Farm-scale research design Sept2012 OrganizingR4D

Developing a R4D approach at farm-level - consultation and writing workshop

Info centre break out room, 13-14 September, ILRI Ethiopia Back to the event agenda

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The participants worked in groups to respond to the questions:

• How can you construct a multi-dimensional typology?
• For what scale can that typology be done?

Summary:

• We should keep it simple but applicable to the whole of Africa RISING
• A mixed approach looking at what we can do (based on current assets) and what we could do (based on aspirations) would be welcome
• There are factors that can be intensified (education, capacities, network, institutions, technologies, information) and others not (production orientation strategies)
• The surveys are very useful for topology and baseline
• Scaling up remains an issue that has to be further explored

Discussion:

Group 1

• What are the dimension, participation, scale...
• We don’t need sophisticated approach but something quick to start with
• There are basic elements...why do we need to complicate?
• It has to be realistic and applicable at the field, to the whole Africa RISING
• Let’s adopt a mixed approach in terms of assets strategies and aspiration
• How remains a question

Group 2

What kind of household are there? Which ones we can intensify and which ones can we not ?

Those we can intensify:

• Biophysical aspects education, capabilities
• Social networks
• Infrastructure complementary technologies
• Institutions (markets, coops, trade relationships)
• Access to information

Those we cannot intensify

• Classify resources endowment and production orientations/strategies (land, livestock, labor, capital)
• Identify constraints and opportunities with these types

Group3

• (it might be easier to construct a topology if you have an idea in mind)
• Matching attributes particularly with farmers
• Knowledge and skills for collective action
• How do you go about the typology with farmers?
• Orientation and aspiration, assess what farmers need and want
• The scaling out issue: does this process need to repeated
• To develop proxy indicators, to pick up key things, develop and present
• Different intervention fit with typologies

Group 4:

• We spend a lot of time on survey and participatory approach
• Typology construction
• We agreed to have combination approach
• We struggled with the issues of scaling
• Looking out into intensification, we agreed that the surveys are very useful for topology and baseline