the region √ Members lack time for organization’s tasks √ Weak communications between CIALs and their communities √ Associations still dependent on technicians' support for proposal and project development √ Members need capacity building √ No remuneration for time spent in managing ASOCIAL projects √ Delay in obtaining legal status may lead to many missed opportunities √ Time constraints (some members hold positions in other organizations) √ Conflict of interest (some members or CIALs seek private benefits from the associations) √ Frequent climatic adversities in region √ Making promises that cannot be fulfilled √ Lack of qualified people to take on future roles in associations √ Alliances and linkages with other local, regional and national organizations √ Support from persons in high positions in institutions √ Identifying marketing opportunities and developing agroenterprise options √ Writing projects to donors √ Managing own funds √ Selling services to other entities √ Documenting and sharing experiences √ Training of new members to ensure a cadre capable of taking up association positions in the future Organizing CIALs in the municipality of Colomi, Bolivia Researchers: Edson Gandarillas, Juan Almanza1, Carlos A. Quirós2 In Bolivia the municipal government is obligated by law (Law 1551 on developing communities and people’s participation) to respond to community demand for key concerted efforts that will improve their living conditions effectively. Under the new reform municipalities must be economically productive and coordinate activities with all the local organizations and communities under their respective jurisdictions. Until recently, mechanisms were not available for coordinating and seeking consensus at the municipal level to promote and develop the economy—a situation that has now changed in several of the country’s municipalities. Because of the strategic importance of these activities, farmers must not only be involved in preparing the Municipal Development Plan for their respective municipalities but also cooperate with economic organizations to create favorable conditions for local development. Local Boards for Economic Promotion (DILPE) were constituted to develop this work in the municipalities. Considering the foregoing, one of our partners in Bolivia –PROINPA -and the IPRA Project considered that an alternative for encouraging and strengthening this process in a municipality, without creating second-order organizations, would be to link and expand the number of community-based research services, known as CIALs (Fig. 1) within a given municipality. In the Municipality of Colomi and in many other parts of Bolivia, the CIALs are nominated by rural sindicatos, who are elected by their communities and, in turn, nominate representatives for Subcentral Office meetings (Fig. 2). From the latter come the representatives for the Central Office, who are the ones who participate in the DILPE meetings. Obviously, at the municipal level, the CIAL farmers are those who make more and better contributions in the processes for agreeing on and coordinating activities at the municipal level. 1 PROINPA, Bolivia 2 SN-3 CIAT Project Thus CIAL farmers, both women and men, can participate actively in decision- making to the extent of orienting development. Moreover, in the case of Colomi, the CIALs can also function as a platform for disseminating results obtained by different groups or as a catalyst for initiating production projects based on research results. CIALs can thus participate in the generation of ideas for project implementation at the municipal level. The DILPEs an example of consensus building, coordination and articulation will be the meeting place for actors from both the public and private sectors where response is possible, and the participation of all actors involved in promoting the Municipal economy is facilitated. There are 10 CIALs already existing within Colomi. They aim to solve local problems and generate, validate and adapt technologies for the region’s various crops. The goal is for the CIALs to achieve greater presence so they can influence and/or be part of the Subcentral Offices that participate in municipal-level decisions. Feedback to the community Committee formation Diagnosis Planning the trial Motivating the community Marketing Commercialization Products Rural microenterprises • • • • Setting up the trial plot Evaluating and analyzing results Figure 1. Stages of a CIAL’s work or as the farmers call them the “research ladder” that form the basis of obtaining effective results. NGOs GOs Universities Private enterprises Central Office CIAL CIAL More information CIAL CIAL Subcentral Municipality DILPE (mgt) CIALs run projects, request support & training from DILPE Figure 2. How CIALs can be inserted within the new scheme of municipal development, DILPE, Bolivia. Overview of resource mobilization options for development-oriented rural Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Latin America1: Implications for CIALs Researcher: Christopher C. Wheatley2 This study considers the options for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the South to develop a more sustainable source of financial and other resources than is currently provided through short-term donor-funded projects. While many CSOs remain dependent on externally funded projects for their existence, this review highlights the need to move toward a situation where organizations are more able to access and generate the financial and other resources they need locally. The benefits of this are twofold: making the organization (and the outcomes and impact it seeks) more sustainable over time (helped by switching from a short-term project-based perspective to a longer term vision), and increasing its grounding with the local community it serves. Resource-mobilization mechanisms This study considers the situation of CIALs, the local small-farmer agricultural and NRM research committees (and the second-order federations of CIALs that also exist in some countries), established in northern Latin America through external donor-driven project funding over the last 15 years. Now that this funding source is reaching the end of its span, what options exist for the CIALs to replace these externally provided resources? Are there any other existing resource-mobilization mechanisms that can be expanded or new options explored? And what process should be used to prioritize a new strategy and proceed to its implementation. While it is obviously inappropriate to this paper to preempt any decisions that the organization and its members may take, the following observations can be made (in no order of priority): o The current requirements for external funding for each CIAL are modest (US$500/yr). o Agricultural and NRM research projects have a long time frame and require a resource-mobilization mechanism compatible with this (Bebbington & Mitlin, 1998). o Accessing additional local (financial and in-kind) resources of members and others in the community could reduce this amount, so long as the CIAL mission of o Improving livelihoods and NRM through agriculture is important to them (i.e., has a high centrality). o Several CIALs have already established small/micro-enterprise activities capable of generating income for the organization (as well as for members individually), based on the results of previous research activities. There is significant potential for expanding both the number and scale of these activities. As these enterprises mature, it may be possible to develop closer supply-chain linkages with other enterprises 1 This is a summary of the original document; for full details, see Wheatley, C. 2002. Sustaining development oriented civil society organizations in the rural South: resource mobilization options, strategies, success factors and research issues. IPRA Project, CIAT, Cali, CO. 47p. (Working Document) 2 Consultant SN-3 CIAT Project (traders, input suppliers, supermarket chains, etc.) that can help access nonlocal resources. o The potential exists to formalize ownership of intellectual property, including indigenous knowledge, resulting from both technological and methodological innovations to which the CIALs have materially contributed (e.g., selection of new varieties, development of new participatory R&D methods), and to generate income from royalties, licenses and franchises based on this, in partnership with others as appropriate for each innovation. o Second-order organizations are in a special position to develop income-generating services (e.g., establishment of new CIALs, quality control/accreditation of farmer experiments, training in methods and tools used by CIALs, etc.) o Corporate partnerships are probably inappropriate, especially with firms in the agricultural sector, as this could compromise the independence and impartiality of the farmer experimentation process. o Contracts from local government bodies for providing agricultural service (extension) could be sought for well-established CIALs and second-order federations. o Indigenous foundations concerned with poverty, the environment, rural areas or fostering urban-rural linkages could be targeted for philanthropic programs or specific projects. o Potential exists to organize out-migrants from the home community to donate and invest in the area. o Horizontal linkages can be made with other CSOs operating in the local area to form partnerships, joint ventures, etc. in pursuit of mutual objectives through a variety of mechanisms including preparation of joint proposals for external funding and the establishment of new enterprises and services. Local government agencies could also be included as partners here. o More opportunities can be created for voluntary contributions from within the local community and for external advisors/mentors/specialist expertise as considered appropriate. Existing voluntary contributions (e.g., time dedicated by farmers to field experiments and organization meetings) need to be explicitly valued and recognized. o A reserve fund could be established. The existing external donor could be approached to assist in the establishment of the fund, which supports the sustainability of the organizations in which the donor has already invested. o A strategy for resource mobilization can be developed as part of a wider strategic planning process, involving all relevant actors, giving high priority to establishing and maintaining a diversity of resource-mobilization mechanisms over time. Bibliografía Bebbington A. and Mitlin, D (1998) What does strengthening NGO capacity mean for civil society and governance? ID21 www.id21.org Integrated nutrient management for building the assets of poor, rural women: Institutionalizing the use of participatory approaches and gender analysis in research on natural resource management to improve rural livelihoods Researcher: Pascal Sanginga1 Collaborators: Susan Kaaria2, Robert Delve3, Rupert Best4, Colletah Chitsike5, Robert Muzira6 HIGHLIGHTS ✴ The development of procedures on how to design, test, evaluate and disseminate innovative INM technologies in a "resource-to-consumption" context, by tracing the links backwards and forwards from the management of soil resources to production, marketing, postharvest processing and consumption to provide incentives for investing in resource management. Background A recent review of experiences in developing technologies for rural women revealed the consensus that the CGIAR has not been successful in impacting the lives of poor rural women and that it is important to explore different strategies to develop a large-scale programmatic effort focused on this issue. Women producers need drudgery-reducing technological advances for intensifying food production and cash cropping, which increase the returns to their labor and which must be built on technologies for maintaining and improving soil quality and soil health. The review showed that the area of integrated nutrient management (INM) research could be among the most important to poor women producers (Kaaria & Ashby, 2000). Soil improvement through INM is an important part of asset building for the poor, especially for poor women producers who rely on the intensification of subsistence and cash cropping on the land they cultivate. This project argues that for INM to benefit poor rural women, technology development needs to start from a beneficiary-based diagnosis of constraints and opportunities for intensifying and improving nutrient management, rather than start from a focus on the soil and soil constraints to design technologies, which is the classical approach taken by soils scientists and agronomists. With this diagnosis, research needs to take a resource- to-consumption (R-to-C) approach: this will improve women’s production, postharvest 1 Senior Research Fellow, CIAT Africa 2 Senior Research Fellow, IPRA Project, CIAT, Colombia 3 Senior Research Fellow, TSBF Institute of CIAT, Nairobi, Kenya 4 Senior Scientist, Agroenterprise Project, CIAT Africa 5 Senior Research Fellow, BAPPA Project, CIAT Africa 6 Research Assistant, CIAT Africa processing and marketing in tandem with the creation of incentives for improved management and investments in soil fertility. The R-to-C system approach to the design and development of INM technologies requires that these technologies be tested with user participation. Links backwards and forwards from the soil resource to production, marketing, postharvest processing and consumption need to be traced. In INM we predict this will point to important links for tightening the nutrient cycle in relation to women’s management of small livestock, and multipurpose legumes as sources of biomass for incorporating into the soil, forage, fuel, soil and water conservation. An R-to-C approach should identify new marketing or postharvest processing opportunities for increasing farm women’s own income, employment and the return on women’s time, as well as create a demand for farm products that require INM, and generate extra farm income for investment in soil improvement. Alternatively, it should identify INM technologies that directly increase returns to women’s labor (in contrast to many existing INM technologies which are highly labor-demanding). The specific objectives of the project include the: o Development of procedures on how to design, test, evaluate and disseminate innovative INM technologies in an R-to-C context, by tracing the links backwards and forwards from the management of soil resources to production, marketing, postharvest processing and consumption, to provide incentives for investing in NRM. o Development of criteria for assessing the available INM technologies using economic assessments, market opportunity analysis and participatory methods including gender and stakeholder analysis, to ensure that resource-poor farmers, especially women, will benefit. o Implementation of PM&E processes to derive lessons and enhance self-learning from experience, accountability to the community and develop local leadership in these capacities. The initial focus is on three sites in eastern and southern Africa (Kabale, Tororo in Uganda and Dedza in Malawi), where gender issues and soil fertility decline are critical, and here where CIAT and TSBF/SWNM1 have R&D activities (Table 1). 1 Systemwide program on Soil Water and Nutrient Management Table 1. Description of initial sites. Mugandu/Buramba, Kabale Uganda Tororo, Uganda Lithipe EPA, Dedza Malawi Absolute poverty level of population Moderate Moderate High Major causes of poverty Land scarcity, soil infertility, environmental degradation, low agricultural prices Low agricultural prices, poor market organization in the communities, soil infertility, low productivity Soil infertility, low productivity, drought Market orientation Moderate Moderate Low Access to roads Good Good Good Main crops Potato, common beans, sorghum, cabbage Maize, common beans, sorghum, peanuts Maize, common beans Rainfall pattern Bimodal Bimodal Unimodal Soil capital Moderate Moderate Low NGO partner Africare Africa 2000 Network Traditional irrigation program Linking farmer PR to market opportunity identification; the resource to consumption approach In this first semester we began testing the Resource to Consumption (R-to-C) approach with two communities (Muguli B and Kalambo) in Kabale District, southwestern Uganda. The approach involved linking FPR with market opportunities identification following the procedure below: Selection of options Determination of farmer research topics for future options Participatory diagnosis with the community to identify income generating opportunities Establishment of evaluation criteria Systematization of existing information and detection of gaps Market and enterprise visits to collect additional information Design of an integrated agroenterprise projects for immediate options Market information Characterization of options Figure 1. Procedure for farmer participatory market opportunity identification and evaluation in Kabale (Source: R. Best 2002. Agroecology highlights, CIAT Africa). The participatory diagnosis was based on the community visioning approach. This approach focuses on change rather than problems, identifying opportunities and what needs to be done to address constraints, and planning for implementation of activities. Farmers identified what crops, livestock and other products they are producing both for household food consumption and income generation. Gender differences in visions, constraints and opportunities are taken into consideration when developing community action plans and vision. Livelihood options for most people are limited to food crops production: sorghum, potatoes, common beans, green peas, sweet potatoes, maize, cabbage and a few livestock. Off-farm employment options are limited; but there is an increase in the number of men migrating elsewhere, thereby exacerbating labor shortage. The diagnostic process was also expanded to discuss gender issues related to access and control of resources, labor profiles and decision-making as well as complex intrahousehold dynamics. Through the diagnostic process, communities discussed and prioritized the types of crops they would like to grow and animals they would like to keep based on their income- generating potential. A number of agricultural enterprises (potatoes, coffee, pyrethrum) and livestock (pigs and poultry) were selected for their income-generation potential. The communities then elected an "income committee" to conduct a systematic evaluation of the different options proposed, using a number of criteria such as market demand, profitability, requirements for the crop or enterprises, potential numbers of farmers that might be involved in an enterprise, the role of women and any negative effects that the enterprise might have on the roles of men and women. With support from the community development and market facilitator, the income committees organized visits to local markets in Kabale and nearby towns and to the pyrethrum-processing factory in Kabale to gather more information in order to evaluate each of the options that was prioritized. The advantages and disadvantages, constraints and opportunities were analyzed for each option, including cost-benefit analyses. In addition to the economic returns, farmers used other criteria to decide on which enterprise to engage in. Pyrethrum and poultry, although giving relatively low economic returns, were selected by farmers, especially women, because of their relatively low investments and labor requirements, but also their ability to provide regular income continuously. Cost-benefit analyses calculated by farmers with the assistance of the market facilitator showed positive returns to pyrethrum of US $141/acre for the first year, and increased to about US $487 in the second year as the crop is expected to stay in the field for 3-4 years. The costs included conservative measures of opportunity costs for land, labor and inputs for pyrethrum production. However, pyrethrum is usually grown on plots situated on hilltops, which are not often used for cultivation. With 2000 pyrethrum plants (0.25 acres), the farmer is expected to harvest from 10-15 kg of dry flowers every month. Flowers are picked weekly for 9 months after establishment of the crop. Initial seedlings and splits are supplied by Agromanagement, the pyrethrum factory, at no cost to farmers. After the farmers' decision to engage in the production of pyrethrum, the next stage involved detection of knowledge gaps and the identification of potential research questions that farmers need to do experimentation on. Farmers in the two communities have established their research committees to conduct research on their behalf, and feed back the results to the entire community. Criteria used in selecting the members of the research committee were farmers interested in growing pyrethrum, keen learners, inquisitive, able to give feedback to the community and literate (this was not considered important). In addition, there should be a gender balance in the committee. The FRG are composed of 10 farmers (4 women, 5 men and 1 youth) in Muguli B and 7 farmers (3 men and 4 women) in Kalambo. Two research activities have been selected: improving the profitability of pyrethrum for market orientation and improving productivity of common beans for household food security. INM for increasing the profitability of pyrethrum in the Highlands of Kabale, Uganda Pyrethrum (Chrysanthemum cinerarlifolium) is a perennial crop whose flowers are used for pyrethrin extractions to make a natural insecticide for household insect pests. The demand has continued to grow in the world market as a more environmentally friendly insecticide for household uses. Pyrethrum is a new cash crop in Kabale District with good potential for providing regular income to resource-poor farmers, especially women. In most cases the area occupied by pyrethrum averages 0.25-1 acre, and the crop is often grown without inputs. To grow in optimal conditions, however, pyrethrum requires fertile, well-drained soils with reasonably good structure and texture to ensure proper infiltration and control erosion. Soils in Kabale are low in soil fertility and highly exposed to soil erosion. The use of INM technologies to improve crop and soil productivity provides an avenue for resource-poor farmers to improve upon pyrethrum yields. The following areas were identified by farmers and scientists for experimentation: o Management options better suited to different soil conditions (poor soils, acid soils, different location on the hill) O Potential for INM options in improving soil in pyrethrum production systems o Crop requirements, where to grow the crop on the slope O Propagation of pyrethrum O Pests and diseases o Appropriate use of organic/inorganic materials for soil-fertility improvement o Management options aiming at optimal use of the legume in combination with strategic applications of mineral fertilizers to maximize nutrient cycling and soil organic matter replenishment o Analyses of different organic/inorganic nutrient interactions in pyrethrum farming systems o Appropriate niches for legume for soil-fertility improvement and erosion control Farmers and scientists' roles and responsibilities were discussed, indicators and parameters for monitoring and observations were identified, and experimental designs (treatments, comparisons, observations) were discussed and agreed upon. These farmer led-experiments are conducted on group plots for collective learning, and on farmers' individual plots according to their specific objectives. The first season of experiments was established on the group plot for collective learning. Because of the dry spell that followed planting of the experiments, however, no results were obtained the first season. Farmers decided to conduct a second round of experimentation on a range of INM options for improving the profitability of pyrethrum. These include use of farmyard manure, legumes, soil erosion control measures, marc (pyrethrum residues), agricultural liming, wood ash and organic and inorganic fertilizers. Farmers will evaluate these different options during this season. INM for improving food security: Farmer experimentation and evaluation of common bean varieties in Malawi and Uganda During the participatory diagnostic process in Kabale and Malawi, common beans were prioritized as an important crop, mostly for household food security and consumption. Common beans are known to be women's crops. However, a number of constraints are affecting the productivity of the bean crop (soil fertility, diseases, pests and the lack of improved varieties with desirable characteristics for farmers). Farmers' experimentation in Dedza, Malawi was conducted to test and evaluate 8 new varieties and 2 local varieties of common beans on their individual plots. Although the experiments were affected by the drought in southern Africa, the farmers involved decided to repeat the experiment next season, using more systematic ways of monitoring, evaluating and giving feed back to the community. INM options for improving soil productivity will be included in next season's experiments. Similarly, in Kabale (Uganda), individual farmers were involved in selecting about 60 different lines of bean varieties in the last season. Farmers have plans to continue experimentation and evaluation of a reduced number of these varieties, including options for improving soil fertility to evaluate their effects on pests, diseases and yields in the coming season. Gender, social capital and soil-fertility management practices in the Highlands of Uganda One of the important activities for the project in the first year was to conduct more systematic gender analysis in the project sites, using triangulation and different approaches to enhance our understanding of livelihood strategies of rural women in relation to soil and NRM. This should assist in identifying opportunities for building the assets of rural women through PR and market opportunity identification. Gender analysis studies are focusing on: o Understanding the complex dynamics in intra-household resource allocation and decision-making, and the renegotiations that take place as a result of technical change will be key to ensuring that benefits accrue to the target groups. o Developing strategies/mechanisms to ensure that women benefit/retain control of profitable technological innovation. This should include the identification of factors that ensure women retain control or benefit from successful income-generating projects and the formulation of strategies/technologies that can give women more bargaining power. o Identifying and developing strategies for enhancing the human and social capital for women to demand for technology, including identifying new market opportunities for women. In addition to the diagnostic and baseline studies conducted in the different sites, we are using the case study approach to analyze the relations between gender, social capital and NRM in Kabale. The decision to conduct case studies in the two project villages as well as two other villages in Kabale relates to the diverse nature of social capital, particularly the need to explore informal social capital and complement survey approaches. The case studies are designed to increase understanding of how social capital is activated in the pursuit of livelihoods, particularly how access to (or exclusion from) to social capital can assist or impede access to other forms of capital and hence influence livelihood choices and outcomes. Stakeholder analysis been undertaken at the village level to identify the range of actors and institutions, but it is necessary through more detailed household level investigations to understand how interest groups and power relations play out in practice as opposed to value statements. The significance of how gender is determining access to social capital is poorly understood although such understanding is an important foundation for developing innovations and options to assist the disadvantaged to improve their livelihoods and to determine which forms of social capital could be appropriately strengthened to the benefit of which social groups? Through this analysis, the existing patterns of social capital will be identified and opportunities for building and extending its role in NRM explored. Where social capital is lacking or where existing forms play negative roles for sections of the community, strategies to strengthen social capital will be considered. The research should help indicate which strategies for improving NRM and productivity have more relevance for which groups and what additional policy changes and capacity building are needed for their implementation. Specifically, the viability of options that are necessarily implemented at supra-individual level vs options that can be implemented on a single-plot scale by an individual decision maker. Role of social capital in the adoption of INM technologies in Tororo District, Uganda Since 1998, the Integrated Soil Productivity Initiative Through Research and Education (INSPIRE) project (a consortium of NGOs, GOs, NARS and IARCs in eastern Uganda) has made substantial efforts in introducing, developing, on-farm testing and disseminating a range of improved soil-fertility management technologies to farmers. While important progress has been made on evaluating the biophysical performance of these INM options, little attention is paid on understanding farmers’ preferences and criteria for selecting these technologies and actual use and management of the technologies by farmers, their perceived benefits and constraints, especially women farmers. In particular, the importance of gender and social capital has been underestimated. Recent studies indicate that social capital is crucial for adopting soil- fertility management technologies as it provides social networks, relationships and linkages that enable poor people to cooperate, coordinate, share information, resources and act collectively. This master thesis (Makerere University) research sought to examine farmers' adoption behavior and investigate the role of social capital in the adoption and use of INM technologies by farmers in Tororo, eastern Uganda. It was hypothesized that high levels of social capital increase the probability that farmers will adopt INM technologies. The study was conducted in eight villages that have been the focal points for disseminating soil-fertility management technologies. A total of 160 farmers (60%) women were interviewed on their awareness and use status of a range of soil-fertility management options, with special focus on legume cover crops and improved fallows. The interviews were complemented by other participatory techniques. Preliminary results indicate that there are high levels of social capital in farmers’ research groups compared to the community as a whole. FRGs were found to be performing better on such indicators of social capital as cooperation, extent of trust, information sharing and participation in collective activities. On the other hand, indicators of weak ties such as selfishness, individualism and conflict are higher in the general community than farmers’ groups. The results showed mixed adoption of legume cover crops and improved fallow by farmers. It was found that participation in a FRG enhanced women's access to technologies. Women tended to prefer simple technologies such as mulching and had different preferences from the men. Group membership also enhanced farmer-to-farmer dissemination of technologies and information to nonparticipating farmers, within and outside the community. The results suggest that the FRG is an effective mechanism to disseminate knowledge of intensive technologies and building social capital within the community. Further data analyses are ongoing. Beyond head-counting: Developing a gender analysis strategy for agricultural R&D in the southwestern Highlands of Uganda Over the last few years, the national agricultural research organization (NARO) in Uganda has been undergoing some positive changes, marked by the establishment of the agricultural R&D centers (ARDCs) in various agroecological zones. The future vision of NARO has therefore evolved to embrace "a farmer-responsive research system that generates and disseminates problem-solving, profitable and environmentally sound technologies on a sustainable basis.” The mission of the ARDCs is to address the problems of particular zones better by bringing research closer to its end-users to make it responsive to the needs of its end-users, and to empower farmers and rural communities to demand research. Greater participation of farmers in technology development and dissemination is an explicit and vital feature of NARO’s approach to defining and implementing its outreach initiative. Given the roles that women play in agricultural production in Uganda and considering the growing trend of feminization of poverty, it is increasingly imperative that a high priority and visibility be given to strengthening and consolidating appropriate use of gender analysis in the ARDCs. The need to institutionalize or mainstream gender - that is, to integrate gender concerns into every aspect of the research process - has been voiced by the ongoing review of the NARS in Uganda. Although awareness over gender issues has significantly progressed, they remain to be incorporated fully into agricultural research. The assumption that research and technologies are "gender neutral" is a key factor in explaining the continuing failure of much agricultural R&D to integrate gender analysis in their activities. The tendency has been to count only the number of women compared to men or to desegregate data by farmers' sex, and even such information is not reflected in the design and implementation of research activities. Gender analysis is certainly more than the numbers and roles of women and men. Gender analysis should therefore move beyond head-counting or sex segregation of populations and data, toward a more systematic social analysis of the roles, responsibilities, constraints and opportunities as well as relationships between men and women, and between different categories of women in relation to agricultural production. Our main objective is to promote gender-sensitive PR methods, tools and practices, skills, values and behaviors that recognize and seek to institutionalize or mainstream gender analysis in ARDC activities. More specifically, the project will assist in: o Strengthening the capacity of ARDC teams and their partners for integrating and using gender analysis tools, methodologies and skills in agricultural R&D activities, through learning workshops, backstopping and mentoring processes o Conducting a systematic and rigorous gender analysis and stakeholder differentiation as part of the diagnosis and characterization of the farming systems that the ARDC intends to carry out in its zone o Developing a "gender analysis strategy" for the ARDC, including clear guidelines, methodologies and tools on how to integrate gender analysis in ARDC research better, resulting in "gendered" log frames, work plans and research activities. Some research questions include: o What are the different opportunities, constraints and problems faced by different categories of men and women farmers in the highlands of southwestern Uganda? o How do we differentiate the client group at the research initiation stage for farmers’ experimentation and adaptive research? How do we select participating farmers? o How do we integrate gender analysis into agricultural R&D activities? What are the key moments in the PR process where gender analysis should be considered? o How can the tools that scientists and development partners are already using be genderized? What additional tools can be used? What effects will gender differentiation have (if it is done or not) o How to design a strategy for mainstreaming and institutionalizing gender analysis in agricultural R&D activities? MILESTONES ✴ Participatory monitoring and evaluation systems established in Cauca Province, Colombia Experiences in establishing community-based participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) systems in Colombia Researchers1: Elías Claros, Luis A. Hernández, Susan Kaaria Introduction Establishing systems for participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) in Colombia responds to the needs of grass-roots organizations to improve self-management and the results of their own work. Such systems are developed jointly with the communities, and comprise a series of tools that help document progress towards their objectives and enable them to be better organized in their activities. The methodology used to establish the PM&E systems built on experiences from Honduras and Bolivia. Strategies for facilitating the establishment of the PM&E System . The first step toward establishing a PM&E system was to build the capacity of local people to establish, manage and apply the system. To achieve this we developed a special workshop for building capacities of "CIAL Guides,”2 CORFOCIAL3 technicians and CIAL members. It was necessary to simplify the workshop because in the testing stages, it was found that the participants had difficulties in understanding some of the PM&E concepts, which had been treated in too technical a manner. The training was organized in a series of four, two-day modules: The first module explored basic concepts such as "monitoring,” "evaluation” and "participation”. In the second module, the term “objective” was conceptualized through a series of questions to promote discussion. The community’s overall and specific objectives were then formulated. In the third module, activities for reaching these specific objectives were formulated, and indicators to measure the progress towards the proposed general objective were defined. In the final module, formats for recording information were designed, and a PM&E committee, the people who are to be in charge of carrying out PM&E activities in their respective CIAL, was elected. 