FARMERS' PARTICIPATION IN
THE DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURAL
EXTENSION PROGRAMS IN ONE COUNTY
IN TRÁS-OS-MONTES, NORTHEASTERN PORTUGAL
By
Artur Fernando Arêde Correia Cristóvão
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
1986
FARMERS' PARTICIPATION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION PROGRAMS IN ONE COUNTY IN TRÁS-OS-MONTES, NORTHEASTERN PORTUGAL
Artur Fernando Arêde Correia Cristóvão
Under the supervision of Assistant Professor James Raymond Mayhew
This study examines the issue of popular participation in the context of agricultural extension. It looks at the program development circumstances where participation occurs, characterizes the participation mechanisms and examines the barriers and facilitators to people's involvement. Participation is conceptualized as sharing of power in program development decision-making.
A qualitative research approach is used. Interviews with extension agents, supervisors, specialists and farmers, plus observation and document analysis, provide the primary data for the analysis of the participation phenomenon. The data are presented in three case studies, each centered on a component of extension work: (1) the improvement of village irrigation; (2) the construction of a village Milking Parlor; and (3) the enrollment in a farm development project.
The major findings are: (1) Farmers' participation in planning is not considered. Decisions concerning the projects' objectives and procedures are mostly made by central level technicians. (2) Some attention is given to farmers' participation in project implementation. This is particularly true with the irrigation project. The promotion of village meetings and the election of an Irrigation Council provide the essential basis for participation in decision-making. (3) Farmers' participation in evaluation decision-making is not considered. However, the studies so far conducted by a University-based Evaluation Unit have given a high degree of importance to the attitudes and opinions of farmers. (4) Incentives to participation are scarce. The major ones are (a) the law concerning the organization of irrigation works, which created the framework for the constitution of Irrigation Councils, and (b) the important share of decision-making power transferred to the regional Dairy Cooperative Union in the milking parlor case. (5) Various obstacles to participation exist. Especially important are (a) the nature of the extension system, deeply rooted in the traditional diffusion-adoption paradigm and marked by the technical assistance ideas, and (b) the overwhelming production orientation of the extension projects.
The study concludes that extension lacks a coherent framework for popular participation in program development. On the contrary, extension work has an elitist character. It is mostly based on individual contacts with a small range of people, usually the better-off farmers and owners of larger operations.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ABSTRACT ...... i
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...... iii
LIST OF TABLES...... ix
LIST OF FIGURES ...... xii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS...... xiii
CHAPTER ONE
STUDY FOUNDATIONS...... 1
Problem Context...... 1
Issues and Trends in Agricultural Extension Education...... 6
From Rhetoric to Practice: Statement of the Problem...... 11
Assumptions...... 16
Significance of the Study...... 17
Limitations of the Study...... 18
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF LITERATURE AND STUDY FRAMEWORK...... 21
Introduction...... 21
Agricultural Extension and the Farmers...... 23
New Directions for a Renewed Practice...... 30
Popular Participation...... 37
Concepts and Dimensions...... 38
Advantages, Problems and Obstacles...... 51
Factors Supporting Increased Participation...... 64
Means and Strategies...... 69
Study Framework...... 76
Summary...... 83
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY...... 87
Introduction...... 87
Contradictions Between Research and Practice in Adult Education...... 90
Research Design...... 92
Study Area, Unit of Analysis and Site Selection Process...... 95
Entry Into the Setting...... 101
Data Collection Procedures...... 105
Data Processing and Analysis...... 116
Methodology - Related Limitations...... 119
CHAPTER FOUR
STUDY SETTING...... 122
Introduction...... 122
The Country...... 122
The Region of Trás-os-Montes...... 124
The County of Vila Pouca...... 129
Extension in the Vila Pouca Area...... 147
The Integrated Rural Development Project of Trás-os-Montes...... 159
CHAPTER FIVE
PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS...... 167
Introduction...... 167
Case Study One: The Improvement of Traditional Irrigation (MRT) in Vales.....167
The Village...... 167
Traditional Irrigation...... 170
Extension in Vales...... 172
Improvement of the Traditional Irrigation Network: the Beginnings...... 179
Project Implementation...... 183
The "Protocol'...... 187
The Farmers' Council: Constitution and Functions...... 189
Project Execution and Changes...... 193
The Farmer's Council: Functioning and Roles...... 196
Immediate Results...... 201
Formal Evaluation Efforts...... 203
Case Study Two: The Collective Milking Parlor (SCOM) in Campo/Povoa...... 209
The Villages...... 209
Extension in Campo/Povoa...... 211
Collective Milking Parlors in the Region: Origins and Objectives...... 219
The Process in Campo/Povoa...... 224
SCOM Functioning...... 228
Problems and Expectations...... 233
Case Study Three: Enrollment in PDRITM...... 236
The Village Setting...... 236
Extension in the Subzone...... 237
The Agrarian Zone and the Planning of PDRITM...... 245
Project Implementation: The Information Process...... 248
Project Implementation: The Enrollment Process...... 254
PDRITM in the Villages: Knowledge About the Project and Enrollment Cases.....258
Extension's Support to PDRITM's Farmers...... 265
Enrollment Problems and Limitations...... 266
CHAPTER SEX
DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS...... 273
Introduction...... 274
Participation in Planning...... 274
Participation in Implementation...... 282
Participation in Evaluation...... 300
Incentives and Obstacles to Participation...... 306
CHAPTER SEVEN
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS...... 315
Introduction...... 315
Background and Problem...... 315
Study Framework...... 316
Research Design and Methodology...... 317
Major Findings...... 319
Conclusions...... 321
Recommendations...... 324
Suggestions for Further Research...... 330
REFERENCES...... 333
APPENDICES
A.Portugal and Trás-os-Montes: Additional Information on Agricultural
Structures, the Farmers, and Farming ...... 350
B.Improvement of Traditional Irrigation: Decree 269/82, Key Aspects
Concerning the "Local Interest Works with Collective Impact"...... 357
C.Improvement of Traditional Irrigation: Functions of Farmers' Council
According to the Protocol...... 360
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