Proposal to support Farmer-Led Documentation in Tigray Region
Fetien Abay, MekelleUniversity, P.O. BOX 231,Mekelle, Tigray Region, tel 0251 914703197, fax 00251344409304 email:
Gebrecherkos Gebregiorgis,MekelleUniversity, P.O. BOX 231,Mekelle, Tigray Region, tel 00251914721391, fax 00251344409304 email:
Introduction: farmers’ innovation and experiences and documentation
Farmers in any community have their own knowledge that is necessary for their agricultural work, which is the main mode of production in the rural community. However, the practices in agriculture and natural resource management vary from group to group,according to the specific environmental and cultural settings.It is becoming obvious that successful development of agriculture and other forms of community development, including natural resource management,depend on the effective interaction between knowledge and experience of local farmers with expertise of development agents. In addition, when farmers face environmental and cultural constraints while trying to improve their livelihoods, they develop new ideas and solutions either by doing informal experiments or by learning from the experiences of other farmers and agencies. NGOs, government organizations, community-based organizations and other development organizations recognize the significance of these local innovations and indigenous knowledge for the enhancement of the quality of the life of the community. Hence, they seek to work with the innovations of the farmers by involving the farmers in the planning and implementation of joint projects.
Government and other local, national and international organizations have been trying to document the local innovations and experiences of the farmers, e.g. duringthe second phase of the Indigenous Soil and Water Conservation Project (ISWC II).Thisproject, which was intensively engaged in Tigray Region of Ethiopiaand was coordinated by MekelleUniversity, exerted considerable effort in bringing out the innovations of farmers in their localities. It was a good experience in inspiring farmers to further develop their own innovations in their farming and soil and water conservation practices.The farmers’ innovative and indigenous practices were documented by researchers and development workers in Tigray, and fed into the book “Farmer Innovation inAfrica: A Source of Inspiration for Agricultural Development” (edited by Chris Reij and Ann Waters-Bayer, 2001). These and other documents made during ISWC II were the outcomes of a researcher-led documentation process: an approach in which technical experts such as writers, video filmers, photographers etc carriedout the process and decided on the whole process. Currently, through the Prolinnova–Ethiopia initiative, both women and men innovators have been identified and are involved in Participatory Innovation Development (PID). This has inspired especially women innovators to take more activeroles in development and they are interested inhaving their practices and experiences in PID documented.
To address these innovators’ interest, we would like to explore the recent innovation initiated by Prolinnova and similar organizations to facilitate “Farmer-Led Documentation (FLD)”, in which local communities/farmers take the leading role in the documentation process. FLD is farmer-driven, in that farmers are involved from the beginning and they decide on the purpose, if and when and how to document. It is a participatory method which should be inclusive, so that all members of the community participate, and which could promote gender equality. FLD is meant to benefit farmers and to be integrated into their ongoing activities. FLD amplifies the voice of farmers to express their knowledge, experience and practices in their own words and with their own vision. Such documentation could make many contributions to development, such as strengthening the relationship between the communities and development agents, other experts and policymakers. In addition to this, the information documented in such away can be shared from farmer to farmer, from village to village, from wereda(district) to wereda, from region to region, and also vertically from the village level to development agents and to high levels of government officials. This means that FLD can break the conventional way of communication, i.e., fromresearcher to change agent and then to communities/villagers.
When farmers document their own farming experiences and innovations, they are enabled to preserve local knowledge and are empowered at the same time. FLD helps them in developing their own locally adapted versions of sustainable agriculture and restores their pride in their own innovative potential.
Background and justification
Two researchers from MekelleUniversity visited Tahtay Maychew Wereda, a site of PID in Central Tigray, and Adwa Wereda,to a woman innovator who is highly renowned for her innovative management of natural resources. The objective of the visit was to identify women who would be interested in documenting their innovations and experiences in PID. The women in the site where Prolinnova–Ethiopia is supporting PID were identified through peer selection by innovators in the area. They are two farmer experimenters involved in the PID processes, experimenting on traditional and introduced fuel-saving stoves andbeehives. The women and the outstanding woman innovator in Adwawere asked andexpressed their interest in documentingtheir innovations and practices.They said they preferred documentation in the form of simple booklets and local radio recordings.