1 PR Project SN-3, CIAT. 2 Farmers who are members of the community-based research services, known as CIALs in Spanish, and experts in the CIAL methodology. They have received special training to conduct CIAL follow-up activities in remote regions. 3 Spanish acronym for second-order association of CIALs in Cauca Province, Colombia Nine CIAL Guides and two technicians from CORFOCIAL participated in workshops to develop their capacity for facilitating PM&E in their own CIAL and 2-3 others with whom they maintain contact. This strategy aimed to create a multiplier effect in diffusing the establishment of PM&E systems in CIALs. Establishing PM&E in Colombia To date, CORFOCIAL and the CIAL guides, in collaboration with PR PROJECT SN-3, have conducted PM&E establishment workshops with 12 CIALs. Table 1 gives the name and location of each ones. Table 1. CIALs where PM&E systems are being established, Cauca Province, Colombia. CIAL Name Location Establishment Date Carpintero Carpintero, Morales Oct. 1995 La Unión 1 La Unión, Piendamó May 2001 La Unión 2 La Unión, Piendamó May 2001 El Jardín El Jardín, Caldono Sept. 1993 El Pinar El Pinar, Piendamó Mar. 2000 San Isidro - Men San Isidro, Santander Sept. 1996 Buena Vista Buena Vista, Caldono June 1993 El Uvo El Uvo, Timbío April 2001 Portachuelo Alto Portachuelo, Rosas Sept. 2001 Santa María Santa María, Timbío Mar. 2001 Cinco Días - Women Cinco Días, Timbío Mar. 1992 Las Cruces Las Cruces, Silvia Jan. 1997 Results and discussion The results from the initial PM&E establishment workshops are presented in Table 2. The table presents the objectives, activities to achieve them and indicators for monitoring change. An analysis of the different CIALs' objectives shows some similarities and differences among them, depending upon their level of maturity and/or the basic needs of the people involved in these processes: For new CIAL groups, research is an important objective. This was clearly identified during the prioritization stage of the different objectives identified. This may largely be because these groups are initially formed with the objective of conducting research as a means of improving the farmers’ livelihoods. Examples of such CIALs are La Unión 1, La Unión 2 and Portachuelo Alto, all of which are about a year old (Table 1). On the other hand, mature CIALs have a more agroentrepreneurial vision. This is a natural progression after the CIAL has conducted experiments and has obtained good results. In these CIALs a logical next step is to develop seed systems in order to increase access to this new seed in the community. Other objectives of the mature CIALs are to engage in value-adding processing and marketing activities or developing agroenterprises. These CIALs are also interested in developing projects and designing strategies for obtaining resources internally to avoid using intermediaries and promote higher standards of living for the region. This is seen in such CIALs as Buena Vista and El Jardín (Table 1), which want to expand production, set up agroenterprise projects and markets for products (Table 2). Table 2. Results of the PM&E workshops carried out with five CIALs in Cauca Province, Colombia. CIAL General Objective Specific Objectives (Year 1) Activities (Year 1) Indicators La Unión 1 To carry out research on maize and set up projects to establish a level of production that would help ensure food security for the area To integrate the CIAL with the community To study common bean varieties To set up agro enterprise projects Plant trials Community visits to CIAL trials CIAL provides feedback to the community Training in project management Writing project proposals No. of established trials and research stage No. of visitors to CIAL trials No. of people who received feedback from CIAL No. of people who planted the varieties studied by the CIAL No. of varieties adapted to the area No. of people trained in project management No. of project proposals written by the community La Unión 2 To carry out research on maize and set up projects to establish a level of production that would help ensure food security for the area To integrate the CIAL with the community To study common bean varieties To set up agro enterprise projects Plant trials Community visits to CIAL trials CIAL provides feedback to the community Training in project management Writing project proposals No. of established trials and research stage No. of visitors to CIAL trials No. of people who received feedback from CIAL No. of people who planted the varieties studied by the CIAL No. of varieties adapted to the area No. of people trained in project management No. of project proposals written by the community San Isidro - Men To obtain resources for strengthening research on cassava and set up projects to form a microbusiness to improve the community’s income To set up cassava trials to see which varieties (new and local) have the best starch content To improve the group’s organization To promote community participation To acquire resources through bingos, raffles, etc. To set up agro enterprise Identify cassava varieties that are adapted and have high starch content Increase number of CIAL members Unify objectives between the CIAL and community Invite the community to see No. of cassava varieties identified as having high production and starch quality No. of people who participate in CIAL tasks No. of visitors to CIAL trials No. of visits the Guia CIAL visits the group projects CIAL trials Present research results to the community Lead in project management Training in project preparation No. of meetings to provide feedback to the community No. of activities to obtain resources Debits and credits to CIAL fund No. of projects prepared by the CIAL El Jardín To increase levels of panela1 production sufficiently to provide food security and form a microbusiness that would help improve the community’s standard of living To have the CIAL totally formed and functioning To improve the organization of group To study varieties of sugarcane To obtain resources Increase number of people belonging to CIAL and collaborators Program community visits to CIAL trials Conduct field days to provide feedback to the community Identify sugarcane varieties that have a high production of panela and are adapted to the area Carry out raffles, festivals, etc. Create savings No. of people who participate in CIAL activities No. of visitors to CIAL trials No. of people who attended field days No. of community members who planted varieties recommended by the CIAL No. of sugarcane varieties identified by the CIAL as having a high production of panela and adapted to the area No. of activities carried out to obtain resources An accounting book with receipts, expenditures and balances Carpintero To establish maize crops by applying PR for production, processing, and marketing stages in the Corregidor District of Carpintero To identify maize varieties with high production and adequate adaptation To plant and maintain Maize crops To obtain training in project management To keep accounting records To complete commercial agreements with consumers (e.g., marketplaces, granaries and agricultural warehouses) To prepare an activity schedule 1 Noncentrifuged sugar patty Another important aspect identified was that several CIALs were already thinking about developing income-generating activities to finance their projects. The importance given to this issue is seen in the CIALs San Isidro-Men, La Unión 1 and La Unión 2. Moreover, some CIALs have already established processing projects and had the capacity to continue with these activities. One example is the CIAL Carpintero, which has a maize production project under way (Table 2). Lessons learned in the PM&E establishment workshops o Some concepts such as “monitoring” and “indicators” were new words in the community and therefore difficult to understand. This suggests it is critical to identify a local vocabulary for these terms that are applicable locally. In the future, therefore, some terms such as “monitoring” and “indicator” should be changed to prevent confusion and to take advantage of the farmers’ own concepts such as “signs” for “indicator.” “Monitoring” could be changed for “continuous follow-up.” o Using graphics is an effective way to strengthen the conceptualization of these terms. The graphics should depict situations from the farmers’ daily life such as planting and crop management, so that they can better visualize the concepts. Farmers have proved to have excellent visual memory, which should be taken advantage of. o The formulation and agreement on objectives can be a highly complex process; therefore the methodology must be highly flexible, and strategies should be in place to define them clearly. o A major lesson extracted from the formulation-of-objectives exercises is the need to be very careful because personal interests can easily influence this activity. The opinions of one person can interfere greatly in the group’s decision-making, pushing to one side the group’s true priorities. o Our experiences indicate that the objectives and priorities of groups change as CIALs mature and accumulate experience. For example, new CIALs may wish to achieve food security, whereas mature CIALs are more business oriented. o Organizing specific objectives in chronological order is very useful in clarifying the farmer's objectives, and they can then easily formulate activities and develop indicators. o Where participants do not attend the different workshop modules regularly, difficulties arise because these farmers arrive with different expectations of the workshop; and lacking understanding of discussions from previous meetings, thus they need to have everything explained again, using up a great deal of time. Given the sequential nature of the workshop themes, mechanisms must be found to encourage participants to attend all the workshop’s components if they are to comprehend the subjects presented and participate fully. o When a CIAL formulates activities, representatives from the community should be involved because in some places, the CIAL was seen as a group that was separate from the rest of the community. o Once the processes are established, they should be monitored constantly to make necessary adjustments and maintain the enthusiasm of those people involved in the PM&E systems. o If a PM&E system is to be established successfully, then the CORFOCIAL technicians must provide the CIAL Guides with constant follow-up and support. This is because at the initial stages of the PM&E establishment, the process is quite complicated for the groups, and they need continuous motivation and support to apply the system. Additionally, there is a need to adjust the system continuously because it is highly unlikely to be perfect from the start. o Establishing PM&E systems involves a constant process of learning; therefore CIAL Guides must have constant access to technicians to discuss their concerns. o CIAL Guides also need to develop skills in communication, coupled with the capacity to analyze and clarify ideas. Reflection, learning and change: Participatory monitoring and evaluation experiences in Latin America Researchers:1 Susan Kaaria, Luis A.Hernandez, Elías Claros, Carlos A. Quiros Collaborators2: Nilda Martínez, Jose.A. Jiménez, Fredy Sierra, and Kirsten Probst3 HIGHLIGHTS ✴ Community-based participatory monitoring and evaluation systems managed and used by rural people to promote self-reflection and learning, and to monitor change in their communities, tested in 3 countries in LAC ✴ Appropriate community-based participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) system managed by rural communities and that empowers them to reflect on and analyze change, and to adjust project activities accordingly, developed. Background Participatory monitoring and evaluation (PME) offers new ways of assessing and learning and change. PME involves stakeholders including local people in deciding how progress should be measured, in defining criteria for success and in determining how results should be acted upon (Guijt & Gaventa, 1998).4 PME strives to be an internal learning process that enables people to reflect on past experience, examine present realities, revisit objectives and define future strategies by recognizing differential stakeholders' priorities and negotiating their diverse claims and interests (Estrella et al., 2000).5 In these processes the local people are involved in developing indicators to measure change, in collecting and analyzing the data, and making a decision as to how to adjust the activities. Germann et al. (1996)6 propose an analogous concept, participatory impact monitoring (PIM), an approach designed for participatory projects that aims to strengthen the self- help capacity and autonomous action of local groups. In this instance the PM&E serves as a tool for process-oriented project management that supports self-reflection, learning processes and shared decision-making to adjust the activities. The PM&E approach applied by CIAT builds on the concepts and ideas developed by the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex (Estrella et al., 2000; Guijt & Gaventa, 1998) and the PIM concept developed by Germann et al. (1996). 1 SN-3 CIAT Project 2 Participatory Research in Central America (IPCA) 3 Ph.D. Student at IPCA 4 Guijt, I.; Gaventa, J. 1998. Participatory monitoring and evaluation: Learning from change. Institute of Development Studies: Brighton. IDS Policy Briefing 12 5 Learning from change 1: Issues and experiences in participatory monitoring and evaluation. Edited by Marisol Estrella. Intermediate Technology Publications, UK 2000 6 Germann, D.; Gohl, E. 1996. Participatory impact monitoring (PIM). GTZ; German Appropriate Technology Exchange (GATE)/Information and Advisory Service on Appropriate Technology (ISAT): Box 1: Steps in establishing and supporting PME systems 1. Identification of key stakeholders affected by the project 2. Exploration and strengthening of stakeholders’ knowledge of monitoring, evaluation, participation and indicators 3. Development and agreement of objectives to be monitored 4. Definition and agreement on indicators to be monitored 5. Organization of a PME committee to oversee creation and use of indicators 6. Data collection and analyses for indicators 7. Reflection, deriving lessons and designing adjustments in projects and the PME system 8. Information feedback to community and project managers 9. A new cycle of PME begins with review of step 3. Experiences with establishing PME processes in Latin America Establishing PM&E systems in Honduras CIAT started developing and testing the PME systems in collaboration with one of its partner institutions: Investigación Participativa en Centro America (IPCA), based in Yorito, Honduras. The PM&E system was developed as part of an action research process and was initiated by a student, Kirsten Probst, as part of her PhD dissertation research (see Probst, 20021 for further details). The study involved a field-research period in Honduras from Mar. 1999-Sept. 2000. The PM&E approach developed by Probst built on the PIM concept. The testing and evaluation phase of the PM&E approach started in 1999 with the establishment of PM&E systems in four CIALs2 in Yorito, Honduras: CIAL Fuente de Vida in Jalapa, CIAL Luquigüe, CIAL San Isidro in La Ladera, CIAL Mujeres en Acción in San Antonio. Probst initiated several changes to make the existing M&E more “participatory” at the CIAL group level, as follows: o Group members expressed their expectations/hopes and fears/concerns related to the CIAL process and developed indicators based on their priority expectations. o A monitoring committee of 2-3 persons was elected by each CIAL. o Specific formats for data collection sheets were developed for every CIAL to record systematically the information for each indicator. o The monthly presentation and discussion of the monitoring information was introduced as a new item on the agenda of the regular CIAL meetings. 1 Probst, K. 2002. Participatory monitoring and evaluation: A promising concept in participatory research? Lessons from two case studies in Honduras. PhD dissertation. Universität Hohenheim: Stuttgart, Germany 2 A CIAL is a community-based research group of farmer volunteers selected by the community to conduct research on their behalf. CIALs conduct research on priority themes identified by the community. Table 1 summarizes some of Probst’s initial results. the objectives and indicators for measuring progress towards these objectives developed by CIAL members. Based on the lessons from establishing PM&E systems in these initial CIAL groups, IPCA extended the process to cover 6 other CIALs by 2000: CIAL Nueva Vida de Pueblo Viejo, CIAL Santa Cruz, CIAL Sagrado Corazón de Guaco, CIAL Nueva Superación de Patastera and the regional second-order association of CIALs in Yorito, the ASOCIAL. Table 1. List of objectives, indicators defined and reasons why CIAL members find the information useful; adapted from Probst (2002). Objectives Indicators Reasons CIAL continues to be an active, committed and coherent group. Participation in CIAL meetings √ CIAL members know what is going with the experimentation work √ CIAL members are participating in planning activities √ Helps to know what is happening to our members; if someone is ill, then CIAL members can visit √ Measures members' punctuality Movement of CIAL funds (debits and credits) √ Provides information on how CIAL funds are increasing/decreasing √ Enables CIAL to know when it time to initiate income-generating activities to recover the fund √ Call for us to take action CIAL will have revenues, savings and access to credit CIAL members savings fund and loan repayments √ Helps to know how big a loan one can access (based on their savings) √ Allows us to keep exact accounts of our money √ Members know who is paying back their loans and who is not CIAL does research/ experiments on new technologies Participation in CIAL monthly activities √ Allows us to know the participation of each one in the CIAL activities √ Provides information on who has a right to share in the benefits of income-generating projects CIAL receives further capacity building and technical assistance Capacity-building activities; visits by facilitators √ Learn who has been trained so they can train others √ Allows us to document whether facilitator is participating CIAL delivers services to the community Participation of CIAL members in community meetings √ CIAL can know what is happening in the community and their priorities √ Serves to exchange information with other groups √ Allows us to learn about community problems √ Measures communication with the community Reflection, learning and change Reflection workshops facilitated by IPCA In 2001 IPCA conducted a reflection workshop with each of the CIALs that had established a PM&E system (see Martínez & Jiménez, 2001 for further details1). The objectives of these reflection workshops were (see Germann et al., 1996 for further details) to enable the CIALs to discuss and communicate their PM&E results; provide a forum for exchanging and evaluating information; allow participants to look back explicitly to the start of their activities, comparing it with where they are currently and to understand what has changed; and to allow all members to reflect on the progress of the project and to adjust it as required. IPCA developed a series of questions to guide the reflection workshops to enable the CIALs to evaluate each of the indicators and assess progress toward the objectives. In the initial reflection workshop, IPCA conducted reflection workshops with 8 CIALs and one regional second-order association: CIAL Fuente de Vida, Jalapa; CIAL Luquigue; CIAL Mujeres en Acción, San Antonio; CIAL El Plantel; CIAL Nueva Superación, La Patastera; CIAL Nueva Vida, Pueblo Viejo; CIAL Sagrado Corazón, Guaco; CIAL Santa Cruz; and the ASOCIAL2. The following questions are examples of guiding questions used by IPCA: o How does the group view progress in this indicator? o Is the group satisfied with the activities conducted to achieve the objective? o What action can be taken to improve what we are doing? o What conclusions can we draw on each indicator? Analysis of PM&E information with CIALs and application of results to improve the process The results of the reflection workshops provided information on the progress of the project; analyses of sociocultural impacts; and indicators of impacts of the project, among others. The discussions also identified areas where things were not working and areas of success, and developed strategies for improving the CIAL activities as required. This section summarizes some of the results that emerged during these workshops and provides a summary of some of the key indicators identified by the CIALs and some of the strategies identified for adjusting activities and thereby the project, accordingly. o Participation in CIAL meetings and activities. Participation in CIAL meetings measures progress towards the objectives of “social organization”; that is, the group continues to be organized and united, and the members actively participating in group activities. This indicator enables CIAL members to measure involvement of each 1 Martínez, N.D.; Jiménez, J.A. 2001. Apoyando a los comités de investigación agrícola local (CIALs) en el desarrollo de un sistema de monitoreo y evaluación. Proyecto IPCA (Investigación Participativa en Centro América), Yorito, Honduras. (Internal report) 2 ASOCIAL is the regional second-order association of CIALs in Yorito, Honduras member in planning and in other CIAL activities such as experimentation. Additionally, this indicator keeps the group informed of what is happening with the members. In most instances the CIALs were satisfied with the performance of this activity. This is because once the PME system was established, it demonstrated clearly who was participating in meetings and activities and who was not. As a response the members were made more, “socially responsible” and as a result it improved participation in the CIAL activities. o CIAL’s financial basis. Monitoring the financial basis of the CIAL was a key objective identified by all CIALs. This objective includes aspects such as the CIAL having enough funds to support their experimentation (the CIAL Fund); CIAL members savings and thereby access to credit; and the establishment and management of small agroenterprise projects for generating income for the group. The results from the reflection workshops indicated that a majority of the CIALs were satisfied with the information sharing on the “CIAL funds” because “everything is clear now.” This was in contrast to the period before the establishment of the PM&E systems when the CIAL treasurer did not have to present the accounts publicly to the group. In some CIALs problems with how the treasurer was managing funds became evident during these discussions. In other groups, the CIAL did not have funds to support their experimentation processes because the group had loaned out more money than it could afford, and members were not repaying their loans. During the reflection workshops each CIAL identified strategies to address each of the problems identified. For example, CIAL Luquigue made a decision to develop personal agreements with each member with a loan, to ensure the loans were repaid. Similarly, other CIALs, such as Mujeres en Acción developed a plan to conduct fund-raising activities, including increasing personal contributions, to augment their funds. o Linkage between CIALs and their community. One of the objectives identified by the CIAL is “that the CIAL delivers services to the community.” To do this the CIAL must present its results to the community and participate in community meetings. CIALs members felt that going to the community meetings enabled them to remain current with their priorities and problems. An analysis of the progress towards this objective showed that in many groups this has been weak. Some CIALs indicated that it was the same members who had been participating in the community meetings and that not all members were involved. As a strategy to address this problem, CIAL Fuente de Vida suggested that there should be a rotating schedule to ensure that every member participated in the community meetings. Other groups suggested that CIALs should take advantage of other community meetings to present their results more widely. o Identification of impact indicators. An important result from the reflection workshops was identifying process and research-outcome impacts of the project. Process impacts are intermediary, resulting from participating in the project; and they may be easy to miss if impact assessment is conducted only at the end of the project. These can be both social and human capital impacts. Learning from experiences: Annual evaluations of PM&E System The PR Project SN-3 initiated an annual evaluation of the PM&E systems to monitor and evaluate the processes and document the impact of the PM&E systems in improving the CIALs process. The Project conducted the initial appraisal of the PM&E processes in Honduras in July 2001. The objective of this initial evaluation was to identify potential opportunities for expanding the small-scale experiences in Honduras. The second PM&E assessment, conducted in 2002, aimed at developing a systematic process for analyzing and documenting the lessons from the PM&E systems. This was a critical element in ensuring that the Project could derive lessons and learn from the process, so as to continue adapting and evolving the process. The method involved focus group discussions with the technical personnel and CIAL groups managing their own PM&E systems. Interviews were conducted with 21 CIALs that had established this PM&E system. The following questions were used to guide the discussions: o When was the PM&E system established? o Which information do you find most useful for improving your projects? o Which indicators do you find most interesting to monitor and why? o Which indicators would you like to change or stop monitoring? o What are the benefits and disadvantages have you encountered in this process? Table 2 presents a summary of the results from the interviews on the type of information/ indicators that CIAL members find most useful and the reasons for each. Table 2. Impact indicators identified. Process Impacts (social & human capital impact) Research Outcomes (farmer acceptance of technology & changes in production systems) √ Strengthened social capital – Women in other regions interested in – organizing themselves as result of successes of CIAL Fuente Vida – Increased social support; CIAL members visit members who are unwell to provide support. √ Reducing vulnerability – Access to family emergency fund; CIAL members can borrow money for family emergencies. F has several roles: - “It benefits the persons that are the neediest.” - “We organized so we can help each other.” - “It helps people when there is a great need.” √ Increased output of maize and common beans √ New knowledge about: – Different maize and bea diseases – New varieties – Documenting plant height and flowering – Appropriate fertilizer application rates √ Applications of new techniques to manage their crops: – Seed selection and planting in lines – Minimum tillage for land preparation – Using live barriers – Planting along the contour – Increased income: – Development of artisanal maize seed project Discussion In most of the groups interviewed, the CIAL members were very clear about the type of information that they find most useful and the reasons for the same. The results showed that the indicators that measure the “financial basis” of CIALs, for example, the “movement of the CIAL fund,” were the most important for the groups. All CIALs were very keen to document information related to the movement of their funds by analyzing the status of the funds, the CIALs could make timely decisions about whether to conduct special activities to raise funds or whether to encourage members to repay their loans. Other information that the CIALs found important was participation in CIAL meetings and activities, and participation in meetings with the community. CIAL members viewed participation in group meetings as an indication that the group is continuing strongly and is not disintegrating. In general these indicators demonstrate that CIALs are concerned with different aspects related to the sustainability of the CIAL such as financial and organizational sustainability. The movement of the CIAL funds allows the CIAL to understand the status of “financial sustainability.” On the other hand, participation in CIAL meetings and activities, as well as continued linkage with the community, enables the CIALs to evaluate organizational sustainability. o The CIALs members were enthusiastic about the PM&E system and consider several benefits of the process: In their own words, the PM&E is useful because: o “It has increased responsibility of members in participating in meetings.” o “It let's us know how the CIAL is doing.” o “It is building the capability of documenting and analyzing information: When we recently systematized our history, it was very easy because we are used to documenting.” o "It shows us what we are doing, and we can remember things." o CIAL members found the PM&E useful because it provided information feedback and more communication within the group, thereby promoting transparency and accountability. This was especially important in terms of the management of funds because the treasurer now has to publicly present the records of group funds. Other benefits identified were that the PM&E enhanced group members' responsibility to the CIAL because it clearly showed who was actively participating in group meetings and who was paying off their loans. o There were significant differences in how the CIAL members perceived the benefits of PME systems over time (differences in perception between the results from 2001 and those from 2002). In 2001 CIAL members focused many of the issues around the challenges of establishing the PM&E system. In 2002 the members were beginning to internalize the PM&E and were linking the system to the management of their projects and to helping improve the participation in their projects. During the 2002 evaluation it was evident that the majority of the CIAL members understood the functioning of the PM&E system, what data was being collected and why it is useful. There was recognition that PM&E was helping create a "culture of documenting.” One CIAL group indicated that they are now able to analyze and document information better. Almost all the CIAL members indicated that the PM&E system was beneficial to them. An interesting finding was that women were getting empowered as “managers of information” because in the majority of the CIAL women were in charge of the PM&E data. o The results also indicate that PM&E systems can be complex and difficult to apply especially when some members of the CIAL cannot read or write. Additionally, PM&E systems are resource intensive (in terms of time and material) given the need to organize and document the information. This can be especially limiting because farmers lack access to time and/or the activity may become an additional task for the CIAL committee, which already has other responsibilities. Finally, all CIALs emphasized the need for continued capacity building and technical support in PM&E processes. Future plans o Based on the positive results of this preliminary testing phase, the PR Project SN-3 plans to test and adapt the model developed in Honduras in other LAC countries with CIALs: Colombia, Honduras, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Ecuador. o Building capacity of community members and technical personnel to establish and support PM&E processes. A key component of establishing PME systems in other areas is the development of a framework for building the capacity of technical personnel in establishing and supporting these processes. In this process the Project worked in collaboration with Kirsten Probst and IPCA developed materials and a model for building the capacity of PM&E. Part of this involved developing the steps in establishing and supporting PM&E systems. o CIAT and IPCA have held two international training workshops (in Honduras and Bolivia) and a follow-up PM&E evaluation workshop (also in Bolivia) to derive lessons and adapt the training materials. The training workshops have focused on building skills and capabilities of all key actors, from the local communities right through to technical personnel working with different institutions (NGOs, Foundations, NARs, CIAT staff) in establishing and supporting PM&E processes. o Development of a training guide for establishing and supporting PM&E processes. Based on these initial experiences, CIAT is putting together training materials to develop a "Guide to Building Capacity for PM&E,” which can be used to build the capacity of technical personnel and community members to establish and support the PM&E processes. o Validating the PM&E model in other countries and contexts. To evaluate the robustness of the approach in other countries and contexts, we have started testing the approach in Colombia and Bolivia: • Honduras: Scaling up of the lessons and experiences from this initial work is proceeding. To date there are now about 18 CIALs that have fully functioning PME systems and are applying data to derive lessons and improve their projects. IPCA is in the process conducting workshops and capacity-building activities to establish PME systems in 15 other CIALs in Honduras. • Colombia: There are 12 CIALs that are in the process of establishing PM&E processes. • Bolivia: We are in the process of institutionalizing PM&E within the newly developed R&D system. The objective is to use the PM&E to strengthen the capability of community-based organizations to make effective demand on R&D services and to evaluate the relevance of research products to their needs, to learn from their experiences and to adjust strategies accordingly. o Research to refine and evolve the PM&E system. A key objective of this project will be to continue conducting research to evolve this process and to refine the PM&E model. Key research questions will focus on: o How do you build the skills and capabilities of the different key actors in establishing PM&E systems and what are the key components of these capacity building activities? o How will monitoring and evaluation contribute to enhancing the accountability of formal R&D organizations to local communities and community-based organizations (such as CIALs)? o What is the role of PM&E in extenuating institutional constraints to the creation of a pro-poor market in agricultural RD&TT service provision (New Institutional Economics approach)? o What is the role of PM&E in enhancing information flows thereby improving the relevance of agricultural innovations for the rural poor (RAAKS approach). o An assessment of PM&E system to evaluate the impact of the PM&E systems on relevance and effectiveness of RD&TT services and processes. o How can PM&E data be articulated and fed into policy-making level, so as to influence policy and drive the R&D agendas? o Scaling up PM&E processes. To expand the scale of impacts we plan to continue building capacity of technical personnel from different institutions so as to construct a critical mass of people with these skills and capabilities. To do this we will use a “cascade” approach to scaling up, where initially a small group will be trained as PME trainers. This group will then begin training the other groups, thereby progressively expanding the geographical coverage and the number of people experienced in PM&E. PABRA Planning Framework: Pilot communities become better managers of their resources Researchers1: S. David, C. Chitsike BAPPA rationale Although increasing food supply is often a necessary condition for improving food security, increases in food supply and rural incomes do not guarantee improved rural livelihoods and food security at the household level. Farmers’ financial benefits from agriculture are often reduced by their limited opportunities for adding value to their agricultural produce, poor marketing information and low bargaining power with middlemen. Unless resolved at the household level, factors such as chronic disease, lack of clean drinking water, gender bias, poor knowledge of nutrition and sociocultural practices may undermine the adequate utilization of available food. In 2001 CIAT, with funding from CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency), initiated a new pilot project in Eastern and Southern Africa aimed at assisting communities to become better managers of their natural, financial and human/social resources. The project entitled “Beyond Agricultural Productivity to Poverty Alleviation” (BAPPA) currently operates at sites in southwestern Uganda (Rubaya Subcounty, Kabale District) and central Malawi (Dedza District). A third site has yet to be identified in Lushoto District of northern Tanzania. At all pilot sites, technologies introduced by CIAT and its research partners have enhanced agricultural productivity; e.g., through higher yielding bean varieties or soil-improvement technologies. The BAPPA project aims to address the bottlenecks that hinder farmers from benefiting fully from research-generated agricultural technologies. To implement its development goals, BAPPA works in close partnership with NGOs: Africare in Uganda and Concern Universal in Malawi. BAPPA outputs Working in 3-4 pilot sites in 3-4 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa, the project has six outputs: o Catalyze improved organizational capacity in pilot communities o Support farmer experimentation and application of technical skills o Facilitate farmers' ability to invest their potentially higher income in alleviating poverty o Facilitate pilot communities efforts to protect natural resources o Facilitate improved gender relations and support women’s empowerment and leadership in the pilot villages o Develop guidelines for fostering interagency collaboration 1 Researchers in CIAT-Africa Description of BAPPA project sites (Table 1) Table 1. Description of BAPPA sites for Phase I, Nov. 2001-Nov. 2002 (BAPPA, 2002). Malawi Dedza District Uganda Kabale District Tanzania Lushoto District Absolute poverty High Moderate Moderate Main causes of poverty √ Soil infertility √ Low productivity √ Drought √ Land scarcity √ Soil infertility √ Environmental degradation √ Low prices for crops √ Low prices for crops √ Poor community organization for market activities Main crop √ Common beans, maize √ Potatoes, common beans, sorghum, cabbage √ Common beans, maize, horticultural crops Rainfall pattern √ Unimodal √ Bimodal √ Bimodal Market orientation √ Low √ Moderate √ Moderate Access to road √ Good √ Good √ Moderate NGO partner √ Concern Universal √ Africare √ Traditional √ Irrigation √ Environmental √ Development √ Organization Methods While the goal of poverty alleviation is common to most development projects, this project seeks to accomplish this goal within the context of a novel institutional arrangement: A partnership between a research institution and NGOs. Both CIAT and the selected NGOs share the common objectives of enhancing food security and sustainable rural livelihoods for the poor while protecting the environment. They bring to the project expertise and experience in different, but complementary, fields. CIAT has extensive experience in developing improved technologies for common beans and forage crops and sustainable NRM, as well as approaches and tools for the participatory development of sustainable seed systems, rural agroenterprises and NRM. NGOs have experience in developing close working relationships with rural people and helping communities to organize themselves. A primary aim of BAPPA is therefore to explore the conditions necessary for collaboration between a research institution and NGOs on community-based NRM. To achieve this objective, the project will address a number of key research questions, bring an action research perspective to poverty alleviation interventions and document the processes it initiates. CIAT’s interest is to learn lessons from monitoring and evaluating those processes in order to influence R&D policies related to community-level NRM and poverty alleviation activities in the East and Southern Africa regions BAPPA, as its title suggests, recognizes that to transform the communities with which it is working, implicitly demands a radical process such as Paulo Freire’s method of conscientization through educating by dialogue1. Changing social situations in the respective communities is not an easy task and cannot be done from outside. This is an example of trying to push a stationery bus from inside - that is how revolutionary the task that BAPPA has. BAPPA advocates for communities to define who they are, what they want and how they can get it. The aim is to foster positive social change in communities and people's quality of life as they themselves define that change. The project seeks particularly to improve the lives in the selected villages that are economically marginalized and poor. Currently work has started toward this thinking in Uganda and Malawi. Tanzania will shortly come on board. The approach BAPPA seeks to follow is informed by principles of participatory methods i.e., equity, tolerance, self-determination and social justice, with emphasis on gender as an issue to address in all outputs of the project. The social scientist and community development specialist has made several visits to Malawi, Tanzania and Kabale in Uganda. Ongoing dialogue with the identified collaborating partners has led to the setting up of activities on farmer experimentation with bean variety selection in Malawi and pyrethrum and soil fertility in Kabale. The communities in Malawi are raising goats for marketing; in Uganda the two communities are growing pyrethrum for sale to the local pyrethrum factory; and in Tanzania communities have started agreeing and making action plans on crops for marketing to improve their income. Achievements to date o Setting up the BAPPA structure for operating with collaborating NGOs and Africare in Uganda and TIP in Tanzania. o Empowering facilitation of periodic community planning of activities including farmers establishing their own criteria for action committees for each output. o Empowering communities, through better facilitation skills and methods, taking into account women’s and men’s capacities to face challenges o Boosting confidence in women's and men's abilities to make free choices and the power to control their lives, both within the home as well as in the community o Strengthen the capacity of NGOs and local agricultural service providers through formal and ongoing training in facilitation skills during BAPPA activities. o Documentation of approaches in use in BAPPA Phase 1 o Integration of FPR, participatory market research in agroenterprises and community development in the same communities o Analysis of baseline surveys of all three sites ongoing 1 Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum 1970. Constraints Changes in collaborating agencies' focuses and approaches in Malawi have led the project to seek other ways of continuing the activities. LOGICAL FRAMEWORK Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation (PM&E) for rural innovation: Processes to articulate demands and increase supply accountability. Narrative Summary Overall Goal Measurable Indicators Means of Verification Important Assumptions Improve livelihood of resource-poor rural communities in Bolivia through better access to and greater use of technological innovation as a result of increased relevance of RD&TT outputs Better targeting of the poor and increased relevance of research outputs by RD&TT providers Improved rural livelihoods for resource-poor communities as a result of the development of relevant and appropriate technical innovation by 2005 Increased food security, higher incomes and greater local control over development outcomes in the project areas Increased capacity of agricultural innovations and greater control over technological innovation process by rural communities Empowered rural communities able to articulate their demands and priorities for RD&TT outputs Interviews with key Ministry decision-makers and at least 2 of the 4 Bolivian foundations (FTDA): Valles, Altiplano, Chaco Tropico Humedo Technologies developed by RD&TT providers in response to articulated demands of communities Reports of impact-assessment studies Reports of specific case studies Project reports Testimonials of community- based organizations on the impact applying new methods for better targeting research outputs on technology innovation The Aug. 2002 change in Government results favorable for SIBTA and for maintaining rural poverty reduction as key objective Bolivian Agricultural RT&TT system working better for the poor by increasing the relevance of their R&D outputs √ Decision-makers at SIBTA and the 4 FTDAs applying methods developed for better targeting of the poor and for increasing relevance of research outputs by the end of 2005 √ At least 6 new innovation projects (PITAs) funded by FTDAs based on relevant priorities established with beneficiaries at end of 3 yr √ At least 20 new adaptive research projects generating new appropriate technologies established by end of 2005 √ At least 50 community-based organizations establish working relationship with local municipalities and research providers to formulate pro-poor research projects for submission to FTDAs √ PITA proposals and other projects approved and in operation √ PITA progress and impacts reports √ Proposals requesting research presented by producer organizations, municipalities and their constituents to the FTDAs √ Minutes of municipal meetings about research opportunities and needs √ Minutes of RD&TT providers meetings responding to research opportunities and needs √ Records of CIAL diagnosis meetings to establish research priorities with their communities √ Records of PM&E goal-setting meetings, the lists of indicators for monitoring established by participants and the results of monitoring √ The Ministry of Agriculture, SIBTA and UNDPT, and at least 2 of the 4 FTDAs commit personnel to the PME and capacity-building activities of the project √ Partner institutions have committed personnel to the national team of trainers in a cumulative fashion that allows for continuity in their participation over the first three-year phase Purpose Indicators of Achievement Means of Verification Important Assumptions Development of systematic processes for empowering resource-poor communities to make more effective demands on RD&TT systems, to participate effectively in the technology innovation and to enhance the flow of information between farmers and RD&TT systems in order to increase the likelihood of technology adoption √ By 2005, evidence of one or more of the following: √ The community-based PM&E committees are able to articulate research priorities relevant to poor rural people of different levels of well- being √ At least 50 farmer research committees associated with producer organizations are generating and/or adapting technologies relevant to needs of the poor by the end of 2005 √ At least 30% increase in relevance and responsiveness of RD&TT providers, including in at least 2 of the 4 Bolivian foundations (FTDAs) as a result of client involvement by the end of 2005 √ A responsive and interactive PME system that can strengthen the flow of information among farmer groups, community-based organizations and RD&TT providers, Municipalities, and FDTAs in place, by 2005 √ Interviews with the demand-side actors with proposed PITAs √ Interviews with the demand–side actors of other technology and adaptation projects in the project’s pilot areas √ Indicators identified through PME processes to monitor changes in well-being levels in all the four pilot areas of the project √ Summary reports of articulated demands from farmer groups √ Report of aggregated community diagnosis results from FRGs (CIALs/FFS) √ Scientific publication on evaluating the impact of the PME systems on the relevance and effectiveness of RD&TT services and processes √ Project progress reports Policies by new government favorable to the development of the small farmer agricultural sector Outputs Measurable Indicators Means of Verification Important Assumptions 1. An interinstitutional group of partners committed to institutionalizing and supporting PME processes, identified and motivated √ At least 15 potential partners institutions participating in a project planning workshop √ Interinstitutional agreements signed with at least 8 key partner institutions √ At least three priorities pilot areas that represent potential "hotspots" for poverty in Bolivia, identified √ Regular meetings of the interinstitutional group of partners that is supporting and guiding project √ At least 2 mid-term project evaluation workshops √ Workshop proceedings √ Formal documents of interinstitutional agreements with key partners √ Secondary data validating that the pilot areas selected are representative of resource-poor areas of Bolivia √ Participation of key stakeholders including donors in mid-term evaluation workshops √ Mid-term reports from evaluations workshops Outputs Measurable Indicators Means of Verification Important Assumptions 2. Capacity built within rural communities, their representatives, and local institutions to identify and articulate their demand for agricultural research and to develop technology adapted to their local conditions √ Participatory methods for identifying and articulating poor rural people's demands for agricultural technology, developed and tested in the pilot areas √ At least 50 CIALs/FFS CIALs conducting PR to generate and adapt technologies to local conditions, based on articulated community priorities √ At least 8 institutions and 6 municipalities in the priority areas and their community-based organizations applying participatory methods developed to help communities articulate their demands for agricultural research √ A national team of FPR/PM&E specialists building capacity on applying participatory methods for identifying and articulating demand and on conducting adaptive research at the community level √ At least 100 professionals trained as trainers in the CIAL/FFS/PM&E approaches √ At least 6 new innovation projects (PITAs) and 3 PIENs identified and funded by the Bolivian foundations (FTDAs) based on relevant priorities established with beneficiaries √ No. of technicians trained in establishing and supporting CIALs, FFS, and PM&E processes √ No. of CIALs and FFS assessing and articulating local research priorities √ Records of CIAL experiments and their meetings to report results to their communities √ Documented evidence of PITAs and PIENs identified √ PITA proposals approved and in operation √ Testimonials of rural communities applying PM&E to evaluate PITAs and other projects √ A video of community-based organizations participating in the process of capturing and systematizing their demand, "Voices of the people" √ Project reports √ Training guide on how to capture and systematize agricultural research demands of poor rural communities √ Distribution of funding to projects reflects breadth of SIBTA’s objectives and sufficient provision for pro-poor projects √ Wider conditions allow that demonstrable poverty- reduction impact achieved and evidence properly documented √ CG centers and Bolivia RD&TT partners able to benefit from collaboration √ Partner organizations able to attract RD&TT funding for subsequent pro-poor work √ Target organizations able to participate in scaling-up activities over medium term √ External factors favorable for adoption/ adaptation of new knowledge/ technology by poorest sectors √ CIAL research results provide feedback to generate new PITAs √ CG centers and Bolivia RD&TT partners have capacity to respond to the PITAs and PIENs demanded by the communities Outputs Measurable Indicators Means of Verification Important Assumptions 3. Interactive PM&E systems to derive lessons, evaluate progress and impacts of agricultural innovations, developed and institutionalized √ A PM&E system that empowers community- based FRGs, to feedback community diagnosis results into the formal RD&TT providers, will tested and evaluated at least 3 of the 4 pilot sites √ PME systems established in at least 50% of the PITAs supported by the FDTAs based on identified demands √ At least 6 municipalities in pilot areas using the PM&E data to monitor and evaluate the progress of PITAs and other projects √ A database established to aggregate and systematize PM&E data that provides critical linkages and information feedback mechanisms among RD&TT providers local communities, and community-based organizations √ Workshop proceedings, participants work plans and post-workshop reports √ Periodic and annual project reports √ Database of PM&E data √ A methodology video on how to establish and support PM&E systems at the community- based level √ Municipalities using the PM&E data to monitor and evaluate the progress of PITAs √ Comparative case studies (2) conducted to derives lessons and evaluate relevance and effectiveness of PME systems √ Impact-assessment study to evaluate impact of the PM&E systems on relevance and effectiveness of RD&TT services and processes 4. Knowledge and awareness of a wide portfolio of research priority-setting and PME application methods increased among the policy-making community, including RD&TT providers and the 4 FDTAs √ By 2005 at least 25 RD&TT providers and NGOs participate in annual workshop conducted by CIAT on different methods and tools analysis, interpretation and prioritization of demand √ Workshop proceedings, participants work plans and post-workshop reports √ A how-to guide on different methods and tools for analyzing, interpreting and prioritizing demand from community-based organizations √ Documents and reports from participating institutions on their application and adaptation of the research priority-setting methods Proposal for integrating the CIALs in the management and conservation of natural resources in Nicaragua Researchers: Pedro P. Orozco1, Carlos A. Quirós2 Collaborator: Jorge A. Beltrán3 Introduction The community-based research services known as CIALs in Spanish are organized groups of farmers elected by their communities to generate and/or adapt technologies to the local conditions. Said groups are, in many cases, the only organization that the communities have in the majority of countries and regions where the communities are located in the hillside zone. These communities have serious problems of erosion, deforestation and irregularities in the water supply. As a consequence of this, there are other types of problems such as the lack of firewood for cooking their food, lack of water for human consumption and loss in the fertility of the agricultural soil. Given the foregoing, it is necessary to take advantage of the capacity of innovation and convening power that the CIALs have to initiate activities parallel to the research projects that will enable them to initiate collective action in search of the rational use and management of natural resources. A proposal was prepared to channel the potential existing in the communities as another activity of the groups to improve their level of well-being. Taking advantage of the native knowledge and the participatory methods and tools with which the CIALs and the communities are familiar, groups of CIALs were identified in a watershed to concert and execute actions in search of the rationalization of their natural resources. Objectives o Test the methodological proposal for integrating the CIALs in the management and conservation of natural resources o Take advantage of the CIALs organizational capacity o Generate collective action that makes it possible to improve the level of well-being of the communities that have CIALs in the same watershed The following CIALs were selected for NRM as: Watershed CIALs (and their communities) El Zapote Stream El Jardín and Los Girasoles (women, El Zapote); Nueva Vida (El Chile) La Calera Stream Productores Unidos (Las Mesas); El Porvenir (Wibuse); Mujeres Experimentadoras San José (El Jícaro 1) Cálico River Santa Fé (Carrizal); Linda Vista (Zarzal); Manos que Ayudan (El Corozo) 1 PE-3, Nicaragua 2 SN-3 CIAT Project 3 PE-3, Nicaragua o A person is needed to document the process. o Consensus on (a) meetings being held in the three sectors, (b) prioritizing the two that show the most interest and possibilities of having alternatives to offer, and (c) knowledge of the urgency for action on a given theme. o Workshops could be initiated in the third or fourth week of October Possible exchange of experiences, both local and external, training in selected themes (SOLa, visits, etc.) Prepare action plans with the responsible group Workshops for reflection: (how many should we hold?) • Analyze problems and alternative local solutions • Establish mechanisms for linking CIALs and key partners to develop NRM strategies • Create working group (among participating CIALs) responsible for working in NRM Sector meetings with CIALs • Identify key partners in NRM and their links • Identify and prioritize general themes of NRM • Program reflection workshops Monitor and follow up NRM action plans Implement long-, medium- and short-term NRM activities The following CIALs were selected for NRM as: Watershed CIALs (and their communities) El Zapote Stream El Jardín and Los Girasoles (women, El Zapote); Nueva Vida (El Chile) La Calera Stream Productores Unidos (Las Mesas); El Porvenir (Wibuse); Mujeres Experimentadoras San José (El Jícaro 1) Cálico River Santa Fé (Carrizal); Linda Vista (Zarzal); Manos que Ayudan (El Corozo) Figure 1. Methodology for integrating the CIALs in national resource research, management and conservation. a SOL = Options supermarket to hillside Using information and communication technologies to support farmer participatory research1 Researcher: Harriet Menter2 Mission Contribute to social equality in terms of the rural-urban divide by providing access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) for farmer researchers in the first place and, through them, to rural communities in general. Objectives o To design, develop and test tools to support farmer researcher groups (FRGs) in their research, that will also be useful to local communities in Cauca Province o To develop and test strategies to support the FRGs and their communities in their appropriation of these tools and the ICT facilities that exist in the region o To create horizontal communication channels between FRGs and their communities in southwestern of Colombia o To create vertical, two-way communication channels between farmer researchers, their communities and R&D organizations o To monitor and evaluate this process in order to improve it and to learn lessons to support similar processes in other regions of Latin America o To adopt a gender-analysis tool to consider, in depth, the role of gender in this rural development process Proposed Actions 1. Identify participants. The project will start with a consultation process with the CIALs and CORFOCIAL in order to identify suitable participants for the project. These people could be guides, who already work supporting other CIALs in their research. The guides have not only demonstrated responsibility and leadership but also have experience in educational processes. Other members of CIALs that are interested in the use of ICTs and are capable and willing to be a link between ICTs and their communities can also be selected. 2. Diagnose needs and available resources. These people will participate in workshops and events to design the structural, functional and operational aspects of the digital tools that will aid the CIALs in searching for and accessing the information they need to undertake their research and to share with others the lessons and results of their research. This process will start with research undertaken by the participants in the 1 This proposal has received input from the PR team; Alfonso Truque and Bolivar Muñoz (CORFOCIAL); Jhon Jairo Hurtado and Dora Arévalo (SIDER Project); Olga Patricia Paz, Nathan Russell and Edith Hesse (Communications Unit, CIAT); Liliana Rojas (REDECO-CIAT) and Sylvia Cadena (Whitefly Project, CIAT). 2 SN-3 CIAT Project consultant various means of communication available to them, and a diagnosis of their information and communication needs. This diagnosis will guide the rest of the project. Information on the farmer researchers' demands for information and communication will be fed back to the SIDER project so that the tools developed by SIDER will be highly useful to the CIALs. 3. Training. In the same series of workshops, the participants will also be trained in the use of these and other digital tools and media (e.g., search engines, databases and electronic manuals and documents). 4. Sharing the knowledge. Once trained, these people will support the CIALs to use the ICT to look for and share relevant information either with R&D organizations or other CIALs. They will be paid at the local rate plus 30% to undertake this work 1-2 days per month. 