None of the three women has formal education, but all three are aware what it means to document something and how it could be done. They are interested that also media people be involved to help especially with the dissemination of the audio recordings and also to train themin radio recording. In addition, this would give a good opportunity to introduce media people to another way of documentation, in which the people themselves rather than an interviewer determines what will be asked and reported.
The reason for focusing on women innovators is that the women’s practices are always kept in the domestic sphere and their innovations are not well publicized. This project will give them the opportunity to document practices on their own and to share with other people in their own and other communities.
Objectives of the pilot
The objective is to experiment with new documentation methods.This documentation will complement that done by researchers, adding value by giving the women’s perspectives. As part of the awareness-raising strategy of the Prolinnova–Tigray platform, we want to use this example to show other development-support organisations how FLD can be done. The outputs of the documentation can also be used in village-level workshops to raise awareness of farmers, also in other communities, about local innovation and PID and also about how they can control documentation about their knowledge and activities.
Methodology
The FLD facilitation team will be composed of a senior researcher and a junior researcher from MekelleUniversity and a media person from the regional radio station in Tigray.
When the researchers were in the field, they asked rural women to explain their innovation and experimentation and how they wanted to document them. As mentioned above, the women preferred booklets and radio recording. They say that radio is for everyone, but it is only a one-time dissemination. They say they need also booklets to have as printed and picture records of their experience to show to other local farmers, village leaders and family members. The women want booklets because these can be referred to several times, whereas it is more difficult to refer to audiotapes in the rural areas. The tapes are more for sharing in the region and can be heard through the radio, which most household have, but they can be heard only when the tapes are broadcast.
The FLD facilitation team will help women farmers record their innovation and experimentation with pictures, in writing and on audiotape. Since the women are illiterate, what the women say about their innovations will be written down by members of the FLD facilitation team but then confirmed through discussion with the women. Where household members, e.g. daughters or sons, are literate, they will also be involved in the process of documentation. In addition, the team will train two women from Tahtay Maychew inaudio recording so that they can record their and other women’s experiences in the community and in Adwa Wereda.These women will be selected by community members involved in the PID activities, who will also be involved as much as possible through periodic meetings and discussions during the documentation process in learning what is happening and how, and in giving their assessment on outputs. The women selected could be members of the PID groups or other, literate young women who reside in the village. The trained women, with facilitation by the FLD support team, will take the pictures that they and the women innovators consider important to take. The trained women and the women innovators concerned will then select the photos they want to use in the booklet and the innovators will explain why. The local documenters/innovators will also be asked if they would like to share the scripts with international radio networks such as the DCFRN (Developing Countries Farm Radio Network) and this will be done if they agree.
The radio recording and booklet will be edited together with the women. If they feel that improvements need to be made, e.g. re-recording certain parts, this will be done, again by the trained women themselves.The media person and young researcher will be briefed to work in this way, and will be accompanied by a senior university staff member as main facilitator of the FLD process.
The final products will be printed and disseminated only after they have been approved by the women innovators whose experiences have been recorded. The process of FLD documentation may also be explained together with the radio broadcast, so that a wide public within Tigray will understand how this is different from conventional radio documentation.
The booklet will be disseminated to the women innovators, to schoolchildren, kebele (subdistrict) administrations and public associations (Women and Youth Associations in the kebele) etc. Up to 150 copies will be printed through local low-cost publication. At the same time, possibilities will be explored to publish it more widely, e.g. through an embassy fund in Ethiopia.
The booklet will include pictures of the innovations and an easy-to-read text. Since the women innovators who are involved in the documentation are illiterate, their children will help them in reading the booklet. This booklet may thus also become an incentive and support in adult-literacy activities. The local institutions at villagelevel will be used for wider discussion and dissemination of the booklet. Village-level women associations and youth associations have regular forums with their members, and literate members play the role of reading and facilitation for wider discussion. For example, they usually read newspapers and decisions made by the government. In these forums, the booklet can be used as a point of discussion and stimulate the members’ appreciation of local innovation and experimentation led by women. School clubs will also be encouraged through their team leaders and school principals to discuss women’s innovations through reading and presentation of the booklet.