5. Monitoring and evaluation. The process will be evaluated by the participants using PM&E tools in order to improve it continuously and also learn lessons that may be applied elsewhere. A large part of the project evaluation will consist of the adaptation and use of the GEM (gender evaluation methodology) tool developed by APC to evaluate the interaction between new technologies and gender. Despite recognition that issues of gender are central to most rural development processes and institutional support, there has been little consideration of this important dimension of rural development in CIAT projects to date. This project will take a lead in using gender analysis as an integral part of the project, which will be implemented right from the beginning. The GEM methodology provides a perfect entry point to this complex issue, and the researcher undertaking the project will receive support in its application from the ACP Women’s Networking Support Program. 6. Learning and applying lessons. Based on the evaluation of the project, the lessons learned that could be used to support similar processes in other regions of Latin America where there are FRGs will be disseminated. Information about the process will be made available through the SN-3 Project Web page, the REDECO-CIAT network and through the publication of at least one peer-reviewed journal article. Digital tools and media The tools and media that are developed and the way ICTs will be used will depend on the diagnosis and prioritization of information and communication needs exercise carried out by the participants in the project, but in general terms they will include: o Provide CIAL members and their communities with more access to information on topics prioritized by them such as prices, marketing and new varieties. To do this the project can make use of the tools and mechanisms developed by the SIDER project to provide information for local enterprise development, and the resources made available by REDECO. There will also be an exploration of other sources of information such as the Web sites of CORPOICA (The Colombian Corporation for Agricultural Research), ICA (Colombian Agricultural Institute) and FEDECAFE (The Coffee Growers Federation). It will identify gaps in the information and, if possible, develop tools to fill these gaps. o Using networks such as REDECO, farmer researchers will be able to look for information on experiences, methodologies and tools that have been developed in other regions of Latin America that they may wish to adopt or adapt. o Create communication channels between farmer researchers and their communities so that they may share the results of their research. One tool that may prove useful for this horizontal communication is the CIAL database. The workshops will include an exploration of the potential of the CIAL database so that the participants can decide whether this represents a useful tool for them and, if so, in what form. If the participants decide to proceed with the completion of the database, there will be a discussion about the information and its use and availability to other people or organizations. It is important to recognize that this information belongs to the CIALs and therefore it is they who must decide the conditions under which it will be shared. Once these conditions have been agreed upon, the participants will work with a computer expert to design a format for the database, which is useful and user- friendly for the CIALs. The CIALs could use the database to see which other CIALs are working on the crops that have been prioritized by their communities and to see which varieties worked under which conditions. If they find a CIAL that has worked on such a crop under similar conditions, they may find it useful to contact that CIAL directly. If the participants decide to go ahead with the development of the database, it is hoped that seeing how it can be used will increase their motivation to collect the data. o Create channels for the flow of information from farmer researchers toward R&D institutions to express their needs and demands. Again the CIAL database may prove to be a useful way of providing information to R&D institutions on the topics that have been prioritized by the local communities through the CIAL process. This information could be synthesized and sent to project heads and research managers in different institutions to increase their knowledge of rural communities’ demands for R&D. Furthermore, using the directory of experts hosted by REDECO, the CIALs will be able to contact people in R&D institutions directly to request and share information. They will also be able to make information available about themselves and their research through REDECO and other media. OUTPUT 3. PROFESSIONALS AND OTHERS TRAINED AS FACILITATORS OF THE PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH APPROACH MILESTONES ✴ Professionals trained in the use of PR tools and methods ✴ Latin American technicians and institutions applying the CIAL methodology ✴ Professionals trained in the use of PR tools and methods ✴ Professionals trained in the use of PR tools and methods ✴ Capacity toward marketing orientation developed in technicians and some farmers ✴ Researchers from the National Program of Uganda strengthened in skills for implementing FPR and PMR ✴ Building the capacity of technical personnel in establishing and supporting PME systems ✴ Building the capacity of technical personnel in establishing and supporting PME systems Professonals trained in the use of PR tools and methods Table 1. Participation in training events related to PR. Dates City & Country Event Participating Institutions No. of Participants Jan. 28- Feb. 1 Cochabamba, Bolivia Workshop on Participatory Monitoring & Evaluation (PME) √ Fundación PROINPA √ Fundación Tierra √ CIAT-Bolivia √ ASAR √ Imperial College 22 Jan. 28- Feb. 1 CIAT, Calí, Colombia Workshop with the Guatemala network √ CARE √ Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricional √ Conjuve y Sede Regional del Congreso de la República √ Alianza para el Desarrollo Microregional Carcha, Chamelco √ ARCA Consulting √ CUNOR √ FUNDEMI √ INCAP √ Proyecto de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricional San Pedro Carchá √ Gobernación Dptal de Alta Verapaz 19 Dates City & Country Event Participating Institutions No. of Participants √ Municipalidad de San Juan de Chamelco √ Universidad Rafael Landivar, Sede Regional de Verapaz √ Municipalidad de San Pedro Carcha √ BANDURAL Feb. Kabale, Uganda Farmer participatory research (FPR) and participatory market research (PMR) workshop √ NARO (National Agricultural Research Organization) 26 Mar. 11- 14 Quito, Ecuador First module on agroenterprises √ MANRECUR √ CORFOCIAL √ CIAL Cebada Jichana √ PROINPA √ IPRA-CIAT √ CIAL Primera Candelaria √ CORPOICA √ Fundación ANTISANA √ CIAL Progreso √ INIAP-UVTT Chimborazo √ CIAL Nuevo Amanecer √ IIRR √ Proyecto Agroempresas,CIAT 14 April 15- 17 Chinandega, Nicaragua Follow-up on León and Chinandega, Nicaragua network √ INTA √ Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Nicaragua, León √ SETAGRO √ FUNCOD √ CISAS √ IMAL √ Movimiento Nacional Nicaragüense √ Alcaldía Municipal de Chinandega √ Alcaldía Municipal El Viejo √ Selva √ APEDSAF √ AMNLAE 20 April 18- 19 Timbío, Cauca, Colombia First module workshop on PEM for farmer- technicians √ CORFOCIAL √ PRGA √ IPRA 16 Dates City & Country Event Participating Institutions No. of Participants June 2-7 Cali, Colombia Workshops with networks in El Salvador √ ACISAM √ UCRES √ CORDES √ FUNPROCOOP √ FUSAI √ GGUSA √ FUNDESOY √ Alcaldía Municipal San Juan de Opico √ Alcaldía Municipal de Talmique √ Vivero Xochicali 17 July 15- 18 Ecuador, Riobamba Strengthening in participatory evaluations √ IIRR √ Proyecto FORTIPAPA, UVTT del Chimborazo √ IPRA-CIAT 8 Aug. 26- 30 Ecuador Second module agroenterprises √ CORFOCIAL √ Fundación PROINPA √ PRoyecto IPRA-CIAT √ CORPOICA √ Fundación Chimborazo √ INIAP-UVTT Chimborazo √ IIRR √ Proyecto Agroempresas-CIAT 15 Sept. 18 Cochabamba, Bolivia Follow-up to PEM process √ PROINPA √ INNOVA √ Proyecto CALL √ IPRA-BOLIVIA 14 Sept. 23- 27 Guano, Ecuador CIAL course √ Fundación Mariana de Jesús √ CESA √ FAO √ INIAP Depto. Nacional de Protección Vegetal √ PACOFOR √ INIAP-FORTIPAPA √ Cuerpo de Paz √ PESA-FAO √ SEDAL √ CEDIR-CICDA √ INIAP-PRONALEG-GA √ INIAP-UVTT Maíz √ Plan Internacional √ Red-Macrena √ TUCAYTA √ INIAP-EESC √ CIAT-IPRA 23 TOTAL 11 99 194 CIAL follow-up activities in Ecuador, Nicaragua, Honduras and Bolivia Researchers: J.I.Roa and Carlos A. Quirós1 Background In the scaling-up strategy for disseminating the methodology of the community-based research services known as CIALs in Spanish, a large number of training events have been held. This training has been imparted by both the people who have participated in the training trainers courses as well as by the PR Project SN-3 team members. In said events there were technicians from different disciplines, as well as farmer-technicians who directly support the facilitation of the methodology for the farmers' learning process. All these learning efforts should be complemented with events or workshops to follow up the implemented activities, where the participants can share their experiences and count on the support from other people with more experience who can help them explore topics in greater depth or inquire about possible alternatives or modifications to be made in the methodologies applied. General objective Share the experiences of the application of the CIAL methodology with other technicians and/or facilitators to discuss problems and suggest alternative modifications Specific objectives o Group analysis of the experiences in the application of the methodology o Sharing positive and negative experiences with the results o Visits to groups of farmers to analyze their experiences from the standpoint of the end-users of the methods o Identification of topics or areas where the new facilitators require some type of methodological strengthening Methods o Presentation of experiences. At key points in the application of the methodology, such as the planning and/or the evaluation of the technologies being tested, and/or the analyses of results after giving the theoretical course, the PR Project SN-3 cites the technicians that have been trained to a meeting to be held at an equidistant site for all of them. At this meeting the technicians share with the group their experiences and the limitations that they have had in the formation of CIALs. Once the different presentations have been heard, there is an opportunity for the trainees and facilitators 1 SN-3 CIAT Project to analyze and discuss these matters. Then decisions are made as to the modifications and/or lessons learned that contribute to the methodological growth of the whole group. o Visit to CIAL groups. After the presentation of the experiences, two or three visits are made to CIALs that are relatively close to the meeting site to learn directly from the farmers about the application of the methodology. On site, the group is interviewed and visits are made to the experimental plots. After each visit or the next day, feedback is given with respect to the field visit and to analyze the lessons learned. The follow-up activities implemented this year by the members of the PR Project SN-3 are presented in Table 1. Table 1. Follow-up of CIALs and their members from Oct. 2001-Sept. 2002. Country Date No. CIALs Visited Participating Entities Ecuador Nov. 12-16 9 √ Instituto Internacional de Reconstrucción Rural (IIRR) √ PROINPA √ Fundación ANTISANA. Nicaragua April 16-17 3 √ Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA) √ Communities and Watersheds/CIAT Project PE-3 Ecuador. June 10-19 16 √ INIAP/FORTIPAPA √ IIRR. √ Fundación ANTISANA. √ Universidad Católica de Ibarra. Bolivia June 24-25 3 √ PROINPA Honduras. Aug. 12-15 3 √ IPCA. √ EDISA √ PRR √ EAP-Zamorano Lessons learned Ecuador • UVTT-INIAP, Chimborazo o Progress. Their teamwork has become quite efficient, led by Eng. Fausto Merino. They have centered their efforts on training the different CIAL groups of the region in the methodology. They are applying the flowchart technique for planning their meetings, which facilitates their organization. They have begun gathering baseline information for using the participatory mapping technique and the identification of well-being levels. They are also systematizing the gathering of data from the CIAL for feeding into the database and sharing it with their other partners. o Suggestions. A weakness was found in the evaluation of technologies with the farmers. Thus it was proposed to hold an event, to strengthen the local team in the use of these tools. They also made a request to the PR Project SN-3 with respect to the need for training in the implementation of a participatory monitoring and evaluation system (PM&E) of the process within the CIAL itself, which will help them know how well they are focusing on achieving their objectives or what decisions need to be taken to make the necessary corrections. They also identified the need to use the CIAL handbooks more with the farmers, as a training tool. • IIRR o Progress. Their strengths include systematization, their commitment to the farmers and the financial organization of the CIAL fund. o Suggestions. The technicians require further training in the area of experimental design in the CIAL trials. They also need to use the handbooks in their CIAL training activities. o Another element that causes insecurity among the technicians is the fact that the position of the Institution's Coordinator at the Quito headquarters has not been filled. • INIAP o Progress. INIAP is undergoing a very interesting process in which the Legume and Cereals Project (maize, beans, Jerusalem artichokes, quinoa and broad beans), together with their technicians who have attended the training course on CIAL methodology, has initiated the formation of new CIALs. They are now working on the institutionalization of the methodology within the institution. The participatory evaluations with the Groups Evaluating Clones (GEC) and the CIALs are frequently used as a means for executing different projects. • FAO. o It is also important to bear in mind the active participation that FAO is having in this process through their consultant Steve Sherwood (MSc), providing not only resources but also a great deal of enthusiasm. A general recommendation for the Ecuadorian technicians and institutions would be to try and share and analyze this process jointly, now that it has begun to expand significantly. Meetings among the technicians where they are applying the methodology are necessary in order to explore the methodology in greater depth, rather than make isolated efforts that might lead to duplication of efforts due to lack of communication. Strategies could be created to improve the dissemination and growth of the process. Nicaragua o Progress. In the follow-up of the CIAL in San Dionisio, supported by the CIAT Communities and Watersheds Project, it was observed that the CIALs are located within the grassroots groups that exist in the community. They are integrated and aware of their empowerment with their responsibility for improving the level of well- being in the community. The CIAT technicians, supported by the paratechnicians who live in San Dionisio, have assumed their work with responsibility and organization. o Suggestions. The INTA technicians who took part in the CIAL course in 2001 and whose meeting was in Matagalpa still remain very isolated from the other CIALs in the country. The INTA technicians have shown their interest and motivation, but they need to receive more institutional support and should be integrated more with the other organizations that are working with this participatory methods. It is very important to create the habit of sharing experiences among the technicians of the different entities in order to organize the CIAL-related activities better. An overall analysis of the CIALs in Nicaragua shows that it is the country that has the greatest advantages for working in an organized fashion with the different CIALs for the proximity among the different places and the willingness of the Nicaraguans to work in organized groups. There is a need to invest a little more time and resources in order to establish solid nuclei of CIAL groups and consider forming some type of second-order organization of CIALs so that they can strengthen themselves and establish alliances in order to have greater impact in the regions where groups have been established. . Honduras In general the process with the CIALs in Honduras is advancing satisfactorily. They have strengths such as the high degree of communication and friendship among the technicians of the different organizations working with the CIAL methodology, as well as the habit of meeting periodically. The hard work that they are doing to strengthen the second-order organizations of CIALs or ASOCIALs should also be highlighted. As is natural there are different degrees of progress in the institutions that are applying the methodology. Some have assumed better their role of facilitators of the group processes; others are being more constant in the gathering of data on the steps of the methodology and of the research results; while others are trying to teach and maintain appropriate scientific rigor in their research. In some it can also be observed that they are really valuing the feedback meetings with the community, an essential part of the methodology. Nevertheless, all of them in one way or another, to a greater or lesser extent, have made great progress. Figure 1. Farmers from the CIAL Llano de Morocely share their results with the facilitator- technician, Nelson Gamero from the EAP at Zamorano, Honduras Bolivia Despite the fact that several institutions have abandoned the facilitation of the groups that they were backstopping for economic problems or instability of their staff, it is evident that there is a high degree of motivation with respect to the application of the participatory methodologies. In PROINPA, PR has been institutionalized. An appreciable number of projects that are being executed have participatory components. In addition to the existing groups, four new CIALs have been created in the zone of Colomí to strengthen the nucleus of CIALs in the region. They have been able to gain a presence in the region and representation on the assemblies of the rural sindicatos (see “Organizing CIALs in the municipality of Colomi, Bolivia,” Output 4), which have the power of concerting the execution of productive projects with the municipalities. Having elected the CIAL within the sindicato has functioned very well due to the community's integration and commitment. The sindicato meets every 15 days, thereby facilitating a constant flow of communication between the CIAL and the community. The groups are conducting more than one research project without any problems; in fact they feel that they are using the time invested in the CIAL to a greater advantage. Workshop on participatory evaluation and analyses of information Trainers: Luis Alfredo Hernández R. José Ignacio Roa1 Learning objectives o By the end of the workshop the participants will be able to conduct open-ended and absolute evaluations correctly, apply the preference ranking technique; and also be able to teach these processes to other members of the team. o After obtaining the information as a product of the evaluations, the participants will be able to analyze the information in terms of (a) identifying criteria, reasons and scoring; (b) determining the relative importance of the criteria; (c) constructing profiles of technologies; (d) doing rankings and graphics of acceptance of technologies; and (e) managing the logit regression matrix for preference ranking. General observations The UVT and IRR are interested in establishing processes of participatory evaluation of technologies (PET) with producers and in analyzing and interpreting the resulting information. The acquired capacity will be applied to information generated by CIALs that are growing potatoes, peas and quinoa in Riobamba (Fig. 1). The participants developed an acceptable capacity for managing the basic principles of PET and the analyses of information generated. The models developed to analyze information can be used to replicate the processes with other technological components and in other contexts. This was possible given the participants' ample experience and interest in working with communities. It is important to monitor these PET processes and analyses of information as a way for the PR Project SN-3 team to make the best use of the information generated by the CIAL(s). 1 SN-3, CIAT Project Figure 1. Participatory evaluation of potato varieties, Riobamba, Ecuador. Results Table 1 shows the principal responses of the participants to the workshop in reference to: (a) how they felt about the field experience and (b) the management of the different formats: open-ended and absolute evaluations, and preference ranking. Table 1. Responses related to the field experience, Riobamba, July 2002. How Did They Feel? Absolute Evaluation Open-Ended Evaluation Preference Ranking “At the beginning of the evaluations, we were somewhat confused, but little by little we got things under control.” “It is better to have knowledge of the crop in order to understand better the producers' opinions.” “It's good to explain things thoroughly to the producers in order “It is easy to understand and explain to the producers. They know it and understand the faces easily.” “You can draw out the sincere expression of the producers and on occasions criteria result that have never been mentioned before.” “The producers need to have it explained very well so it is better to: (a) make a general round to observe the technologies together; (b) group the technologies as good, fair or poor; and then (c) rank each one within the groups, making 1:1 relations.” How Did They Feel? Absolute Evaluation Open-Ended Evaluation Preference Ranking to find out their reasons and the scores more easily.” “The signposting in the field was very good for not getting lost. In some parts they used flags, posters, etc. to facilitate the processes of grouping.” Once the evaluation procedures are learned, this strategy can be an excellent tool for replicating in other crops and with other information. This will probably improve the results of the evaluations, the management of the formats and the analyses of the information by the group of workshop participants. Table 2 shows the results of the ranking 6 varieties of potatoes, by six different groups of evaluators (CIAL Nueva Generación, Riobamba, Ecuador). Table 2. Results of preference ranking, Riobamba, Ecuador, July 2002. Technology Potato Variety Rankings of 6 groups (each group =2-3 producers and a technician) 1 2 3 4 5 6 (groups of evaluators) Gabriela 6P 6F 6F 6P 6F 6F Fripapa 3G 1G 3F 1G 4F 3G Rosita 2G 2G 2G 2G 2G 1G Soledad 5F 4F 5F 4G 3G 4F Raymipapa 1G 3G 1G 3G 1G 2G Suprema 4F 5F 4F 5F` 5F 5F G = high acceptance, F = intermediate acceptance, P = low acceptance GR = Group GR 1... GR 6 RANGES No. of Gs per group 3 3 2 4 3 3 Avg. = 3.0 No. of Fs per group 2 3 4 1 3 3 Avg. = 2.7 No. of Ps per group 1 0 0 1 0 0 Avg. = 0.3 It can be seen in Table 2 that there are diverse ranges of acceptance and rejection in relation to the technologies. Gabriela was consistently rated as having low acceptance (6th position in the ranking, see row for Gabriela); Rosita had high acceptance (between 1st and 2nd position); and Fripapa had intermediate acceptance (around 3rd position). Other varieties such as Suprema had intermediate-to-low acceptance (4th-5th positions). LOGISTIC REGRESSION SITE: Cial Nueva Generación -Ecuador , julio 2002 Data matrix Distribution of acceptance frequencies Ranking order Total Tec/Var de papa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 trials GABRIELA 0 0 0 0 0 6 6 FRIPAPA 2 0 3 1 0 0 6 ROSITA 1 5 0 0 0 0 6 SOLEDAD 0 0 1 3 2 0 6 RAYNIPAPA 3 1 2 0 0 0 6 SUPREMA 0 0 0 2 4 0 6 Total 6 6 6 6 6 6 36 When the ranges were estimated for this evaluation, it was found that 3.0 of the technologies had good acceptance, 2.7 intermediate acceptance, and 0.3 low acceptance. The clustering in ranges made it possible to define in terms of the producer sets of traits based on their level of acceptance (the most relevant ranges for the producers). The results of the regression analyses in the ranking of the preferences (taken from the Logistic preference ranking analysis for evaluating technology options. A user manual. An application for Microsoft Excel 7.0. Luis A. Hernández Romero. IPRA- CIAT Project confirmed what was observed in Table 2 (see matrix of frequencies “Data Matrix”). The quadratic matrix used was for six technologies. It is prepared by adding the frequencies of rankings obtained by each group. Example 1, in the row of groups corresponding to Gabriela, all the groups coincided that this technology will occupy position No. 6 (see Table 2). For this reason in the matrix, 0 (zero) is written in each of the positions 1-5; and 6 in the position 6. Example 2, Fripapa held the lst position twice; 3rd position 3 times, 4th position once; and zero times the other positions. Note that the totals should always be 6 because it is a quadratic matrix (see data matrix ). A summary of the acceptance tendencies is shown in the following graph. The most accepted technologies were Rosita, Raynipapa and Fripapa in that order; Suprema and Gabriela had a very low acceptance for this group of producers. Figure 2. Acceptance tendencies of six potatoes varieties, Ecuador July 2002. The variables had a good correlation in the regression analysis, indicating acceptable reliability of the results obtained. Each one of the tendencies (probability curves of acceptance) should be supported by the criteria expressed by the producers in the evaluation. For example, the producers consider that a good potato variety is one that “bears a lot,” (about 23 potatoes/plant ) is resistant to “quemazón” of leaves and stems”” (Phytophthora sp.) and is “rapid” (early maturing). These criteria were evaluated positively in the case of Rosita, Raynipapa and Fripapa and negatively in the case of the Suprema and Gabriela, corresponding to the tendencies of acceptance shown in Figure 2. This information should be compared with evaluations at harvest to confirm whether the tendencies remain the same or vary according to the growing cycle of the crop. For those criteria that are ranked most often, it is important to identify the agronomic equivalent in order to interpret them from a technical standpoint. Based on validations of the criteria and considering their relative importance, technological profiles can be constructed for each of the technologies under evaluation. For each of the technologies evaluated, the criteria, reasons and scores were determined. The criteria were grouped according to their frequency, and rankings of their relative importance were done on the basis of these frequencies. These analyses were done by the group, following the procedures manual and then confirming the results with the automatic procedure of the regression matrix. The participants followed a procedure for analyzing the information in participatory evaluations, for any technological component that is being evaluated (varieties of potatoes, broad beans, quinoa, fertilizer, diseases, etc). This procedure can be validated manually and/or with the logit regression matrix. The participants at this workshop have the capacity to record the information, determine frequencies and analyze the process. In this experience the evaluations revealed good-quality information, using tools such as open-ended evaluations and ranking of preferences. The strategy of working in groups made it possible for everyone to participate and enrich the information that was obtained for discussion in the plenary session in the stage of analyses. The next step is the follow-up of the procedure in terms of reinforcing concepts and other weak areas and giving feedback on the possible adjustments made to the procedure. Agricultural PR in action: Selection and strategic use of multipurpose forage germplasm by small producers in the hillside production systems of Central America Trainer: Luis Alfredo Hernández R1 Collaborators: William Sánchez Ledesma2 Heraldo Cruz Flóres3, Sulaco Luquigue4, Trinidad Germán Reies Barreda, Axel Schmidt, Martín Mena Urbina5; Martín Mena6 Learning objectives After training the participants will be able to: o Define some of their own parameters in selecting producers o Discuss and integrate the information resulting from the stakeholders groups and participatory diagnoses (in those cases where this was done) o Use the most important parameters in the evaluation interview o Use the technique of open-ended evaluations o Select the relevant information in the open-ended evaluation o Explain about ranking o Systematize the information (creation of a database) Workshop development and results The technique of clarifying expectations makes it possible to bring together ideas as to what outcomes are expected from an activity, in addition to making it possible to modify the programming in line with them. The use of this technique with the participants of the workshop showed that their expectations were in line with the objectives of the workshop so there was no need to make adjustments to the program. The presentation of the content of the workshop program, the objectives, the expected outcomes and integration with the objectives of the project were explained through two ongoing processes. Initially, a sequential procedure consisting of participatory techniques was discussed. This is an ongoing process and refers to the proposed model. 1 SN3 CIAT Project 2 Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería (MAG). Direction de Investigaciones, Direction Central Sur. Bajo de Jorco, Acosta. Costa Rica. 3 CIAT-DICTA. Jícaro de Coyolito, Las Cañas 4 Project SOL, Yorito Honduras. 5 CIAT, INTA (El Corozo) 6 PRODESSA (Piedras Largas). Nicaragua Another parallel process is that of training. Figure 1 shows some aspects of the model and the parallel process of training, which is being implemented. Both processes are described as a result of this workshop's discussions. The training process In Stage 1 of the training process, a specialist trained in the determination of stakeholder groups (SG) for participatory diagnoses (PD) sent formats adapted for the procedures for each country to implement them. Both activities were programmed for the beginning of the project. In Stage 2 the participants received training in each one of the steps of the participatory procedure during participatory evaluations programmed in the protocol (site, season, trial/country). Procedure: Basic instruction, field practice and analysis of information. In Stage 3 the Procedures in the training workshop were: (a) Identification of problems in each one of the steps of the participatory procedure, following the model; and (b) learning-by-doing, where what is taught is practiced until the desired outcome is reached. Role of the instructor: Facilitator (Fig. 1). Figure 1. Stage No 3. Learning-by-doing. The procedure is first taught theoretically and is then practiced until there is an installed capacity among the participants. Honduras, Sept. 2001. The results obtained in this stage were as follows (by country): o Nicaragua, questioning of the desirability of having general and/or specific glossaries for each technology, difficulties in establishing the preference rankings, questions about the systematization of criteria and management of information.. o Costa Rica and Honduras, problems in determining reasons and meanings of the criteria used. In the workshop emphasis was placed on these topics to strengthen the participants' knowledge. It is important to increase the number of participatory evaluations (synchronizing them in the countries) based on the seasons (one evaluation/season), selection of groups (small groups in process of obtaining a critical mass), representativeness of the population (statistics), and possible differentiation of criteria depending on the season (beginning and/or end of the rainy or dry season). In Stage 3 (training workshop), the emphasis is on learning-by-doing. Initially the participants are trained with small blocks of information to learn how to systematize, analyze and interpret their own information, following the steps of the model. The final outcome is a report of the results in each country. Stage 4. Follow-up of the process (Projection: Future activities in intermediate and final stages of the project) Figure 2 compares the two processes. Processes of the Model Training Process Stage 1 Training by specialist in identifying SG Participatory diagnosis Adaptation of formats about PD and implementation by entities Stage 2 Steps of the participatory procedure Training in evaluations of participatory (glossary, criteria for preference trials/site/country ranking, field log, profiles, etc.) Stage 3 Steps of the participatory procedure Training workshop (glossary, criteria, profiles; etc.). Preference ranking, … Identification of problems and strengthening of knowledge Capacity installed Learning by Doing = outcomes Stage 4 Steps of the participatory procedure Follow-up (future activity) (glossary, criteria, preference ranking, field log, profiles, etc.) Identification of stakeholder Figure 2. Processes: Participatory procedure (model) and training. Results of the characterization of producer groups in each country In Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica characterizations of producer groups were not done with the SG methodology (CIAT). In Honduras the PD was done, determining age, gender and problems for each site. As a strategy for obtaining information about the SGs with which they are working in each country, the following parameters were established: (a) characterization activities carried out, (b) evolution of the groups selected initially, (c) strengths and weaknesses of the current groups, (d) definition of some strategies of sustainability for these groups and dissemination of results in the community. o Glossaries of terms. These glossaries are broken down by technology, site, country, season and the interpretation of the term given by the producer in technical language. Tables in Excel were used to standardize and organize the information. o Criteria, reasons and scores. The analysis of the information by country indicated the following: • We have criteria that require an explanation of the reasons for the same (should be consulted with the producers); the survey questions are an important technique in this case for the subsequent evaluations • The criteria should be revised in terms of their interpretation in technical language, verifying that they are well interpreted from the standpoint of the producer. • The evaluation scales show that the producers evaluate the technologies (materials) on a scale ranging from good to bad (accepted and low acceptance). In Nicaragua this scale includes the category of regular or intermediate acceptance. These data coincide with the general scales found in Latin America. Conclusions o There should be an increase in the number of participatory evaluations in each country. o The producer groups that take part in the participatory evaluations in each country have been selected on the basis of (a) experiences in other areas of research, (b) existing structures in the zone (e.g., committees, (c) by convocation to participatory diagnoses. Despite being a different process, in some cases, from what was proposed in the protocol, the producer groups are being trained and selected during the development of the process and the contribution of their experiences is important. o The project's training process in participatory techniques indicates that there should be a follow-up in each one of the stages of the model. Throughout the stages related to the project and the training, there was a good disposition toward learning and building up the capacity of the process. Some support is necessary in the stages of both processes, model and training. The training workshop strengthened the capacity for characterizing groups, standardizing the glossary of terms, criteria, reasons and scoring. Promoting business orientation and marketing in participatory research organizations (CIALs) in Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia Researchers: Carlos Ostertag,1 José I. Roa2 Background As a consequence of globalization, opening up of markets, reduced real prices of basic products, and demand for products of improved quality and convenience, resource-poor farmers must improve their level of competitiveness. One way to do this is to promote farmers to organize and then train them in entrepreneurship and marketing. At the very least, resource-poor farmers should know of and be trained in the generation of aggregate value to increase their income. In order to accomplish this, institutional technicians must know of different alternatives so that they can orient farmers. Workshop themes Module 1- Business concepts The first workshop was held from 11-14 March 2002. The objective was to demonstrate the use of business tools to those technicians and rural producers in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Colombia who were, at the time, working with the community- based research services known as CIALs in Spanish. The workshop covered business concepts such as Business Orientation and Markets, Marketing Concepts, Developing New Products and The Concept of Aggregate Value. Also presented were themes such as how resource-poor farmers can achieve competitiveness, basic accounting, and models of financial profitability. The concepts of strategic planning and the development of business plans were also addressed. The workshop gave the farmers and technicians an opportunity to comment on their experiences with marketing. Based on this exercise, a format was constructed to evaluate business organizations that currently had a CIAL in their communities. The manual for identifying and evaluating marketing opportunities was also explained. The workshop concluded with the technicians and farmers agreeing to carry out a task for which they were given a format. They had to make a rapid identification of marketing opportunities for a commodity that was subject of CIAL research and for 1 Project SN-1, Rural Agroenterprises Development, CIAT 2 SN-3, CIAT Project other commodities. Each participant was to present his or her completed task on the first day of the second workshop. Module 2 - Integrated production projects The second workshop, which was held from 26-28 Aug. 2002, dealt with the concept of “integrated production projects.” The participants had to define a production chain to work on during the workshop. They then identified the different stages comprising the selected production chain, examined its design and learned how to identify its different actors. Several exercises were also carried out to identify, prioritize and develop a problem tree for each commodity of the various production chains. The participants then constructed an objectives tree to define the logical path for each chain and a plan of action. This second workshop concluded with a discussion, and the participants agreed on tasks and compromises to create a problem tree with each member forming part of the production chain for the different stages of production, postharvest handling, processing, marketing and organization. Module 3 The third workshop will be held in Quito, Ecuador, in April 2003. The participants will present their problem trees identified for the different components of the integrated production project, comprising the phases of production, postharvest handling, processing, marketing and organization. Discussion on first two workshop themes At the end of each module, the participants evaluated the themes, emphasizing positive aspects and suggesting improvements for those they considered weak. Module 1 o Positive aspects: • Training in marketing is important for becoming sustainable. • Feedback to other rural producers is important. • The business theme is important for the CIALs because it is a means of strengthening them. • Both technicians and farmers should participate in the workshop. o Aspects to improve upon: • Materials should be adapted for farmers, that is, simplified. • The number of themes could be reduced and explanations expanded. • A daylong visit to a CIAL operating a microbusiness should be programmed. • Some simple, well-illustrated handbooks could be given out. • More examples should be given of CIALs, which are more concrete for the participants than the very large companies that were discussed. • More real exercises are needed. Module 2 o Positive aspects: • The presentations made on the first day were of experiences from each of the three countries. • The practices used in the workshop had theoretical support. • The tools were applicable to CIAL conditions. • The practices in the exercises were done with CIAL examples, making them dynamic. • Techniques and tasks were highly participatory. • The mapping technique for the production chain in general, prioritization of problems and definition of the “logical path” were good. • The facilitators’ attitudes toward the participants and vice versa were positive and respectful. • The different parts of the workshop were well integrated. o Aspects to improve: • Some words were too hard. • There was no time for a little tourism. • The program was a little tight. Farmer participatory research (FPR) and participatory market research (PMR) Course, Kabale, Uganda Facilitators: Rupert Bes1t, Colletah Chitsik2e, Rob Delve3, Susan Kaaria4, Roger Kirkby5, Pascal Sanginga6, Carlos A. Quirós7 Background In February 2001 the Directors of the National Agricultural Research Institutions in Uganda, Malawi and Madagascar visited CIAT HQ in Cali. This visit resulted in the development of a Rural Innovation and Enterprise Development proposal involving these three countries. To develop the proposal and priorities areas of intervention further, needs assessment workshops were undertaken in Uganda and Malawi (including Mozambique) in Oct.-Nov. 2001. In the Ugandan workshop, PR and agroenterprise development were identified as the two areas for immediate action, and it was agreed that a training workshop would be held for scientists of the National Agricultural Research Organization, NARO, and its partners. Course objectives o Sensitize and familiarize NARO scientists with the concepts and practice of farmer participatory research (FPR) and participatory market research (PMR) o Build the scientists' capacity through provision of knowledge and enhancing skill levels in FPR and PMR approaches o Build and support teams at the pilot sites of Kabale District, Kachwekano and Arua District, Abi Agricultural Research and Development Centers (ARDCs) in the improvement of land-management productivity and incomes for poor farmers by bringing together many elements at the level of farmers as decision-makers. o Facilitate participants’ adaptation of FPR and PMR approaches to their sites and partners. o Develop Action Plans for implementing FPR and FMR activities in the participants’ respective areas. 1 Senior Scientist, Agroenterprise Project, CIAT Africa 2 Senior Research Fellow, BAPPA Project, CIAT Africa 3 Senior Research Fellow, TSBF Institute of CIAT, Nairobi, Kenya 4 Senior Research Fellow, IPRA Project, CIAT, Colombia 5 Regional Coordinator CIAT Africa 6 Senior Research Fellow, CIAT Africa 7 SN-3 CIAT Project Course overview The course was held in Kabale, SW Uganda and was hosted by the Kachekwano ARDC. Of the 26 participants attending the workshop, 23 were from NARO and 3 from partner institutions. CIAT scientists developed the course content and were supported by Africare and Foodnet in the area of PMR. The course was co-financed by NARO and CIAT. The major components of the course were basic learning and communication skills required for undertaking FPR and PMR; FPR and PMR concepts and methodology; markets, marketing and PMR; implementing and evaluating experiments; data collection and analyses; scaling up and out. Learning techniques used during the course included plenary presentations, individual and group exercises, role playing and group presentations of the results of work undertaken in the field. The duration of the course was 10 days, of which 2.5 were spent in the field practicing theoretical skills imparted during the classroom sessions. Results o On the last day of the course Action Plans were prepared for each of the six ARDCs represented by participants in the course. These plans provided details of how each ARDC will incorporate FPR and PMR activities into their 2002 work plans. o The participants gave the course an overall rating of 8.3, on a scale of 0 to 10, where 10 represented “very satisfied.” All participants reported that they would recommend the course to their colleagues, should a similar course be offered in the future. o NARO will formalize the setting-up of a core group of personnel, drawn from the Secretariat, the research institutions and the ARDCs, and led by Francis Alacho, to provide leadership and backstopping of this work. o Kabale was selected as a pilot region where the most immediate implementation of FPR and PMR will occur, with technical backstopping from the core NARO group and from CIAT personnel. Future plans o CIAT personnel will need to provide follow-up to NARO on: • Consolidation and further mentoring of the core NARO group, through hands-on experiences in the pilot region • Participation with the core group in preparing a project proposal for submission to USAID or other donors to finance FPR and PMR activities by the ARDCs. • Provision of opportunities to motivate the core group, perhaps through the organization of study visits to sites where FPR is advanced. • An appreciable ‘internal’ demand (within projects with partners such as the ATDT project in Rwanda, BAPPA, etc.) for FPR/PMR training has been identified. In addition, ‘external’ demand from regional NGOs and other NARS is anticipated. A strategy for organizing and financing activities to meet this demand is required. Participatory monitoring and evaluation workshop, Cochabamba, Bolivia Facilitators: Susan Kaaria, Luis Alfredo Hernández, Elías Claros Trujillo1 This workshop, which was held in Cochabamba, Bolivia, from Jan. 28-Feb. 1, 2002, was attended by 22 participants from 5 organizations that work with small farmers in Bolivia. Introduction The participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) is a process that has been growing, evolving and being adapted as a result of CIAT's and it's partners in Latin America (from Colombia, Honduras, Bolivia, among others). The objective of the PM&E system is to strengthening the capacity of community based organizations (such as the CIALs) for self-management and to analyze change. This workshop aimed to strengthen the establishment of PM&E processes in Bolivia. The workshop built on the experiences and tools developed from Honduras. Objectives of the PME workshop in Bolivia General objective To build the capacity of technical personnel in establishing and supporting community- based participatory monitoring and evaluation proceses. Aims and objectives of the workshops are for participants to: a) gain new insights about: - The principles of participatory orientated monitoring and evaluation - Current trends in M&E theory and practice - Creating a learning culture in community-based organisations b) strengthen skills: - Design of M&E systems that enable communities to evaluate progress from their perspectives - Understand the critical steps in establishing a PM&E system - Establish, support, and facilitate PM&E processes - Abilities in working with and communicating with local communities c) Acquire tools for: - Planning and conducting community workshops to establish PM&E systems - Facilitating the PM&E establishment process, - Different methods for building skills of communities 1 SN-3 CIAT Project Working methodology o During the workshop, topics such as basic concepts, components of a PME system, formulation of objectives and indicators and the election of a PME committee for the grassroots group were covered. o All documents generated during the workshop were shared with the participants. o The participants developed a program and some tools for holding a community workshop to establish PM&E systems. o Given the impossibility of holding a field day because of problems of public unrest, a simulation of a PME workshop in a community was organized. For this purpose, roles were assigned to technicians so that the workshop would be like the actual field conditions. o A plenary discussion was held to evaluate the PME workshop simulation experience. o The participants developed a series of action plans to establish PM&E systems in their respective projects and presented them in the plenary session. Workshop participants: Fundación PROINPA Cochabamba, Fundación PROINPA La Paz, Fundación PROINPA Potosí, Fundación Tierra Chuquisaca, CIAT Santa Cruz, ASAR Cochabamba and the Imperial College of England. Follow-up to process of participatory monitoring and evaluation (PME) in Cochabamba, Bolivia Facilitators: Luis A. Hernandez R., Susan Kaaria, Carlos Arturo Quiros1 Objectives o Analyze the experiences of PME in Bolivia and Honduras o Identify participants' strengths and weaknesses with respect to (a) knowledge of PME and (b) their skills for establishing the process o Share experiences and lessons learned from others countries o Action plan for following up the PME process Strategy The participants based their presentations on the following questions: o Where was the process established? o How was it established? o What results have been obtained thus far? o Progress and difficulties in setting up the process o In what areas of establishing the process would they like to receive support? Results Highlights of meetings for presenting the new proposal of work supported by DfID. The entities were very interested in participating and have a direct relationship with grassroots groups through experimentation in different methodologies generated by demand (CIFEMA), distance education (ETSA), use of participatory methods, building databases and studies of value-added chains of commercialization (PROLADE). Recommendations o Expand the list of partners interested in participating directly or indirectly o Establish parameters for selecting partners including: • level of relationships with other entities • coverage in terms of communities and area of action 1 SN-3 CIAT Project • institutional representativeness in the region • review of participatory methods used. It is likely that these parameters will enable us to make a matrix relating the parameters with entities in order to identify them PME The participants tended to report conventional research results in their presentations, which were characterized by emphasis on problems related to: o CIALs in Jalsuri and permanence of the projects in the zones (e.g., Carrasco and Cochabamba) o Conceptualization of PME with a focus on indigenous knowledge (endogenous process), CALL Project. In some cases the PME process did not get beyond the conceptualization of the terms monitoring, evaluation and participation. At this stage there are still difficulties in differentiating the concepts monitoring and evaluation; e.g., in the CIALs in Cochabamba, the FFS in Vitucalacachi (La Paz), the CIAL of Morachata and the CIAL of Saipina Provincia de Caballero. Figure 1. Farmer, member of the CIAL in Chomoco, Bolivia, informing about the knowledge acquired in the process of establishing a PME system in their group. Field practice Some aspects derived from the practice: o Communication with the producers should begin with easy aspects that they already know and then proceed to ask specific questions about the topic. o Use of the Quechua language facilitates the explanation of the process. o The illustrations facilitate the explanation of the concepts more quickly. o The procedure for explaining the objectives is a process that could be adjusted in terms of defining and characterizing the objectives (i.e., the definition and the characterization of the objectives could be eliminated). Recommendations Training and research in PME, in the case of Bolivia, should be immersed in the new DfID project. With respect to the strategy for implementing it, it is recommended to: o Begin the process of training and research in PME at the community level. This process is led by the PME PR team and, in some cases with support from Nilda Martinez to share experiences of IPCA in Honduras. At each site there will be an entity, NGO, etc. responsible for the process and that will follow it up, identifying the weak points of the process. o Form a work team (based on attitudes and interest), which will be coordinated by the person who is named as PR Project SN-3 coordinator of the DfID project (probably other actors from partner organizations will participate). These groups will implement the process and then they are committed to disseminating it to other CIALs, NGOs, etc. o A strategy for the follow-up to the process will be defined. o A plan will be established for presenting seminars and study tours for sensitizing other groups and share experiences. OUTPUT 4. MATERIALS AND INFORMATION ON PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH APPROACHES, ANALYTICAL TOOLS, INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE AND ORGANIZATIONAL PRINCIPLES, DEVELOPED MILESTONES ✴ Document on the institutionalization of participatory approaches produced in English and Spanish and made available to partners ✴ Methods, tools and proceedings of PR, presented and disseminated ✴ Methods, tools and proceeding of PR, presented and disseminated ✴ PR Project SN-3 (IPRA in Spanish) web site (both Spanish and English versions) launched and providing information on project advances as well as updated information and news on participatory research ✴ Broad consultation of the Farmer Participatory Research Project’s Web site. Six strategies for institutionalizing participatory approaches Researcher: Harriet Menter1 Highlights ✴ A document on the process of institutionalization of participatory approaches in two different institutions in Colombia produced in English and Spanish This document, which draws general lessons about the institutionalization process, is aimed at change agents in other institutions managers, scientists and extension agents working within rural R&D institutions who wish to promote the in–house adoption of participatory approaches. It is based on the lessons learned during two different studies carried out in Colombia, which examined processes of institutional change involved in the adoption of participatory approaches. One study was carried out with the Colombian National Research Corporation (CORPOICA); the other with the institutions that make up CIPASLA, a watershed–based consortium of Government and Non-government organizations and an international agricultural research center. The six strategies presented below were developed by the people working within these institutions, during a series of workshops. These are useful starting points in the institutionalization process. 1 Collaborators SN-3 Team CIAT Project Overall the studies found that the process of adopting and adapting participatory approaches is a complex one, and often requires fundamental changes in the way an institution works. These tips do not offer solutions per se, but rather give helpful pointers. o Identify natural allies and build strategic alliances. Before attempting to convince “nonbelievers,” it is useful to look for influential allies both within and outside the institution who can add their voice to the call for change. o Internal and external marketing strategies. These refer to the way we use information about participatory approaches to convince others, both within and outside an organization, of their benefits. This is a necessary step before we can start the process of implementing an approach. An important factor is the medium of communication that we use to transmit the information. Research found that if is possible to get people into the field to witness participatory approaches in action firsthand, this is far more likely to convince them of its benefits. Where this is not possible, it is useful to bring farmers into the institutions to present the results of their work. In this sense, a pilot project is useful, because it does not require a large financial investment but can be used to introduce people to the advantages of participatory approaches. This does not rule out the need for written documentation and impact assessment, which should include information about the process impacts of these approaches, such as the learning and empowerment that takes place in communities as a result of these processes. These are important benefits that are often overlooked. o Encourage researchers to take ownership of the methodology. It was found that if a participatory methodology is imposed on researchers, they do not feel the same levels of commitment as if they themselves choose to adopt these approaches. One strategy is to hold a noncompulsory training course and then use information about participatory projects to create a demand for training. o Another strategy is to give researchers more control of the methodology, allowing them to adapt it to their needs. Where researchers felt unable to adapt participatory methodologies, they often felt frustrated and disempowered. Giving them more control of the methodology respects the knowledge they have of working with communities. However, to maintain the scientific rigor of participatory agricultural research, these changes must be made in a structured way and not in an ad hoc fashion as and when the need arises. To ensure this is possible, training must be used to teach not only methodologies, but also the underlying principles of participation. o Become a learning institution feedback loops, participatory monitoring and evaluation. For institutions to institutionalize participatory approaches successfully, they must develop mechanisms that allow them to learn constantly from the work that is being carried out. This requires the creation of mechanisms that allow not only for information to feed back to institutions, but that also allow institutions to assimilate and respond to it. PME systems provide information about what is working in the field and are powerful tools for documenting the process as well as the product impacts of a methodology. Moreover, it is important to create a space in which this information can be analyzed and incorporated into planning for the future. o Sharing ideas and working together. Participatory approaches require the creation of institutional spaces for sharing of ideas and structures that allow for collaboration between different departments within an institution or with other institutions. This will also facilitate the creation of multidisciplinary teams that combine the diverse expertise necessary for implementing these processes. Furthermore, many researchers felt they lacked the necessary support and guidance from their superiors to manage these processes. This was generally due to the overstretching of those in charge of participatory programs. One possible solution to this is to create mechanisms that use the knowledge base of experienced researchers within the institution, to support others who may have less experience. One way of doing this is to create a virtual community for practice using email, intra–and Internet. This would also keep people up to date with new developments. o Changing evaluation processes and reward structures. Often institutional mechanisms for evaluating and rewarding people on the work they do. Participatory processes often take longer than traditional ways of working; so if people are evaluated on the number of projects they undertake, rather than their quality and content, they will be less likely to adopt participatory approaches. Examining the impact of a person’s work (e.g., the level of adoption of a new technology), rather than his/her output, such as the number of new technologies developed, will also encourage the adoption of participatory approaches. This document has been sent to partners in electronic form and also made available on the PR Project SN–3 web site and on the PRGA Web page on mainstreaming of participatory approaches, where it has been one of the documents that has been downloaded most. Instructional unit on forages (outline) Researcher: Luis Alfredo Hernández R1. The purpose of this Unit is to offer a simple reference guide for technicians, extension agents and professionals to conduct participatory evaluations, following a specific step- by-step procedure for developing and selecting forages. There will be a general procedure, adaptable to different contexts, as one of the means of disseminating PR. Based on participatory experiences with “selection and strategic use of multipurpose forages for small farmers in Honduras, Costa Rica and Nicaragua,” the following outline for the content of a learning unit on forages was proposed. Structure of the Instructional Unit o General goal o Instructional Unit designed to train professionals and technicians working on forages research Content o Identification of stakeholders (based on interested groups) o Diagnosis o Farmer evaluation of technology based on open-ended evaluations o Flowchart of an open-ended evaluation interview o Preference ranking as a technique to identify concepts, criteria and local terminology; scales for evaluation obtained with farmers o Making field books (systematization) o Information analyses o Database alternatives o Development of participatory procedure for forage germplasm development 1 SN-3 CIAT Project Evaluation of forages for multipurpose use with farmer participation in hillsides of Central America Researcher: Luis Alfredo Hernández Romero1 HIGHLIGHTS ✴ Utilizing farmers' criteria for selecting forage technologies, a sequence for date analyses was developed and profiles for forage technologies with high potential for acceptance and adoption by farmers, defined ✴ Forage technologies with high potential, responding to farmers demand, identified Rationale Forage germplasm in its multiple uses e.g., as feed, for suppression of weeds, soil-fertility maintenance and improvement, and for erosion control could play an important role in improving the well-being of the small- and medium-sized farmers in Central American hillside regions. However, adoption particularly of forage legumes has been limited, possibly for lack of direct interaction with the farmers. Therefore it is necessary to develop forage germplasm technologies with farmers, using participatory approaches. To address this issue, CIAT in collaboration with NARS, NGOs and farmer groups identifies germplasm preferred by farmers. The work will also contribute to the development of an overall strategy to guide future research and to aid in the diffusion and final adoption of forage-based technology by small farmers. The interaction with strong national partners, alongside the farmers, will be of paramount importance to the success of the approach. The work links closely with the TROPILECHE Project, using some of the same germplasm. At the same time, forage germplasm selected from this work will be useful to TROPILECHE. 