Feedback from these different groups (women associations, youth associations, schools) will be received by the FLD facilitation team and will be reported in the process documentation.
Work plan and budget
Work plan
No. / Activities / By whom / Time1 / Planning & preparation with PID group (Tahtay Maychew) & women innovator (Adwa) to introduce the objective of the FLD & selection of innovators and women documenters / PID group members,women innovators and FLD facilitation team / November 2008
2 / Training of women documenters / Women innovators/documenters and FLD facilitation team / December 2008
3 / Observations and informal interviews / Innovators, trained women and FLD facilitation team / January 2009
4 / Process documentation (desk work) / FLD facilitation team / February 2009
5 / Collection of feedback from local-level discussions / FLD facilitation team, local documenters / March 2009
6 / Finalisation of FLD process documentation (deskwork) / FLD facilitation team / Early April 2009
7 / Radio dissemination / Tigray radio / May-August 2009
8 / Booklet publication / FLD facilitation team and–Agri-service (Prolinnova Ethiopia) / June 2009
9 / Distribution of booklets for dissemination and discussion / FLD facilitation team and women innovators/ documenters to local communities, schools & associations (women, youth) / August 2009
Budget
No. / Activities / Euro1 / Preparation, briefing and training for young researcher and community members, women innovators and women documenters (5 days x 100 Euro x 1 person) / 500
2 / Food & accommodationsduring fieldwork to prepare and plan with the women innovators (4 days field x one researcher x 20 Euro) and driver (4 days x 1 driver x 10 Euro) The time for field work of one researcher is own contribution which amounts to 4 days x 100Euro/day= 400 Euro*. / 120
3 / Village-level planning meetings with PID members (25 farmers x 2 Euro = 50 for tea and snacks) / 50
4 / Food & accommodationsduring fieldwork for documentation support: DSA for FLD members (2 researchers & 1 media expert: for training women for audio recording and taking pictures) x 5 days x 20 Euro; and 1 driver x 5 x 10 Euro. The time for fieldwork is own contribution, which amounts to 3 FLD members x 5 days x 100Euro/day = 1500 Euro*. / 350
5 / Validation of draft of radio broadcast and booklet by women innovators and assessment by community members of the documentation
(senior researcher 4 days x 20 Euro = 80 4 days x 1 driver x 10 Euro= 40 The time for fieldwork of the researcher is own contribution, which amountsto 4 days x 100Euro/day = 400 Euro*. / 120
6 / Desk work honorarium for producing final version of the process documentation and booklet preparation3 FLD team members x 12 days x 100 Euro =3600 payment without own time contribution 8 x 3 x 100 = 2400 Euro** / 2400
7 / Honorarium (1 day x 100 Euro x 1 media expert) audio tape processing / 100
8 / Field car rent (10 days x 60 Euro/day: 35 Euro/day for rent and 25 Euro/day for fuel) including fuel costs / 600
9 / Printing of booklet (at least 150 copies) (1 copy x 5 Euro x 150 copies) / 750
Collection of feedback from local-level discussions (25 farmers x 2 Euro x 1 day x 2 villages= 100) / 100
10 / Rent for photo camera*** / **
11 / Stationery materials and computer printing / 40
12 / Total**** / 5130
14 / Contingency 8% / 410.40
15 / Grand total / 5540.40
* The 13 days fieldwork which costs 2300 Euro is own contribution by the FLD facilitation team members from MekelleUniversity. Indicated budget items 2, 4 and 5 cover only food and accommodation costs
**The requested budget under item 6 coversonly 2/3 of the actual budget, i.e.1/3 of the FLD facilitation team’s time (12 days x 1/3 x 3 persons x 100 Euro/day) = 1200 Eurowill be owncontribution by Mekelle University staff, making atotal of 3500 Euro as own contribution in terms of time
***Use of photo camera is own contribution by the University,
**** The difference of € 1540.40(over and above the amount of 4000 Euro being requested from the Prolinnova international Secretariat)will be own contribution.
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