1 SN-3 CIAT Project Results and discussion Database development and analyses Using the sequence described in Figure 1, a procedure for analyses was developed, including the following steps: o Database development. A central database, constructed to include information from participatory evaluations in Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, was developed using EXCEL, including data on country, site, date of evaluation, season, forage technology (e.g., grasses and legumes), species, farmers' criteria for assessing forage technologies, reasons for and explanations of criteria, qualification of criteria using scales developed with farmers, frequency of criteria and preference ranking. Interpretation of data with focus on potential acceptability of technologies by farmers Analyses using relative frequencies and principal component analysis Stratification of criteria Criteria, resaons and qualification Database development Figure 1. Sequence of analyses for participatory evaluation of forage technologies. o Definition of criteria for forage technologies, based on farmer input Farmers refer to these criteria through qualifying and explaining them when assessing forage technologies. o Stratification of the criteria. They are then grouped according to their similarity (i.e., homologues, synonyms and antonyms). In such a way a qualitative analysis of information is possible. o Determining the importance of criteria using relative frequencies and principal component analysis (PCA) for the different forage technologies evaluated (i.e., grasses, herbaceous legumes, shrub legumes and green manures). o Final data analyses and interpretation to define technologies responding to farmers' demands; hence they are highly adoptable o Combined analyses including all forage technologies offered to farmers. Based on data from Honduras, a cross-tabulation of frequencies including all forage technologies (i.e., grasses, shrubs, herbaceous legumes, and green manures), it was found that by far the most important criterion in farmers’ assessment was plant color. Across seasons this Table 1. Principal component analysis of farmers' criteria for selecting forage technologies, using data from Honduras; data for rainy season. Table 2. Principal Component Analysis of farmers' criteria for selecting forage technologies by farmers, using data from Honduras; data for dry season. Principal Component Analysis Eigenvectors PRIN1 PRIN2 PRIN3 PRIN4 PRIN5 PRIN6 PRIN7 CRABON 0.061960 0.279153 -.454800 -.005722 0.437197 0.109790 -.118927 CRCAPREB -.350573 0.366230 0.014438 0.066499 0.033664 0.395176 0.096861 CRCOB 0.418509 -.027395 -.251376 0.315134 -.298388 -.041494 0.085038 CRCHOJ 0.225885 -.109230 0.410788 0.467462 0.238581 0.179566 0.009926 CRCOLOR 0.107306 0.447170 -.162064 0.126096 0.014569 0.055664 0.479595 CRCOMP 0.392438 0.108686 -.284225 0.204823 -.090126 -.324029 0.166495 CRCREC 0.305984 0.215723 0.270761 0.020026 -.321944 0.605767 0.041836 CRMACO 0.280763 0.060545 0.464713 -.080321 0.244347 -.157474 -.011671 CRPROD 0.340937 0.144272 -.205053 -.428305 -.062630 0.259181 -.510341 CRFOLL 0.023195 0.439528 0.124819 0.251230 0.430591 -.184588 -.327455 CRMADER -.299658 0.391215 0.123153 -.126343 -.225894 -.179175 0.213021 CREPROD 0.122870 0.378982 0.285554 -.182545 -.348504 -.405728 -.210650 CRSUAV 0.295706 -.051157 0.101772 -.563172 0.358144 0.002243 0.502097 Principal Component Analysis Eigenvectors PRIN1 PRIN2 PRIN3 PRIN4 PRIN5 PRIN6 PRIN7 CRABON -.007256 0.343933 0.558121 0.324481 0.155223 -.104893 0.399541 CRCOB 0.143834 0.598185 -.109366 0.240832 -.099309 0.082254 -.033382 CRCHOJ -.138005 -.241400 0.255903 0.708498 -.288388 0.237784 -.403995 CRCOLOR 0.374681 -.093888 0.020924 -.021589 -.266911 0.371303 0.505659 CRCOMP 0.358349 0.257920 -.267953 0.224088 0.155321 0.341760 -.025788 CRCREC 0.391641 -.197591 0.065073 -.029910 -.309856 -.020711 0.040658 CRMACO 0.333661 -.259232 -.174473 0.092453 0.365513 0.261877 0.022456 CRPROD 0.294268 -.128644 0.087559 0.247617 0.612922 -.394374 -.047090 CRFOLL 0.337422 -.314955 0.351235 -.133257 -.001917 0.031861 -.247685 CRMADER -.313888 -.253537 0.290909 -.020670 0.175475 0.280416 0.443191 CREPROD 0.062738 0.306696 0.466293 -.431546 0.198599 0.419694 -.395960 CRSUAV 0.351841 0.099703 0.266556 -.094279 -.334647 -.436685 0.027560 Table 3 summarizes the criteria of major importance in selecting forages, broken down for the rainy and dry seasons. For farmers in Honduras it is most important that, independent of the season, forages have good establishment and growth and compete effectively with weeds. In the rainy season good cover, regrowth capacity and reproduction are additional criteria of high importance. In the dry season the farmers' key criterion for forage selection is drought tolerance, expressed by plant color, as an indicator for staying green and retaining leaves. Additional parameters of importance to farmers are tactile softness of plants as relates to palatability, foliage and reproductive capacity. Specific criteria for applying to particular forage technologies are fuel-wood production (shrub legumes) and green manure effect (green manures). Table 3. Summary table for farmers' most important criteria for selecting forages for the rainy and dry seasons (Honduras); the most important criteria are highlighted in bold. PRIN (Criteria) Rainy Season Dry Season 1 Cover Competitiveness Production Growth Growth Color Competitiveness Softness of leaves 2 Color Foliage Fuel-wood production Reproductive capacity (persistence) Regrowth capacity Cover 3 Establishment, vigor and spread Green manure Growth of leaves Green manure Reproductive capacity (persistence) Foliage Utilizing the same sequence described above, a separate analysis for each forage technology was executed and is summarized below. Analysis broken down according to specific forage technologies. Table 4 summarizes the results for grasses, describing both the farmers' most important selection criteria and the technologies identified based on them. In the rainy season color, competitiveness, foliage and cover were grouped in PRIN 1; while leafiness and reproductive capacity were grouped in PRIN 2. Establishment/vigor/spread and growth were the most important parameters in PRIN 2. In the dry season competitiveness with weeds was related to PRIN 1; foliage, establishment/vigor/spread, cover and softness to PRIN 2; and color and growth to PRIN 3. It is assumed that the technologies selected from the basket of options offered respond best to farmers’ demands and hence have the highest likelihood of being accepted and adopted by them. The selection criteria vary slightly according to season, and these differences need to be taken into consideration when defining perennial options. Over seasons Brachiaria brizantha cv. Toledo and Brachiaria hybrid cv. Mulato were the grasses best responding to farmers' criteria, the latter having a particular high acceptance in the dry season. Other options considered by farmers are Brachiaria dictyoneura and, for rainy-season performance only, Panicum maximum cv. Camerún. Table 4. Summary table for most important criteria for selection of grasses by farmers in the rainy and dry season and identification of technologies with high potential acceptance based on these criteria (Honduras). PRIN (criteria) Rainy Season PRIN (Criteria) Dry Season 1 - Color Competitiveness Foliage Cover Bb 26110 Toledo Pm Camerún 1 - Competitiveness Bb 26110 Toledo Bh 36061 Mulato 2 - Leafiness Reproductive capacity Bd 6133 Bb 16322 Pm Camerún 2 - Foliage Establishment/vigor/spread Cover Bb 26110 Toledo Bd 6133 Pm 16031 PRIN (criteria) Rainy Season PRIN (Criteria) Dry Season Softness (palatability) 3 - Establishment/vigor/s pread Growth Bb 26110 Toledo Bh 36061 Mulato 3 - Color Growth Bh 36061 Mulato Ag (local check) Bb = B. brizantha; Pm = P. maximum; Bd = B. dictyoneura; Bh = Brachiaria hybrid; Ag – A. gayanus. Table 5 shows results for herbaceous legumes. In this case 2 PRINs explained 93% and 87% of variation in the rainy and dry seasons, respectively. In this context, Centrosema pubescens CIAT 15160 had the highest overall concordance with farmers’ criteria. Centrosema plumieri DICTA and Desmodium ovalifolium CIAT 33058 were options responding best to dry-season criteria. For the latter it needs to be stressed that farmer criteria were based on visual and tactile criteria and that the quality of D. ovalifolium may be adversely affected by drought conditions. This information is now shared with farmers. Stylosanthes guianensis CIAT 11844 and Arachis pintoi CIAT 22160 were identified as potential options for rainy-season use, with A. pintoi being able to survive the dry season and recover very quickly once rains commence. Table 5. Summary table of farmers' most important criteria for selecting herbaceous legumes in the rainy and dry seasons and identification of technologies with high potential acceptance based on these criteria (Honduras). PRIN (criteria) Rainy Season PRIN (criteria) Dry Season 1 - Color Competitiveness Green manure Cover Foliage Cp 15160 Sg 11844 1 - Color Competitiveness Growth Cp 15160 Do 33058 2 - Growth Ap 22160 2 - Cover Production CP DICTA Cp = C. pubescens; Sg = S. guianensis; Ap = A. pintoi; Do = D. heterocarpon sp. ovalifolium; CP = C. plumieri Results for shrub legumes are presented in Table 6. Three PRINs explained 96% and 74% of variation in the rainy and dry seasons, respectively. The most preferred species across seasons were Leucaena leucocephala CIAT 17263 and Cratylia argentea CIAT 18668. Leucaena macrophylla appealed to farmers in the dry season. As a species providing wood, Calliandra calothyrsus CIAT 22316 was the most preferred accession; in the dry season, C. calothyrsus CIAT 22316 and C. argentea CIAT 18668 were the options. Table 6. Summary table for farmers' most important criteria for selecting shrub legumes in the rainy and dry seasons and identification of technologies with high potential acceptance based on these criteria (Honduras). PRIN (criteria) Rainy Season PRIN (criteria) Dry Season 1 - Color Growth Regrowth capacity Ll 17263 1 - Foliage Color Wood Ca 18668 2 - Green manure Foliage Cc 22310 Ca 18668 2 - Growth Ll 17263 Lm 47-85 3 - Wood Cc 22310 Cc 22316 3 - Wood Ca 18668 Cc 22316 Ll – Leucaena leucocephala; Cc – Calliandra calothyrsus; Ca – Cratylia argentea; Lm – Leucaena macrophylla Table 7 presents the most accepted cover/green manure legumes and farmers' selection criteria. Three PRINs explained 94% of variation in the rainy season. Due the annual nature of most species, dry season results are not available. Mucuna pruriens was the accession that responded best to farmer criteria followed by Lablab purpureus and Pueraria phaseoloides. Table 7. Summary table for farmers' most important criteria for selection of cover/green manure legumes in the rainy season and identification of technologies with high potential acceptance based on these criteria (Honduras). PRIN (criteria) Rainy Season 1 - Production Color Green Manure 1 - Mp IITA-BENIN 2 - Foliage Growth Competitiveness 2 - Mp IITA-BENIN Lp DICTA Pp 7182 3 - Cover 3 - Mp IITA-BENIN Pp 7182 Lp DICTA Mp - Mucuna pruriens; Lp – Lablab purpureus; Pp – Pueraria phaseoloides Table 8: Profiles based on farmer criteria of forage species/accessions with the highest potential of acceptance. Technology Rainy Season Dry Season Grasses Toledo Mulato color, competitiveness, cover, foliage, leafiness, reproductive capacity, establishment/ vigor/spread competitiveness, establishment/ vigor/spread, cover, softness, color, growth establishment/ vigor/spread, cover, softness, color, growth Herbaceous legumes Cp 15160 color, competitiveness, green manure, cover, foliage color, competitiveness, growth Shrub legumes Ll 17263 Cc 22310 Cc 22316 Ca 18668 color, growth, regrowth capacity foliage, color, wood Cover/green manure legumes Mp IITA-BENIN Lp DICTA Pp 7182 production, color, green manure, foliage, growth, competitiveness, cover Table 8 presents profiles for each technology (grasses, herbaceous legumes, shrub legumes, cover/green manure legumes) based on the farmers' criteria for selecting the most promising species and accessions. Conclusions With the development of a sequence for statistical analyses, the participatory procedure for selecting forages has been completed. Based on farmers' criteria, it is now possible to define profiles for forage technologies with high likelihood of acceptance by farmers and identify forage technologies with high similarity to farmers' criteria. The sequence for analyses will now be validated for other sites. The procedure will be used to compare data for more closely related options; i.e. a set of recently evaluated Brachiaria accessions. Comparisons will be made between scientists’ and farmers’ knowledge to define commonalities and discrepancies. With B. brizantha cv. Toledo, Brachiaria hybrid cv. Mulato and Cratylia argentea, some forage technologies identified are now been taken up by livestock farmers. Farmers have requested fast-growing forage species similar to the selected Lablab purpureus; i.e., other lablab accessions and cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) for farmer-led testing. Establishing a database of CIAL results for use by technicians and farmers Responsible: Jorge Cabrera1 Collaborators: SN-3 Team Rationale Each of the more than 270 community-based research services (CIALs) is continually producing information that is important not only for their communities but also for the facilitating institutions. This information is the result of executing the steps of a methodology for implementing community research projects. Because of the large number of committees, the considerable volume of information, and the need to have it available to users, a system had to be set up to compile and store it in an organized form. The purpose was to have an interactive information system where farmers and technicians could make consultations and thus be assisted in their decision-making. Likewise, the database would be a mechanism for facilitating the measurement of project impact and the conservation of institutional memory. Objectives • General objective. To collect information generated by CIALs for use as a tool to facilitate decision-making by farmers and technicians of participating institutions. Specific objectives o Provide information on the location, members and communities where CIALs operate o Provide information on research conducted by CIALs and their results, thereby functioning as an effective means of consultation, sharing results and preventing duplication of effort. o Permit monitoring and follow-up of activities and of the evolution of participating groups o Identify an institution in each participating country that would collect and classify information and encourage its input by the members Implementation To obtain information, a series of very simple formats were developed to permit recovery of the principal results of the methodological steps needed to carry out community work. Technicians and farmers evaluated these formats so that they are similar for all regions and can thus provide information on the same topics. 1 SN-3 CIAT Project The database collects information generated in the following steps of the CIAL methodology as follows: 1. Committee formation and election 2. Participatory diagnosisPlanning 3. Results Each country has an institution that is in charge of compiling the information from each CIAL. This information is provided through the different institutions facilitating the process. Currently, the database has been installed in Fundación PROINPA (Bolivia), CORPOICA (Colombia) and CIAT’s Communities and Watersheds Project PE-3 (Nicaragua). All the information compiled thus far is also found in the database of CIAT’s PR Project SN-3 database (Cali, Colombia) and will be included in the Project’s Web page so it can be accessed by many more users from around the world. Thus far research information is available from some 270 CIALs in 8 countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Venezuela Future activities We hope to finish installing the database in those countries that are working with the CIAL methodology, but do not have it yet. Technicians from the IPRA team will train the local technicians responsible for maintaining the database in how to enter information and maximize its usefulness for potential users. Taking on the World through our Web site at www.ciat.cgiar.org/ipra/inicio.htm (in English and Spanish) Responsible: Jorge Luis Cabrera1 Collaborators: Susan Kaaria, Luis A. Hernández, José I. Roa, Elías Claros, Fernando Hincapié, Carlos A. Quirós2 Introduction With every day that passes, we witness how the power of information becomes increasingly important worldwide. The PR Project SN-3 has therefore launched its Web site within the CIAT Web site Solutions That Cross Frontiers in an attempt to give broader dissemination to project outputs while offering visitors the opportunity to obtain information on participatory research (PR) in English and Spanish, which is especially important considering the reduced amount of information available in the latter. In this way we are making ourselves known, providing information on who we are and what we do, while disseminating the methods, tools, and products generated by our PR project. The Web site basically aims to: • Provide up-to-date information on PR to interested users • Establish contact with individuals and entities working on the same topics and issues who did not know about the PR Project or its partners • Allow users to access the Web sites of our partners directly • Include project documents and allow users to access them, thereby facilitating their dissemination The PR project hopes that through the rural telecenter approach, the main beneficiaries of this Web site will be low-resource farmers living in marginal agroecosystems. Plans are also to include a database on the Web site containing all the information pertinent to community-based research services known as CIALs in Spanish. This information and previous evaluations will hopefully reach a greater number of farmers, improving their opportunity to understand, adapt, and/or to adopt appropriate technologies that serve could as inputs for rural community development and improved well-being. Figure 1 illustrates the home page of the PR Project Web site, from which visitors can access recent news on PR as well as link to different partner organizations working in this 1 SN-3 CIAT Project 2 SN-3 team CIAT Project field worldwide as well as the Systemwide Program on Participatory Research and Gender Analysis (PRGA). The visitor can also access the literature on relevant issues produced by the PR Project and other authors and download documents as needed. Figure 1. English version of the PR Project Web site at www.ciat.cgiar.org/ipra/inicio.htm Project Web Site Statistics The Project team is very pleased that the Web site has many visitors each month. Figure 2 indicates that visits are on the rise since the launching of the Web site in January 2002. In September the Web site had 730 visitors. The number of requests via e-mail for additional information on products, training courses, contacts, and other topics or direct questions received by different Project staff members have noticeably increased during this same period. 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 N o. o f v is its Jan Feb Mar Abr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Figure 2. Visits per month to the PR Project Web site. The PR Project Web site presents a higher number of visitors compared with other CIAT project Web sites (Figure 3) in 2002, which may be attributed to the importance and desire to expand knowledge on PR. 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 IPRA Agroenterprise Beans Hillsides Rice Cassava Genetic Resources Forages Project Figure 3. Number of visits to the PR Project web site and other CIAT project Web sites. Figure 4 shows that more than 50% of the visits were from North America and just 6.6% from South America, perhaps because of the difficulties that still exist for connecting to Internet in many Latin American countries. The United Kingdom ranked second in number of visitors. 56.08% 27.28% 6.6% 5.44% 2.02% 0.82% 0.76% 0.64% 0.4% 0.06% 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 N. America Unknown S. America Europe Africa C. America Asia Australia Caribbean Middle East % Figure 4. Percentage of visits to the PR Project Web site per region of the world. Talks prepared by the SN-3 team and presented at events El monitoreo y evaluación participativa en grupos de agricultores. Presented to students of the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana from Medellín, CO. Nov. 15, 2001. Building participatory processes for developing and disseminating multipurpose forage technologies in Latin America, presented at CIAT Internal Seminars to Dr. R. Schultze-Kraft, University of Hohenheim in Germany, in representation of Prof. Volker Hoffman of the same university. Cali. Nov. 7, 2001. Microempresas de producción de semillas en los CIAL, presented to students of the “Seed Production Technology” course, School of Agronomy, Universidad Nacional, Palmira. Nov. 7, 2001. Marco conceptual investigación participativa, método IPRA y CIAL. Presented to students from 9th semester in the area of rural development and agricultural extension of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Palmira. April 3, 2002. Scaling up and out. CIAT Internal Seminars. Cali, CO. May 15, 2002. The institutionalization of farmer participatory approaches in research and development. Presented at CIAT Internal Seminars, Cali, CO. May 22, 2002. Research-supported community-based solutions: Engaging the stakeholders. Presented at the Salzburg Seminar, "Achieving Food Security through Community-Based Food Systems," Session 398. May 1-8, 2002. El Proyecto IPRA – Workshop for preparing the log frame for an interinstitutional project, presented in Cochabamba, Bolivia, June 26-28, 2002. Outcomes of farmer participatory research processes. Presented at Imperial College at Wye, Kent, UK. Aug. 23, 2002. Request for Publications from the SN-3 Project October 2001 – September 2002 Date Person Requesting Publication Institution/Country 2001 07-11 Guilles Trouche Logistic preference ranking CIRAD – France 23-11 Chuza M.J. Guines CIAL handbook in English CIAT – Ecuador 26-11 Louis Sperling CIAL handbook in English PRGA, CIAT– Colombia 2002 11-01 Nolberto Zambrano CIAL handbook in Spanish CORFOCIAL – Colombia 11-01 Bolívar Muñoz CIAL handbook in Spanish CORFOCIAL – Colombia 11-01 Alfonso Truque CIAL handbook in Spanish CORFOCIAL – Colombia 11-01 Board of Directors CIAL handbook in Spanish CORFOCIAL - Colombia 11-01 José Ignacio Roa CIAL handbook in Spanish CIAT – Colombia 11-01 Gustavo Bolaños CIAL handbook in Spanish Univalle – Colombia 11-01 Jorge Alonso Beltrán CIAL handbook in Spanish LADERAS - Nicaragua 14-01 Meyid Antonio Veloza Ruíz CIAL handbook in Spanish Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica – Colombia 14-01 Elías Claros Trujillo CIAL handbook in Spanish CIAT – Colombia 23-01 Fanory Cobo CIAL handbook in Spanish CIAT – Colombia 07-02 Alejandro Blandón CIAL handbook in Spanish INTA- Nicaragua 07-02 Octavio Menocal CIAL handbook in Spanish INTA – Nicaragua 07-02 Gladys Cáceres CIAL handbook in Spanish INPHRU – Nicaragua 07-02 Elvis Pérez CIAL handbook in Spanish UNICAM – Nicaragua 07-02 Julio Solórzano CIAL handbook in Spanish MAGFOR – Nicaragua 07-02 Alfredo Miranda CIAL handbook in Spanish PRODESSA – Nicaragua 07-02 Julio Gómez CIAL handbook in Spanish ADDAC – Nicaragua 07-02 Hillsides Program CIAL handbook in Spanish CIAT, Laderas – Colombia 07-02 Ana Patricia Quintana CIAL handbook in Spanish Universidad Tecnológica Pereira – Colombia 12-02 Heliodoro Díaz Cisneros CIAL handbook in Spanish W.K.Kellogg Foundation – Mexico 12-02 Blas Santos CIAL handbook in Spanish W.K.Kellogg Foundation –Dominican Republic 12-02 Jana Arraigada CIAL handbook in Spanish W.K.Kellog Foundation – Chile 12-02 C. Devendra CIAL handbook in Spanish IIRI- Philippines 15-02 Manuel Arévalo CIAL handbook in Spanish COORPOICA, Tibaitata – Colombia Date Person Requesting Publication Institution/Country 15-02 Humberto Fierro CIAL handbook in Spanish COORPOICA, Tibaitata – Colombia 15-02 F. Salazar CIAL handbook in Spanish COORPOICA, Tibaitara – Colombia 19-02 CIAL handbook in Spanish Instituto de Investigaciones Ambientales del Pacífico (IIAP) - Colombia 19-02 CIAL handbook in English CIAT – Africa 04-04 Adrian Maitre CIAL handbook in Spanish ATICA – Bolivia 10-05 J.A. Ashby CIAL handbook in Spanish CIAT – Colombia 14-05 CIAL handbook in Spanish PROINPA – Bolivia 22-05 Carlos Brigrad Ricaurte CIAL handbook in Spanish Granja Demostrativa y de Capacitación, Yopal – Colombia 29-05 Elcio P. Guimaraes CIAL handbook in Spanish FAO – Italy 06-06 Harold Bastidas CIAL handbook in Spanish Secretaría de Agricultura 20-06 CIAL handbook in Spanish Instituto Técnico de Roldanillo – Colombia 24-06 Reynaldo Rocha CIAL handbook in Spanish PROSUKO – Bolivia 24-06 Roberto CIAL handbook in Spanish PROMIC – Boliva 24-06 Máximo L. Flores Márquez CIAL handbook in Spanish SIBTA – Bolivia 15-07 Jhon Jairo Hurtado Instructional Units 1 & 2, The IPRA method manual, Gender analysis CIAT, Agroempresas – Colombia 31-07 Fausto Merino Regresión logística INIAP – Ecuador 18-07 Freddy Sierra CIAL handbook in Spanish IPCA – Honduras 18-07 Juan Gonzales CIAL handbook in Spanish IPCA – Honduras 18-07 José Jiménez CIAL handbook in Spanish IPCA – Honduras 18-07 Nelson Gamero CIAL handbook in Spanish Proyecto Cuencas, Zamorano – Honduras 06-08 Miguel Angel Restrepo CIAL handbook in Spanish CIER – Colombia 03-09 María Elena Morros CIAL handbook in Spanish INIA – Venezuela 03-09 Angela Bolívar CIAL handbook in Spanish INIA – CINIAP – Venezuela 16-09 Rodrigo Vivas Murmuring of water CIPASLA – Colombia 20-09 Victor M. Alanis Moreno Logistic preference ranking Unión General Obrera, Campesina y Popular - Mexico CIAL book 20-09 Humberto Ríos Logistic preference ranking Cuba CIAL book Scott Bode Logistic preference ranking USAID – USA Materials donated by SN-3 (IPRA) by country, 10-2001 to 09-2002 Country CIAL book IPRA method manual Gender analysis in agricultural research Logistic preference ranking Instructional units 1 Instructional units 2 Murmuring of water CIAL handbook Bolivia 6 Colombia 20 1 1 1 1 1 Chile 1 Ecuador 1 Venezuela 2 Honduras 4 Nicaragua 8 Cuba 1 4 Dominican Republic 2 USA 1 Mexico 1 1 4 France 1 Spain 1 Italy 1 Malaysia 1 Totals 47 1 1 5 1 1 1 8 OUTPUT 5. IMPACT OF SN-3 PROJECT ACTIVITIES DOCUMENTED MILESTONES ✴ Case study of the CIAL-El Diviso, documented ✴ Experience in the model of participatory management of watersheds, documented and analyzed Scaling up CIALs in Latin America Countries (Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia) Responsible: Carlos A. Quirós, José I. Roa, Jorge L. Cabrera Collaborators: Partners of the PR Project SN-3 Highlight ✴ The CIALs increase the number of research topics once they have resolved the minimum basic needs in growing crops for food security. Background Based on the information obtained from new partners in the five countries where the project “Sustainability of the community-based research services known as CIALs” is being implemented, some brief statistics have been worked out to show the progress and part of the impact brought about as a result of the application of this methodology. With this information a database has been created in order to be able to quantify and then analyze the results obtained. The following is just a small sample of the type of information that we can get if we have up-to- date data input. Growth of the CIALs through 2002 In April 1990 the first five CIALs were formed in the Province of Cauca, Colombia. One of their objectives was to create a local capacity for adapting and innovating technology in their communities, using participatory methods. After the first results were obtained, other local institutions became involved, wanting to learn about and develop this capacity in the communities where they worked. This was followed by the appearance of the first international demands for learning about this methodology. Thus it was necessary to organize a first course at the international level in 1993. By 1996 the systematic dissemination of the methodology had begun by the FPR team. To date, 14 courses on the CIAL methodology have been held in 7 countries: Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras. In these courses, 86 government entities, 56 nongovernmental organizations, 19 universities and 12 international organizations have participated; and 416 people have been trained (Table 1). Figure 1 shows the growth in the number of CIALs in the five countries where we have information and where activities of the project “Sustainability of the CIALs” are being implemented. Today there are 251 CIALs in the 5 countries. Despite these figures, there are difficulties of an economic nature, changes in the official policies of the governments or of the entities that have some CIALs with no institutional support. In some cases these CIALs have disappeared (at least from the statistics), especially in the period from 1998-1999. Table 1. Organizations and participants in courses on the CIAL methodology from 1993-2002. Country GOs NGOs Universities International Organizations Participants Bolivia 5 6 5 1 45 Peru 4 1 0 1 4 Ecuador 17 25 3 6 82 Colombia 23 3 0 1 84 Venezuela 32 4 1 0 133 Nicaragua 2 4 0 0 32 El Salvador 2 4 9 0 17 Honduras 1 9 1 3 19 Total 86 56 19 12 416 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 year CIAL growth through to 2002 Figure 1. Growth of the CIALs in five countries: Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia. Figure 2 shows the number of CIALs distributed in the different countries. At present the largest number of CIALs are found in Colombia, the country of origin, followed very closely by Honduras 18.3% 30.3% 16.7%8.4% 26.3% Bolivia Colombia Ecuador Honduras Nicaragua Figure 2. Distribution of the CIALs in the five countries. Diversity of topics In the traditional models of on-farm research, the researchers ask the farmers to lease or rent a part of their farms to set up research trials. In the majority of cases it is the researchers who select the crop that is of their interest and the variables to be evaluated. The farmers' participation is only nominal; they do not participate in the decision-making. With the implementation of participatory methodologies such as the CIALs, the community participates actively in the decision-making in each step of the research process. They can decide what technology is important to them and should therefore be included in the research processes that are being implemented in their fields. Based on these priorities the Research Committees are working on a wide range of crops (Fig. 3). There is ample variability in the research topics that are being studied by the 251 groups covered in this sample. The highest percentage of topics (about 60%) is related to food security (potatoes, broad beans, maize, cassava, common beans and plantains). This means that the farmers want to solve problems related to the improvement of these crops first before initiating or undertaking activities with innovative crops. The food-security crops have been grown traditionally in the rural communities. It can also be observed that the following area in importance (17%) involved the “new research topics" (soybeans, quinoa, rice, “chayote”, sweet potatoes, tobacco, sweet bell peppers, wheat and aromatic herbs). This tends to happen when the oldest CIALs have solved their problems in their basic crops and wish to test and/or introduce news crops in their regions. In other cases they are motivated by the experiences presented at the yearly encounters of the CIALs, where the recommendations of other CIALs, situated in the same "recommendation domain," call their attention, and new ideas arise to be included in their research. On other occasions they are motivated by the existence of a high market demand or a good price for some product on the market. The participation of women in the CIALs 17.4% 8.4% 6.8% 2.8% 5.9% 59.8% Food security New crops Small livestock Forages Horticultural crops Fruit crops Figure 3. Diversity of technological options in the CIALs. From the first courses on the CIAL methodology held by the PR Project SN-3, emphasis has been placed on the directors and technicians of the different entities as to the importance of the participation of the women in the training courses per se, as well as the integration of rural women in the CIAL groups. In the first courses the participation of women was only 4% of the participants, but this percentage has gradually increased over the years. There is a clear pattern of gaps in the Andean region, for example, where women do not give their opinions in meetings where men are also participating. It has also been confirmed that the women are interested in research topics related to improving their families nutrition with products such as soybeans, vegetables and minor species, among others or where they can receive cash for buying their basic needs in the market; e.g., conducting research on crops with short growth cycles, such as blackberries. The PR project SN-3 also mentioned the importance of women' participation in various of the CIAL handbooks. Their capacity for research and taking part in the different activities of the Committees are highlighted. This divulgation has been important and is reflected in the attitude of the technicians when they implement the CIALs in their work areas. They motivate women to form their own CIALs. Figure 4 shows that in 1996 there were only 3 women's CIALs vs 22 in 2002. It is not easy for women to form part of a CIAL because they have to overcome obstacles such as the negative attitudes of their husbands who do not want them to participate in work groups because they are jealous or they think the work is too hard for women. What is important, however, is that there has been a gradual awareness of the importance and the capacity of women to participate in the different community organizations. 0 5 10 15 20 25 No. of CIALs 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 Years Figure 4. CIALs formed by only women until 2002. Types of trials implemented in the CIALs In order to decrease risks, the CIALs conduct small-scale trials, test, beginning with small plots (5 rows, 5 m/treatment). Depending on the system or crop being investigated, they run test trials in order to minimize the risk and become familiar with the new technology. The best treatments of the test trial are passed to the verification trial. Here the plot is somewhat larger (10 rows, 10 m), depending on the system. The best treatments proceed to a third round of testing in the production plot, which are bigger. Once the farmers have gone through these three trials where they have studied and evaluated the technologies, they can be sure of which is the one that is best adapted to their conditions. The final step is to plant in commercial-size plot. Figure 5 shows that of the 251 CIALs reported as being active to date, 55% are in initial test trial phase; and 12% have reached the commercial phase. It can also be seen that they conduct an average of 1.5 trials per productive cycle. In some cases, especially in Honduras where the CIALs are conducting trials on two different research topics in the same year, in the first planting, they sow maize and in the second season, they sow common beans, based on the periods that they consider to be more suitable for these crops. 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 No. of field trials Tes t Ver ific atio n Pro duc tion Com me rcia l Figure 5. Types of Experiments conducted by CIALs in the five countries Conclusions o The expansion of the number of CIALs in Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia continues. o There is a large human cadre trained in the methodology who are applying and forming new groups o With the participation of the universities in these processes, it is expected that the new students will be exposed to participatory methods. This did not occur a few years ago. o To the extent that the CIALs meet their basic need with respect to food security, they begin to do research on innovative crops and/or with better possibilities on the market. o The participation of women in the CIALs is increasing as the technicians become aware that they have different interests than the men's groups. The CIAL ASPROMAIZ: “A dream come true”1 Researcher: Fanory Cobo1 Background The community of El Diviso faced a problem of food security caused by their low maize production, which was very important during the coffee-harvesting season when it formed a basic staple for the pickers. The low maize production was due, among other things, to losses from lodging. Given that the plants were very tall, the farmers used very wide planting distances so there was not enough land. Moreover, the maize was somewhat late maturing, being harvested at 6 months; affecting the farmers and limiting their reserves at times when the most important food alternative was maize. Some 12 years ago, the PR Project SN-3-CIAT Project began to promote a research methodology with a participatory focus among farmers in El Diviso. Known as CIALs community-based research services their objective is to contribute to the solution of problems of food security in the region, through research; in the case of El Diviso, to improve the conditions of production for the maize crop. Once the participatory diagnosis had been carried out in the community, the village of El Diviso prioritized the maize crop as their research topic. The objective of the CIAL was to evaluate 9 varieties to determine which adapted better to the ecological and economic conditions of their community. As a result of their research and having carried out the PRUEBA, confirmation and production trials, the CIAL-El Diviso made the decision to form an artisanal maize seed production microenterprise, called ASPROMAIZ (Asociación Productora de Semilla de Maíz), whose main objective is to supply seed to the communities and entities of varieties that are already adapted to the zone and at lower prices than those of the commercial houses. The CIALs from the Province of Cauca belong to a second-order organization, called CORFOCIAL (Corporación para el Fomento de los Comités de Investigación Agrícola Local). CORFOCIAL, which is an NGO that belongs to the farmers who form part of the CIALs, was created with the support of the PR Project SN-3 at CIAT and funds from the Kellogg Foundation. Through CORFOCIAL, the CIAL-El Diviso was able to acquire equipment for processing the maize: a sheller, a hammer mill and thresher. Now, the CIAL is content because of their accomplishments and expectations with respect to future maize harvests. In the near future, they expect to produce balanced feedstuffs for animals and stimulate other research that is linked to the community. 1 Martín Criollo, member of the CIAL, 1993. 1 Practice student, SN-3 CIAT Project Why disseminate this experience? It is necessary to document how active the participation of the farmers has been, the research capacity that they have, and the adoption of the research results by the community of El Diviso. What is El Diviso like? This village is located at an elevation 1650 m, its surface is characterized by having 3 natural springs of water and zones for agricultural production. The 130 families that live there have services of aqueduct, electricity, a telephone, a grade school and 4 centers of family welfare. El Diviso also has a human potential capable of proposing production alternatives and although many of these projects do not result for lack of economic resources, they do not lose the hope of making them come true. Founded in 1921 by emigrants from southern Cauca, their radical changes at the ecological and economic levels began in 1980 when the community adopted a recommendation of the Coffee Growers Committee to plant an improved variety Colombia, eliminating the shade trees and increasing the chemical fertilization to enhance their coffee production. This practice had adverse consequences on the natural resources as erosion increased in these hillside soils, where a high percentage of the coffee is grown in Colombia. History of the Research Committee In 1985 several farmers from the village decided to get together in a "Friendship Group" to collaborate in the agricultural production, primarily on the farms of the women heads of households. From this group the Association of Farmers from El Diviso (ASADI) was created to design projects of interest and attract resources to the community. The community's concern with respect to the food (i.e., maize) shortage motivated them to support the leader of the association: Don Santos Salomón Ortega. In 1990 in a meeting convened by the Coffee Growers Federation, Don Santos met the members of the CIAT PR Project SN-3 team. The product of this meeting was the space that the community offered to do participatory research to try to solve the problems related to their maize production. During the diagnosis, the community identified the research objective; prioritizing 4 research topics (maize, common beans, tomatoes and raising hens), but due to its value as a staple in their diet and the existing problems, the community decided to work with maize. Who was in charge of the research? For the purposes of the research process and to coordinate the actions for complying with the objectives and in a process of community consensus, the CIAL was created. Figure 1. Members of the CIAL-El Diviso preparing land where they will plant one of their replications of the maize trial. Research: A reality In 1990 research began on the farmers' plots. They planted 3 trials with the 7 maize varieties facilitated by CIMMYT (Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo) and planted the local variety as a control to compare it with the new ones. The CIAL members selected 4 cultivars (SUWAN 8027, MB 251, MB 254 and MB 258). In the evaluation of each trial, both men and women participated, comparing organoleptic parameters (flavor, consistency, grain size, ease of shelling) and yield. Despite several problems such as strong rains at the onset, the preliminary research results “improved their production.” The community's lack of confidence in these results did not discourage the CIAL because to their amazement, the research was complemented with technical training, converting the group into artisanal maize seed producers (ASPROMAIZ). In El Diviso there is a serious problem insuficient land for developing agriculture. Many of the small plots are shared among families. This constraint motivated the Committee to send a letter to the Colombian Institute of Agrarian Reform (INCORA) in order to request a farm where they could multiply the seed of the varieties that they had researched. The CIAL told INCORA about what the CIALs do and their work in the community. The Institute confirmed that the arguments presented by the CIAL in their letter were true, highlighted the praiseworthy work of the Committee members for the benefit of their community, and granted them a piece of land to be paid for in 15 years, with low interest rates and capital payments. • What was happening in the village while the research continued its course? The village has also undergone alterations in its agricultural production and environmental surroundings. While maize production surpassed that of previous years, the production of common beans and cane decreased. Due to the increase in maize production, there was an increase in the production of chickens, resulting in a saturation of the local market for lack of marketing channels. • Through the CIAL, the village had also received training in breadmaking, fish culture and organic agricultural products. • The products of research and their effects on the village. In 1993 the production of the CIAL began with 150 kg of seed and 800 kg of grain. In these 10 years the Committee has managed to produce 13,000 kg of seed and 37,000 kg of grain, representing incomes of over US$10,000 for the sale of seed and US$20,000 for the sale of grain. The seed is sold to the neighboring communities, producing in turn, 1560 t of maize grain for an approximate value of US$390,000. This year they expect to produce 3000 kg of seed and 4000 kg of grain. The farmers mentioned that the price per kg of these products has remained at US$1.5/kg and US$0.25/kg of grain. They mentioned that the price is no higher because of maize imports from Ecuador. • The residents of El Diviso think that the benefits of research have centered on the improvement of agricultural production through technical planning, the quality and quantity of maize seed and grain that they have, as well as counting on the service of the machinery for shelling, threshing and grinding the maize in the village. In a comparative analysis of production costs for the native variety and the new ones, it was found that the profitability of the former was US$1.16 and is now $2.54 per dollar invested. Table1. Results obtained by the CIAL-El Diviso after carrying out the different stages of research in the improvement of maize production. Before Afterwards Seed Used any type of grain as seed Very tall plants knocked over by the wind Select maize seed to be planted Plants with shorter growing habit Production not as variable Grain Bitter taste More ingredients added for preparation Required more energy in the preparation (firewood) Sweet flavor Add salt only for cooking Consistency of grain is tender Easier to shell Agricultural techniques Broadcast and in spiral Land cleared by burning To plant 1 lb of maize required 80 m2 Rows better organized, better use made of land Dead barriers made with crop residue To plant 1 lb of maize requires 40 m2 Production Planted once a year Production took 180 days Low yields (125 lb/lb seed) Possibility of planting twice a year Production takes 150 days High yields (at least double) The machinery processes 60 sacks/harvest, representing a savings for the village of US$632 for the cost of threshing because before that they had to travel to the city of Popayán, some 90 km to the North of the Province. There the cost of threshing per sack is US$12; whereas now the cost for the same service is only US$1/sack. The community also saves the cost of the bus fare, which is US$6. The equipment shells about 2 t/harvest of ears and processes 5 t/harvest of grain (4 t are from the CIAL). To date they have not been able to use the full production capacity of the machinery. The contribution of the grain quality and the milling service, together with the training offered by the National Apprenticeship Service (SENA) and a regional development corporation (CORPOTUNIA), were factors that fomented the production of chickens and pigs, but the surplus supply and the absence of channels for commercializing these products led the inhabitants to decrease the raising of pigs and chickens, while farmyard production of hens (not fed grain or concentrates) has increased somewhat because it is easier to sell the eggs. Doña Fanny Chimborazo affirms that in her case their nutrition improved from the increased grain consumption, but that this did not represent a stable economic income. The community: The actors during and after the research Some farmers feel that an elitist environment has been created around the CIAL. Although the relations between the Committee and the community are stable, because the members of the CIAL are considered to be people who collaborate with their community, the community feels that they have not been involved in the process or in the products of the research despite the fact that there are latent benefits. This is because they consider the benefits of the research to include the income from the production of the maize seed. The Committee feels that as they do not have their own land, they cannot supply the community with seed and grain; moreover, the community has not shown interest in participating in the meetings held by the group. The research has involved women through the process of producing maize seed and grain. The CIAL has permitted those farmers who are close to the Committee to produce and sell maize seed, as well as to institutions such as FUNCOP (Fundación para la Comunicación Popular) and the UMATA (Unidad Municipal de Asistencia Tecnológica Agropecuaria). This service has contributed to the spreading of the benefits of the CIAL's research reaching other neighboring towns. The community has identified several reasons why they have not taken better advantage of the results of research: the occasional advice means that the farmers are not familiar with the entire process of maize production, while others are attached to their conventional methods or do not have arable land. o The actors' conclusions. The community considers that it is the Committee that has benefited from the research because of the income they receive from commercializing the seed and this has helped the members to meet their basic needs. The CIAL feels that the community has also benefited because they dedicated 4 years to research to produce the first 150 kg of seed for their community. They also point out that they are supplying other regions with maize grain and seed acclimated to their zone, and that they also offer the service of the machinery. Some farmers including women are receiving extra income working in the selection of seed and in selling it. In El Diviso, maize production in general has not been further developed, mainly because of the scarcity of arable land, 4 people are dedicated to this activity and produce about ½ ton of maize seed in total. The inhabitants recognize that research has contributed to their thinking about experimenting first before deciding to produce on a large scale. o Improvements recommended by the community. Between some of the inhabitants who participated in this study and the CIAL, they have designed strategies for making better use of the milling equipment and conducting additional research that involves the village. Derivates of the white maize (coarse meal and tortillas or corn cakes) are commercialized from Popayán to the township of Rosas, and they believe they can work together to meet this demand. They also think that this would stimulate the production of white maize in the village. The CIAL would purchase this production to prepare other products and sell them in Rosas. The community is aware of the difficulty of organizing community work in the village when the group is large. Because the participants are impatient to see quick results, these efforts can fail. Despite the foregoing, the ample experience of the CIAL in research has shown their capacity to explain and understand the stages of experimentation. The Committee and the farmers consider the common bean crop as an option that could incorporate the community even more. The community has also requested that the CIAL provide formal training on all the implications of growing maize and of the advantages of producing and utilizing organic manure in their farming for the benefit of the environment. The community of El Diviso has benefited from a change in the conditions for growing maize, which has contributed to their having good quantities and quality of artisanal seed and grain; has contributed to the improvement of nutrition in the community; and that there is a milling service at convenient prices. Nevertheless the utilization of maize seed and grain has been concentrated in a few inhabitants for two main reasons: the delayed acceptance of the research recommendations and the limited land for planting maize. Today, the community is aware of and values the efforts made by the members of the CIAL to serve their community. Now they also want to work and learn about the Committee's other research or production alternatives, offering the possibility of replicating and disseminating the CIAL methodology. ASPROMAIZ is considered to be a mature CIAL because it is a group that despite its structural problems, has served as an example to other CIALs and to the community. They have shown their great will and perseverance during the participatory research process as they have not generated relationships of dependency on any institution or the PR Project SN-3. Their desire is to become better integrated with the community, and as a group they are already projecting their future goals. CIAL “Mujeres Experimentadoras” Research: Jorge Alonso Beltrán1 The Municipality of San Dionisio, Nicaragua, boasts of 15 CIALs (Spanish acronym for Local Agricultural Research Committees), three of which are comprised of women only. The oldest of these three, CIAL “Mujeres Experimentadoras” (CIAL “Women Experimenters”), was formed when the CIAL methodology was first introduced to the Municipality in 1997. Since then, this CIAL has been undergoing the various experiences characteristic of CIAL formation, consolidation, and empowerment. The group began working with garden vegetables tomato, capsicum, onion, and carrot to improve family nutrition. As part of frequent exchange visits conducted by CIALs, the women’s group another women groups managing “La Casa del Niño” (“The Child’s House”), a children’s lunchroom that provided soybean products, in the Municipality of San Ramón. During the visit, the CIAL learned about the nutritional importance of soybeans in helping to prevent certain diseases and how the bean could be prepared into diverse products. This meeting strongly motivated the CIAL’s coordinator and secretary to initiate research activities on Soybeans as a strategy to diversify the family’s diet. Although the group, at first, had many problems with their experiments and suffered losses, they persisted with soybean experimentation. The CIAL learned how to recognize different types of soybean seed, and how to detect and control pests. The women also identified the best variety of soybean for the area, and discovered how to process it into various products that were very difficult to find in the community, such as, milk, sausage, and bread. As the results of their work were disseminated, other farmers joined the CIAL, bringing the number of members to 16. The group began a small fund to which the IPRA Project contributed to enable the CIAL to purchase external inputs needed to continue the research activities. The CIAL also carried out different activities to increase the fund through, raffles and sales of soybean seeds and products. CIAL “Mujeres Experimentadoras” was one of the first CIALs to create its own initiatives for conserving and increasing its funds. The CIAL is now promoting and disseminating its technologies widely and has trained about 40 women from other communities within the Municipality of San Dionisio, La Suana, Las Mezas, El Zapote, El Zarzal, and Piedras Largas. 1 PE-3 CIAT Nicaragua Documentation of a project on participatory management of natural resources: Case study of CIPASLA Responsible: Juan Camilo Cook1 An important factor to be considered in participatory natural resource management (NRM) projects is that their very nature requires a considerable time lag to achieve results: The processes inherent to natural resources are slow, and community organization requires time. There is a need to document different experiences with NRM so that based on specific cases we can draw general conclusions and lessons for future applications. CIPASLA-ASOBESURCA, which has been functioning for almost ten years, meets the requirements for providing useful lessons. Thus a case study of this project was carried out during 2002, the end result of which should benefit three groups: the members of CIPASLA and ASOBESURCA, for having their process documented and being able to use their own history for future decision-making; CIAT, particularly the PR and Hillsides projects (SN-3 and PE-3) for whom the analysis of the project's evolution should serve to understand the dynamics of collective work (institutional and local) better and help future projects; and in the international setting as a case study to increase the body of knowledge available for conducting comparative studies, especially in a geographic area underrepresented vis-à-vis others such as Asia. CIPASLA-ASOBESURCA The Consorcio Interinstitucional para una Agricultura Sostenible (CIPASLA) initiated ten years ago as an initiative of the Hillsides Project. In Nov. 1992, after the first interinstitutional workshop for sustainable agriculture in hillside areas, which was held at CIAT headquarters, several state entities and non-governmental organizations that work in North Cauca Province agreed to come together in a consortium to work together in a coordinated fashion in the Ovejas River watershed, using the microwatershed of the Cabuyal River as a pilot area of action. The Asociación de Beneficiarios del Subcuenca del Río Cabuyal (ASOBESURCA) was formed to represent the community before CIPASLA and in which the different social actors of the area participate. This experience, with all of its ups and downs, in an area of sustainable development characterized by requiring considerable periods of time to show results and consolidate social processes, provides the wherewithal to draw important lessons on different issues of community watershed management. Methodology In order to reconstruct the history and evolution of CIPASLA we consulted primary sources including minutes of the different committees, project reports and financial information; secondary sources such as articles and books in which CIPASLA figures; open-ended interviews with key actors and participatory observation in the Project area. 1 Research assistant of Rural Innovation Parallelly, a literature review was conducted of documented cases and bibliography available on participatory management of watersheds that served as a theoretical and experiential basis for analyzing the case of CIPASLA. The questions that guided the research were as follows: o How has CIPASLA evolved in its ten years? What changes have there been, for what reasons and what consequences have they had? o What are the stakeholder groups in CIPASLA, what characteristics do they have, and how has their participation been? o How has the interchange of information and knowledge among groups worked? Specifically, what is the origin of the resource conservation practices used most at present, as well as the changes in them? What has been the role of the different actors in the formation of these practices? o What has been the importance of the “trust” among the different members of the Consortium? Preliminary results Historical analysis The reconstruction of the history of CIPASLA was done with special emphasis on the social processes involved in its evolution. First we analyzed the different stages in the life of the Consortium divided into the process of its formation; the implementation of projects when there were abundant resources; the crisis derived from economic and administrative problems, as well as internal conflicts; and the solutions that have been given to those problems and the current situation of CIPASLA. After the first workshops in which the Cabuyal River watershed was selected as the pilot microwatershed, the initial model of the Consortium functioned during the time in which there were sufficient resources available for implementing projects. Although it was not always possible to work together, the different entities implemented different types of projects, approved in accordance with planning by objectives and the capacities of each entity. The depletion of resources available combined with problems between the coordination and certain sectors of the community resulted in a crisis. As a result the participation of the community in the different committees was strengthened, and a local farmer was named coordinator. In addition, CIPASLA obtained legal status in order to be able to present its own projects in search of resources. These changes have resulted in renewed credibility and participation of the community in ASOBESURCA, which had been affected at the time of the crisis. Nevertheless, CIPASLA has not yet solved its financial situation. Currently the work coordinated among the entities is centered around the rural agroindustry committee, which has resulted in a displacement from a focus on natural resources to the generation of greater income in a sustainable fashion, more in line with the needs of the local population. There are different stakeholder groups in the Consortium with particular characteristics, contributions and interests; and although each group is heterogeneous, within them their members share certain features in common. The groups are the same as the structural divisions of CIPASLA: CIAT, GOs, NGOs and the community. The influence of CIAT in the first phases of CIPASLA was notable, based on its role as promoter of the initiative and the resources that it contributed or that it was able to get from other donors. The emphasis on the natural resources projects, despite the fact that local priorities were others, stemmed from CIAT's priority in the area of collective NRM. In these first years CIAT contributed its experience in research, leaving the direct work with the communities, to a great extent, to the NGOs that had more experience in the field. CIAT conceived of CIPASLA as an experimental organizational model and slanted its work toward natural resources, its principal area of interest at that time. The NGOs, which are often capable of surviving economic difficulties, benefited from the availability of resources and implemented the greater part of the projects in the watershed. The participation of the most important NGOs in the zone has remained constant, and they have been the principal promoters of the Consortium in its difficult moments, showing their level of commitment with the work at the local level, but others have been withdrawing from CIPASLA formally or not to the extent that the resources became scarce. The participation of the GOs has been volatile, fluctuating in accordance with the changes in the political situation. The changes in administration, personnel, resources, interests and jurisdiction have meant that the intensity and commitment of their participation are variable. Nevertheless, the financial contributions from the State, principally through DRI and PRONATTA, have had great influence. Links with the UMATA and the Mayor's Office in Caldono, who should be natural partners of the project, has been problematic due to conflicts between the area of coverage of these entities and that of CIPASLA, which covers only a percentage of the municipal area. The State has been a substantial funder of activities, but its active participation in the projects is subject to political intrigues. Unfortunately, political alliances and friendships are in many cases the determining factors of the GOs participation or marginality. ASOBESURCA was constituted as the representative of the communities before CIPASLA, and different sectors of the local population are represented. The participation of the JACs (Local Administrative Committees) should ensure that all villages in the microwatershed are represented, but the true representativeness of the members and their power to communicate are highly variable, and in some villages, quite poor. In contrast the village associations and producers' groups, although they do not include all the population, have a greater level of participation, cohesion and power to convene among their members. In addition, there are several women's producer or village groups that play an important role in ASOBESURCA's decisions. The active participation of the producer groups also reflects the priorities and interests of the population in the microwatershed, different from the initial focus given to the projects. Although they formed part of ASOBESURCA for some years, the indigenous population of the watershed ―15% of the population of the watershed grouped in the Council of La Laguna― withdrew arguing non-compliance of agreements by the consortium and that CIPASLA led projects clashed with their culture and traditions. The continued absence over the last few years of the indigenous population in ASOBESURCA is also a reflection of the problematic relationship between both ethnic groups in the zone, an ambiguous relationship dominated by the tension of conflicts and stereotyped images between the two groups. The absentee landholders constitute a group that threatens the objectives of both CIPASLA and ASOBESURCA. The manner in which the focus of the projects and the organizational composition of CIPASLA have evolved according to the community's needs and demands reflects the empowerment of the project. Today CIPASLA’s director is a local farmer, ASOBESURCA has a higher representation in CIPASLA’s board (2 out of 5 members) and projects focus much more on production and marketing, reflecting a concern with the main problems local farmers face as expressed by themselves. NRM practices We also investigated how the different NRM practices in use today were formed in the Cabuyal River watershed. We sought the origins and the interactions among the different sources of information that have influenced them: traditional practices, local innovation, contributions from the research or imported technologies. Current practices show an intense interaction of knowledge and innovations derived from these different sources, showing the versatility of the end-user in adapting the different technologies. These local innovation processes have been strengthened by different contributions from the Consortium. o A first step is to promote the innovation per se, motivate the farmer to research, adapt and be curious. An important factor is that the people should adopt concepts rather than finished technologies. The understanding of the functioning of a given type of technology permits innovating its final form, while the adoption of technologies without understanding their functioning blocks innovation. The PR techniques are important in accomplishing this. On the other hand, scientific research can support the local processes, providing information to support the community's decision-making processes and evaluate local solutions vis-à-vis other options. o The CIALs improve the local research and evaluation capacity, promoting and providing more technical parameters to the local innovation processes. The CIALs have the capacity to make the research more efficient by starting with local ideas and then submitting the innovations to rigorous evaluation processes. The dissemination of new ideas can benefit the organizational forms of the community. o Second-order organizations such as ASOBESURCA serve as a channel for disseminating new technologies and innovations more efficiently than the conventional channels. Other support for disseminating information is the local radio station and the coordinated work of the NGOs. All these initiatives support and strengthen the processes of local innovation and its impact in the watershed. Lastly, we are trying to analyze the role of trust among different actors for the participatory management of watersheds, the processes that consolidate them and those that undermine them. We are exploring how trust has evolved among different members of the community, of the community in ASOBESURCA, of ASOBESURCA in CIPASLA and vice versa, and of the community in the members institutions and vice versa, and compare this evolution of trust with the decisive moments in CIPASLA's history. Other activities Independent of the research, we sent a nomination of CIPASLA and ASOBESURCA for the Initiative Prize of Ecuador, organized by UNDP and other international organizations to reward outstanding efforts of community work in sustainable development. CIPASLA and ASOBESURCA were in the final group of 27 winners, selected from among 420 nominees in 77 countries. Two representatives were invited to the world summit on sustainable development in Johannesburg to share their experiences together with the other finalists and to receive recognition of their work and a prize of US$30,000. Participatory methodological approaches, analytical tools and new knowledge that lead to incorporation of farmers' and other end-users' needs in IAM Responsible: Soniia David,1 Michael Besigye,2 Noel Sangole3 Baseline surveys were completed in the three Beyond Agricultural Production to Poverty Alleviation (BAPPA) sites; however, results are available only for the Kabale and Dedza sites. The interview schedule covered the following topics: economic activities, seed sources, adoption of modern varieties, use of agricultural inputs, marketing of crops and livestock products, tree-planting behavior, soil-fertility management, membership in local associations, food security, savings and investment behavior, social conflict, collective action, coping strategies, household-income use, and decision-making and domestic conflict. Questions pertaining to savings behavior, social conflict, collective action, household-income use, decision-making and domestic conflict were asked of both husbands and wives to assess differences and similarities in their perception. This report highlights the production system, farmers’ sense of empowerment and social organization. Survey results The survey covered a random sample of households in project villages and in a nearby nonproject village (Table 1). Simple random sampling was used to cover 50% of households in target villages. Surveyed households consisted of 466 people in Kabale and 530 in Dedza. Mean household size was 5 in Kabale and 4.3 in Dedza. Female- headed households accounted for 51% of surveyed households in Kabale and 29% in Dedza. Farmers grow a wide variety of crops some exclusively for food, others mainly for sale and others for both food and sale. Major food crops common to both areas include sweet potatoes, potatoes, maize, beans, leafy green vegetables and other types of vegetables (Table 2). Climbing beans, introduced to Kabale in the late 1980s, are now widely grown. In Kabale the main cash crops are potatoes (47% of surveyed households), sorghum (used to make a porridge and alcoholic drink) (27%), and tobacco (9%). In Dedza, farmers rely on soybeans (27%), common beans (23%), cassava (19%), tobacco (8%) and peanuts (9%) as their principal source of income. Table 3 lists other cash crops grown. The majority of households in both sites (62% in Kabale and 79% in Dedza) own livestock, mainly small ruminants and poultry. Mean annual household income in 2000-2001 in Kabale was Ush 111,783 (US$63)1: Ush 90,181 (US$51) from crops and Ush 76,565 (US$43) from livestock. Mean annual 1 IP-1 and SN-3 CIAT Projects 2 Africare 3 Concern Universal household income in 2000-2001 in Dedza was MWK 3752 ($62), with an average income of MWK 3,619 ($59) from crops and MWK 672 ($11) from livestock. Organizational aspects The project expects to empower farmers to plan and manage their own development initiatives by improving their organizational capacity and imparting leadership and management skills. Farmers were asked to assess their communities’ willingness to work together for change and about their own ability to bring about change. There were important differences in perception between the two sites as well as between men and women (Tables 4 and 5). Compared with Ugandan farmers, farmers in Malawi perceived a higher level of cooperation at the village level, and a high proportion of both men and women felt they could change their environment significantly. This was corroborated by the proportion of farmers who indicated involvement in collective action during 2000- 2001: 59% of women and 70% of men in Malawi compared with 38% of women and 55% of men in Kabale. Notably, in Malawi, most collective action is organized by Concern Universal, the NGO operating in the project communities. More men than women in Kabale felt that the willingness to engage in collective action was low, but a higher proportion of women felt helpless to bring about change at the community level. People’s aspirations for their children are a good indication of level of hope for change and improvement. Surprisingly, the majority of both men and women in both sites wanted children of both sexes to become small-scale farmers like themselves (Table 6). A major difference between the two sites is the level of group organization. Whereas in 95% of households in Kabale, at least one member belonged to a local group (i.e., not organized by the NGO operating in the locality), the corresponding figure in Dedza was 36%. The low level of local organization in Malawi is attributed to the political climate from the 1960s to 1980s that discouraged local associations. Common types of groups in Kabale include burial groups, groups for transporting the sick to hospital, credit and savings groups (mainly women), and agricultural groups. In Malawi common groups were school committees (only men), funeral groups and women’s groups. Table 1. Location and number of households covered by baseline survey. Kabale Dedza Lushoto In project sites 62 80 54 In nonproject sites 30 41 30 Total sample 92 121 84 Table 2. Major food crops (%). Kabale Dedza Common beans: bush types 98 99 climbing types 85 0 Maize 75 100 (local: 88%; hybrid: 46%) Potatoes 97 39 1 US$1=Ush 1765; US$1=MWK 61 Sweet potatoes 98 67 Peanuts 0 91 Cassava 0 73 Sorghum 99 36 Green leafy vegetables 39 39 Pumpkins 7 88 Peas 48 36 Table 3. Traditional cash crops (%). Kabale Dedza Tobacco 46 20 Soybeans 0 74 Cabbage 67 7 Passion fruit 34 0 Tomatoes 11 28 Coffee 7 0 Pyrethrum 2 0 Wheat 22 0 Table 4. Women’s and men’s perceptions of their community’s willingness to cooperate/work together (%). Kabale Dedza Women Men Women Men Very high 5 11 48 48 High 47 43 27 34 Average 39 25 13 9 Low 7 20 12 8 Can’t tell 2 0 0 0 Table 5. Women’s and men’s perception of the extent to which they can develop their community (%). Kabale Dedza Women Men Women Men A lot 34 50 74 79 Some 40 23 14 11 Not much 19 25 9 9 Not at all 7 2 3 1 Table 6. Respondents who would like their children to become small-scale farmers (%). Kabale Dedza Women Men Women Men Boys 50 53 58 51 Girls 52 45 54 53 Distinctions or prizes obtained by farmer groups supported by the CIAT PR SN-3 team HIGHLIGHTS ✴ Farmer Groups created and strengthened through the participatory methodologies generated by the PR Project SN-3A, awarded prizes for their contributions to the community and the environment CIPASLA and ASOBESURCA invited to World Summit on Sustainable Development as finalist of the Equator Initiative Prize CIPASLA and ASOBESURCA were nominated by CIAT for the Equator Prize 2002. This is a prize awarded by the Equator Initiative, which is led by the UNDP in partnership with Brazil Connects, the Government of Canada, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), The World Conservation Union (IUCN), The Nature Conservancy, Television Trust for the Environment (TVE) and the UN Foundation. The Equator Initiative aims to showcase successful initiatives in equatorial zones that promote poverty alleviation through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. CIPASLA and ASOBESURCA were nominated for their novel model of an interinstitutional consortium working together with a community organization, alleviating poverty through agroindustry and the introduction of alternative sustainable, high-value- added crops while doing natural resource conservation and recuperation work in their watershed. CIPASLA and ASOBESURCA were among the final group of 27 exceptional initiatives, selected from among 420 nominees from 77 countries. The Director of CIPASLA and the President of ASOBESURCA’s Board both of them farmers from the Cabuyal River Watershed were invited by the prize organizers to Johannesburg to share their experiences together with the other finalists in the “Community Kraal” during the World Summit on Sustainable Development. During their stay in Johannesburg they attended meetings where they shared their experiences with all types of visitors to the World Summit and learned about the experiences of the other 26 final initiatives invited by the Equator Initiative. Although CIPASLA and ASOBESURCA were not selected among the six prize winners, all 27 finalists received recognition of their work and a prize of US$30,000 each. CIPASLA and ASOBESURCA are planning to use this prize money to help pay local administrative costs, which will ensure the consortium’s continuity, and finance local community projects. For more information on the Equator Initiative and the Equator Prize, see http://www.undp.org/equatorinitiative/index.htm (Fig. 1). Prize for conserving biodiversity, CIAL-Primera Candelaria, Colomi, Bolivia On May 12, a regional fair was held in the township of Colomi, Bolivia. The institutions and/or farmers groups and Sindicatos were invited to present a sample of their farm products. The CIAL-Primera Candelaria, supported by the PROINPA Foundation, showed the 50 varieties of native smooth-skinned tubers (Ullucus tuberosus) that they have recovered for the zone. They are now evaluating their adaptation to different altitudes of the region in addition to their potential in different forms of presentation for the market. For this work they were awarded the Prize for Biodiversity. Prize for CIAL-Chimborazo, Ecuador in the II National Potato Fair This prize was obtained for their Stand, a scale model that showed the different types of trials that the CIALs should conduct in order to obtain good results. They used the scale model to explain the steps of the CIAL methodology to the attendees. For their community work and their presentation, they were awarded the First-Place Prize for Stands, Institutional Category granted by the National Roots & Tubers Program of INIAP, Ecuador. Figure 1. Webpage of UNAP – United Nations Development Programme Visitors attended by staff from the SN-3 FPR team, Oct. 2001 – Sept. 2002. Date Name/Position Institution Country In Charge 2001 Oct. 17 Tom Easterling, Agribusiness Manager, Latin America & the Caribbean CHEMONICS USA José Ignacio Roa Oct. 30 Liliana Calero, Director of Natural Resources Cenicaña Colombia José Ignacio Roa. Nov. 2 Students of Animal Science - Milk Production Systems Universidad Nacional at Palmira Colombia José Ignacio Roa. Nov. 7 Guilles Trouche, Plant Breeder CIRAD France Luis A. Hernández Nov. 15 15 students of Comunication Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín Colombia Luis A. Hernández Nov. 26- 30 Project Directors: Miguel Calix Rangel, Manuel Ortiz Medrano, Heriberto Cuanalo, Aurelio Pedrosa, Durango, Gabriel Narváez, María Esther Pozo, Héctor Padilla, Noe Valladares, Alcira Guísela Perdomo, Eduardo Aguilar, Margarita Aguilar, Carolina Reyes Supported by the Kellogg Foundation Mexico, Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras José Ignacio Roa Dec. 12 Meyid Antonio Velosa Ruiz, Prof. of Agronomy Universidad Pedagógica de Colombia Colombia Carlos A. Quirós 2002 Jan. 25 Agronomists & Manager: Luis Enrique Molano, José Mauricio Alarcón, Martín Suarez Proyecto Corpo-Buenos Aires en el Depto del Cauca. Colombia. José Ignacio Roa Feb. 19 3 Visiting Scientists INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIONES AMBIENTALES DEL PACÍFICO Colombia Carlos A. Quirós Mar. 18 Ángel Castillo Director del Programa de Investigación Nacional. Dominican Rep. José Ignacio Roa Mar. 20 Isaac López Cortes, Agronomist; Julio Cesar Martínes, Chemist; Carmelo Reyes, Commercial Manager FERTICOL Barancavermeja Colombia José Ignacio Roa April 2 Hector Cisneros, Elias Mujica, Coordinator CONDESAN Peru José I. Roa April 3 Talk on FPR to students of Rural Development & Agricultural Extension; Prof. Héctor Fabio Ramos Universidad Nacional Colombia José Ignacio Roa Date Name/Position Institution Country In Charge May 8 Cesar Falconi, Director of Research Escuela Politecnica del Ejercito, ESPE Colombia José Ignacio Roa May 8 Sally Humphries, Assoc. Prof. Dept. of Sociology/Anthropology, University of Guelph Canada Susan Kaaria May 15 Susana Lastarria-Cornhiel Land Tenure Center, University of Wisconsin- Madison USA Susan Kaaria May 28 Elcio Perpetuo Guimarães, Senior Officer Cereals/Breeding FAO-AGPC Italy Carlos A. Quirós, Luis A. Hernández June 12 Barun Gurun, Coordinator PRGA Laos Fernando Hincapié June 20 Project Coordinators Instituto de Educación Técnica Profesional, INTEP Colombia Carlos A. Quirós July 9 German Garcia, Director Fundación Vida y Futuro: Caja de Cooperación de Risaralda; Cámara de Comercio-Pereira Colombia. José Ignacio Roa, Carlos A. Quirós July 10 Jorge Eduardo Forero, Director Fundación EPSA Colombia José Ignacio Roa July 25 Andres Nieto, Video film maker Fundación WK Kellogg Colombia Fernando Hincapié, José Ignacio Roa Aug. 5 35 farmers & technicians Centro de Investigación Ecoregional para el Desarrollo, Corporación CIER Colombia Carlos A. Quirós, Fernando Hincapié Aug. 21 Humberto Rios Labrada, Coordinator Participatory Breeding Victor Alanis Moreno, Technical Director Union General Obrera, Campesina y Popular Mexico Cuba Mexico Fernando Hincapié, José Ignacio Roa, Carlos A. Quirós Sept. 10 Scott Bode, Natural Resources Advisor USAID/EGATA/AFS USA Carlos A. Quirós, Susan Kaaria Sept. 18 Scott Robinson, Prof. of Anthropology Universidad Metropolitana, Ciudad de México Mexico Fernando Hincapié, Harriet Menter OUTPUT 6. INTERNAL PROJECTS AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS SUPPORTED AND STRENGTHENED IN CONDUCTING PR MILESTONES ✴ Networks of Central Americans extract lessons on participatory communal processes Participatory methodologies for interacting with community organizations Facilitators: José I. Roa,1 Ana L. Figueroa2 Background The Kellogg Foundation (WKK) organized the second Latin American and Caribbean meeting of Human Nutrition Projects from 4-8 Dec. 2000. Some 50 projects financed by the WKK attended this event. The PR Project SN-3, in addition to being supported by the Foundation, was invited as a speaker to share its experiences in participatory methodology and community organizations. As a result of this presentation two directors from the Foundation, Dr. Jana Arraigada and Dr. Heliodoro Díaz, requested a visit to the CIAT PR Project SN-3 to learn more about the community organizations supported by the Project in Cauca Province: the CIALs within their NGO called CORFOCIAL, CIPASLA (Consorcio Interinstitucional para una Agricultura Sostenible en Laderas) and ASOBESURCA (Asociación de Beneficiarios de la Sub-cuenca del Río Cabuyal). After the tour was over, they expressed interest in organizing workshops with networks of community organizations of youths, financed by WKK, in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala, to learn directly from their experiences and extract lessons from them. The objectives of the proposed tours were as follows: 1 PR SN-3 CIAT Project 2 Kellogg Foundation consultant o Learn the different PR experiences in the organization of processes of community and regional development with different grassroots organizations in the microwatershed of the Cabuyal River and in other municipalities of the Cauca Province. o Have the opportunity to analyze and reflect on the participatory processes observed and see how they can affect the organization of their activities in their different regions. o Prepare an action plan to apply what has been learned to the points they consider most relevant in the context of their work. Methods Four study tours were made with 17 persons from 12 institutions each time. The 5 days of activities were distributed as follows: o Conceptual framework on the participatory methods implemented o Presentations on the experiences lived directly by the producers participating in the process: CIPASLA, CORFOCIAL o Field trips where the visitors could experience directly the processes lived by the CIALs, CORFOCIAL and ASOBESURCA, exchange ideas and discuss issues o Visits to the projects generated by organizations formed in Cauca such as ASERCA1 and ANTUVEN2 and the primary schools in El Rosario with their ecological orientation o Workshops for analyzing and discussing the lessons learned During the field trips a meeting was held at CIPASLA headquarters in the afternoons to interact on what they had observed, as well as to hear their comments and questions that arose after having had time to process their experiences with each group visited. This activity is very important because it helps summarize the lessons learned at the end of the day and begin an analysis on the possible application of these experiences in the regional context of each entity. 1 ASERCA: Asociación de Empresarios Agroindustriales de la Sub-Cuenca del Río Cabuyal 2 ANTUVEN: Asociación de Anturios de Ventanas, Cauca Figure 1. At the end of each day of the visit, the groups of producers met to discuss and identify the lessons learned. At the end of each visit of the groups, there were final reflections and four activities were carried out: o Summarize and prioritize the lessons learned during the workshop considered most important for the work of the alliance. There were group discussions and brainstorming, followed by a vote for the three most important areas for the alliance. o Dialogue on the current status of the alliance, including a discussion on the strengths and weaknesses of the different groups. o Preparation a work plan of activities so that the members of the alliance are committed to carrying out specific tasks in the coming months and to resolve those situations that are blocking associative work. o Evaluation of the event. There was a written evaluation where the participants were given an opportunity to share their comments on the workshop, answering the questions “what was the most useful and why,” “what did you like least and why,” and “what suggestions would you have for a future workshop.” Highlights of results During the periods of discussion and feedback, the participants expressed several points they considered important lessons learned. Undoubtedly the results in the mid- and long term will indicate in greater depth the impact of said exchanging of experiences with respect to the Alliance's work; nevertheless some of the immediate results of the workshop, taking into account the presentations, discussions and evaluation of the groups over the five days, highlighted the importance of the following: o Regional development. The participants discussed the need to promote self-reliance and the use of local resources to bring about genuine regional development. The research committees visited showed the importance of the beneficiaries assuming responsibility of their own problems and of working together to solve them and gain credibility. However, they also pointed out the important role of the state institutions as an important base that can contribute significantly to regional development. o Participation. The participants mentioned the fact that the beneficiaries of the Committees have integrated with the communities to the point where all the social sectors are involved, recognizing that the persons who live in the region are the most interested in solving their own problems. They mentioned the importance of including children and adolescents as well as the whole family to achieve a truly broad-based participation. They also felt that another important aspect that has helped maintain a good level of participation is the coordinating entity, CIPASLA, which has not only elected its coordinator in a participatory way but also the coordinator is a local person who promotes participation actively. o Association. The participants of the different groups were impressed by the sense of family and solidarity that exists on the part of the CIAL toward the community. Some participants spoke in terms of having observed a sense of “apostolate” in bringing about genuine grassroots participation, which has earned them the credibility and support of their members, impacting on the integrated focus that they have for developing their microregion. o Will and credibility. This topic is linked to the previous one. Will was mentioned both in terms of the willingness and motivation shown by the technicians who work with the communities and by the members of the research committees. This is the basis for establishing credibility and trust, which are necessary for maintaining a fluid, open communication. o A methodology that permits participation, democracy and research. Although many of the participants were already familiar with diverse participatory methodologies for community work, for the majority it was novel to be able to consider a research methodology that permits the beneficiaries to make the decisions on the research itself: what to investigate and how to apply what was learned. o Commitments of the different groups. The participants did brainstorming on the commitments that need to be implemented in order to consolidate their networks and prepare the mid-term activities plan. Generally these included: o Return to the Kellogg Foundation with more information on the objectives of each institucion. o Learn the objectives of each entity and locate them in the corresponding areas of the Kellogg Foundation o Give feedback on the different activities of the projects; in other words, improve the communication among the members o Define structural methodologies of administrative work o Define methodology for working with the communities o Define the criteria and norms on how to approve projects in the communities o Send a written communication to the interested parties of the different topics to be dealt with in the meetings of the networks. o Ratify the coordinator of the networks or name a person where there is no one. Recommendations for future workshops The first group recommended that certain criteria for selecting participants be prepared in order to ensure better use of time and the resources invested. Conclusions o These workshops have contributed to creating a space for analyses and self-reflection that has served to set the bases of a more open dialogue on the tasks of the networks. o The presentations and the field visits were informative and well worthwhile, motivating the participants to apply what they observed and learned in their own context. o The written commitments show that this experience has opened up channels of communication and involved all interested sectors, including grassroots organizations. OUTPUT 7. CAPACITY OF THE SN-3 TEAM, STRENGTHENED MILESTONES ½ Team capacity and skills, enhanced FPR team attendance at training events during the working year 2001- 2002 In an effort to strengthen the SN-3 team members with respect to their knowledge and skills, training opportunities were offered. This year members of the team participated in the events shown in Table 1. Table 1. Information on courses in which SN-3 team members participated. Date Name of Course or Event Duration Place SN-3 Team Member Trained Jan - Set Front Page Introduction 20 h CIAT, Cali, Comobia Jorge L. Cabrera Mar. 11-14 Module No.1 –Rural agroenterprises 40 h Quito, Ecuador José Ignacio Roa April-July Course on professional writing and effective communication in English 50 British Council, Cali, Colombia Luisa F. Lozano April 18-19 PME (Modulo 1) 10 h Timbío, Cauca, Colombia; CIAT Fernando Hincapié April 22 Management of long documents in Word 2 h CIAT, Cali, Colombia Luisa F. Lozano Mayo 7-8 PME (Module 2) 10 h Timbío, Cauca, Colombia; CIAT Fernando Hincapié May 9-23/02 Microsoft Access 20 h Cali, Colombia Jorge Luis Cabrera May 14-15 PME (Module 3) 10 h Timbío, Cauca; Colombia Fernando Hincapié July 22-28 Practical training in PME 86 Yorito, Honduras, IPCA Project Elias Claros Aug. 26-29 Quality service for the client 8 h Comfandi, Cali, Colombia Luisa F. Lozano Aug. 26-29 Module No.2 Rural agroenterprises 40 Quito, Ecuador José Ignacio Roa Seminars and/or internal workshops carried out by the PR Project SN– team. Date Topic Taught by 12-12-01 Vietnam case study; FPR/IPM study tour and learning workshop Carlos A. Quirós 15-02-02 Techniques for teaching science Eduardo Bolaños 28-02-02 Case study: CIAL El Diviso Fanory Cobo 06-05-02 Better use of the library Edith Hesse-Carlos Saa 15-05-02 Institutionalization of the participation of the farmer in R&D Harriet Menter 06-06-02 PR SN–3 Web page Jorge L. Cabrera 29-08-02 Study of impact in El Jardín, San Bosco, Tres Cruces and Cinco Días Fernando Hincapié 10-9-02 General aspects and progress in the PM&E process in Colombia Elías Claros 25-09-02 Financial management Liliana Laso STAFF Researchers and support staff: position and time fraction Carlos Arturo Quirós Acting Project Manager, Research 100% Associate I, Susan Kaaria Senior Research Fellow 100% Luis Alfredo Hernández Research Associate I 100% José Ignacio Roa Professional Specialist 100% Pascal Sanginga Senior Research Fellow 100% Colletha Chitsike Senior Research Fellow 100% Soniia David Senior Scientist 50% Elias Claros Research Assistant 100% Fernando Hincapié Research Assistant 100% Jorge Luis Cabrera Technician I 100% Luisa F Lozano Secretary V 100% Fredy Escobar Technician II 70% Fanory Cobo Student 50% Harriet Menter Consultant Christopher Wheatley Consultant DONORS SN3 ✻ BMZ - Der Bundesminister für Wirstschafliche Zusammenarbeit, Germany ✻ SDC - Swiss Development Center, Switzerland ✻ WK Kellogg Foundation, Michigan Apendix Acronyms and abbreviations ACISAM Asociación de capacitación e Investigación para la salud mental Agricultural Technology System Alcaldía Municipal de Chinandega Alcaldía Municipal de Talmique Alcaldía Municipal El Viejo Alcaldía Municipal San Juan de Opico AMNLAE Asociación de mujeres Nicaragüenses Luisa Fernanda Espinoza ANTUVEN Asociación de Anturios de Ventanas, Cauca APEDSAF Asociación para el desarrollo Sostenible Agropecuario y Forestal. ARDCs Agricultural Research and Development Centers (Uganda) ASADI Asociación de Agricultores del Diviso (Colombia) ASERCA Asociación de Empresarios Agroindustriales de la Sub-Cuenca del Río Cabuyal ASOBESURCA Asociación de Beneficiarios de la Subcuenca del Río Cabuyal (Colombia) ASOCIAGURE Asociación de CIAL de la cuenca del Rio Yaguare (Honduras) ASOCIAL Vallecillos The Association of CIALs in the Vallecillos Region. ASOCIAL Yorito The Association of CIALs in Yorito ASOCIALAYO Asociación de CIAL del Lago de Yojoa (Honduras) ASOCIALs Asociación de CIALs (Honduras) ASOHCIAL Asociación Hondureña de CIALs (Honduras) ASPROMAIZ Asociación de productores de semilla artesanal de maíz BANDURAL Banco de Desarrollo Rural sociedad anónima (Guatemala) BAPPA Beyond Agricultural Productivity to Poverty Alleviation CARE Cooperative for American Relief Everywhere CEDIR Centro Ecuatoriano de Desarrollo Rural CICDA Centro Internacional de Desarrollo Americano (Ecuador) CENICAÑA Centro de investigaciones de la caña de azúcar CIER Centro de Investigación Ecoregional para el Desarrollo CESA Central Ecuatoriana de Servicios Agrícolas CGIAR Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (USA) CIDA Canadian International Development Agency CIMMYT Centro Internacional para el Mejoramiento del Maíz y el Trigo (México) CIPASLA Consorcio Interinstuticional para una Agricultura Sostenible en Laderas (Colombia) CIRAD Centro de cooperación de investigación agronómica para el desarrollo (Francia) CISAS Centro de Información y Servicios de Asesoría en Salud(Nicaragua) Project PE-3 Communities and Watersheds/CIAT CONDESAN Consorcio para el desarrollo sostenible de la ecorregión Andina CORDES Fundación para la cooperación y el desarrollo comunal de El Salvador CORFOCIAL Corporación para el Fomento de los Comités de Investigacion Agrícola Local (Colombia) CORPOICA Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria CORPOTUNIA Corporación para el Desarrollo de Tunía (Colombia) CUNOR Centro Universitario del Norte (Guatemala) Dept. of Sociology/Anthropology, University of Guelph DFID Department for International Development (UK) DILPE Directorio Local de Promoción Económica (Bolivia) EAP-Zamorano Escuela Agrícola Panamericana, El Zamorano (Honduras) ESPE Escuela Politecnica del Ejercito, FAO United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (Italy) FDTAs Fundaciones para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Agropecuario (Bolivia) FEDECAFE The Coffee Growers Federation FERTICOL Fertilizantes de Colombia S.A. Barrancabermeja FTDA Fundaciones Tecnológicas de Desarrollo Agropecuario (Bolivia) FUNCOD Fundación Nicaragüense para la conservación y el desarrollo. FUNAN Fundación ANTISANA. Fundación EPSA Fundación Mariana de Jesús Fundación Vida y FuturoCaja de Cooperación de Risaralda; Cámara de Comercio-Pereira Fundación WK Kellogg FUNDEMI Fundación para el Desarrollo y Educación de la Mujer FONDESOY Fondo de Contrapartida para el desarrollo de Soyapango. FUNPROCOOP Fondo de Contrapartida para el Desarrollo de Soyapango (El Salvador) FUSAI Fundación Salvadoreña de Apoyo Integral GGUSA Grupo Gestor para el desarrollo del Valle de San Andrés. Gobernación Dptal de Alta Verapaz ICA Colombian Agricultural Institute IIRR Instituto Internacional para la Reconstruction Rural IMAL Colegio de Secundaria. Imperial College of England INCAP Instituto de Nutrición de Centroamérica y Panamá INCORA Colombian Institute of Agrarian Reform INTEP Instituto de Educación Técnica Profesional Instituto de investigaciones ambientales del pacífico IIRR Instituto Internacional de Reconstrucción Rural INTA Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria IPCA Investigación Participativa en Centro América (Honduras) Land Tenure Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison MAG Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería MANRECUR Proyecto de Manejo de Recursos Naturales (Ecuador) Movimiento Nacional Nicaragüense Municipalidad de San Juan de Chamelco Municipalidad de San Pedro Carcha NARO National agricultural research organization Organisations to develop adaptive research projects Organisations to develop agricultural technological PACOFOR Proyecto de Desarrollo de la Participación Comunitaria en el Sector Forestal PESA Programa Especial de Seguridad Alimentaria de Ecuador PIITAs Proyectos de Innovación Tecnológica Aplicada PRGA CGIAR Systemwide Program on Participatory Research and Gender Analysis PRODESSA Proyecto de desarrollo de San Dionisio (Nicaragua) PROINPA Fundación para Promoción e Investigación de Productos Andinos (Bolivia) PROLADE Proyecto laderas en los valles andinos Bolivia PRONATTA Programa nacional de transferencia y tecnología agropecuario (Colombia) Proyecto CALL Proyecto Corpo-Buenos Aires en el Depto del Cauca. Proyecto de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricional San Pedro Carchá PRR Programa de Reconstrucción Rural (Honduras) REDECO Red ecoregional para América latina tropical Red-Macrena Red para el Manejo Comunitario de los Recursos Naturales (Ecuador) SEDAL Servicios para el Desarrollo Alternativo (Ecuador) SELVA Asociación “Somos ecologistas en lucha por la vida y el ambiente SENA Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (Colombia) SETAGRO Servicios Técnicos Agropecuarios SIBTA Sistema Boliviano de Tecnología Agropecuaria Supported by the Kellogg Foundation TROPILECHE Consorcio, Sistemas de alimentación con leguminosas para Intensificar Fincas Lecheras TSBF Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Institute TUCAYTA Corporación de Organizaciones Campesinas (Ecuador) UCRES Unión de comunidades rurales del norte de El Salvador UMATA Unidad Municipal de Asistencia Tecnológica Agropecuaria UNDPT Unit of Political of Technological Development UPDT Unión General Obrera, Campesina y Popular Mexico Universidad Católica de Ibarra. Ecuador Universidad Metropolitana, Ciudad de México Universidad Nacional sede Palmira Colombia Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Nicaragua, León Universidad Pedagógica de Colombia Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín Universidad Rafael Landivar, Sede Regional de Verapaz USAID Agencia de los Estados Unidos para el Dasarrollo Internacional UVTT Unidades de Validación y Transferencia de Tecnología, Chimborazo. WKK The Kellogg Foundation Abbreviations ARDCs Agricultural Research and Development Centers ATDT Project in Rwanda CIAL Cebada Jichana, Bolivia CIAL Nuevo Amanecer, Ecuador CIAL Primera Candelaria, Bolivia CIAL Progreso, Bolivia CIAL Comité de Investigación Agrícola Local (CIAT, Colombia) CIAT- IPRA Investigación Participativa CIAT (Colombia) CSOs Civil Society Organizations FFS Farming Field School FPR Farmer participatory research FRG Formation of farmer research and market research groups GEC Groups Evaluating Clones GEM Gender evaluation methodology IAEM Integrated agro ecosystem management and conservation IAM Integrated Management of the Agroecosystem ICTs information and communication technologies INM Integrated nutrient management INSPIRE Integrated Soil Productivity Initiative Through Research and Education IPM Integrated pest manament IPRA-BOLIVIA Investgación Participativa con agricultores en Bolivia JACs Local Administrative Committees M&E Monitoring and evaluation NARS National agricultural research NGO Non governmental organization PCA Principal component analysis PD Participatory diagnoses PET Participatory evaluation of technologies PIENs Proyectos de Innovación Estratégica Nacional PIM Participatory impact monitoring PM&E Participatory monitoring and evaluation PMR Participatory Market Research PPB Participatory plant breeding PPSF Participatory procedures applied to the development and selection of forage technologies PR Participatory Research Projects of National Strategic Innovation R&D Research and Development RD&TT Research development and technology transfer R-to-C Resource to consumption SG Stakeholder groups SOL Options supermarket to hillsides SP-PRGA Systemwide Program on Participatory Research and Gender Analysis Program (CIAT) SWNM Systemwide program on Soil Water and Nutrient Management TIP Traditional Irrigation and Environmental Development Organization