ABSTRACT This study is motivated by the idea that even though participatory monitoring and evalua... more ABSTRACT This study is motivated by the idea that even though participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) is widely accepted as a tool to manage development programs to be effective, its application is widely constrained by its high start-up resource requirements in terms of both finance and time. However, this paper argues that after the initial investment is made, the payback from using PM&E is much higher both in terms of grassroots-level learning, empowerment, and capacity building and in terms of higher-level strategic decision making which enhances impact. This is demonstrated using field-level experience of implementing PM&E in farmer field schools (FFSs) under the Agricultural Services Support Program and Agricultural Sector Development Program–Livestock (ASSP/ASDP-L) program in Zanzibar, Tanzania. After describing the major steps followed in designing and implementing a PM&E for FFSs, the major lessons learned and challenges faced in the process are discussed. The study found out that PM&E has enabled the tracking of technology uptake and reasons behind adoption and nonadoption of technologies through detailed data collection. This informed and improved decision making at a higher level to design feasible methods to scale up adoption at other FFSs and to devise solutions for nonadoption. The need for incentives to undertake PM&E was found to be one of the major challenges of implementation, among others.
The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 2008
1 Effective January 2007, the Discussion Paper series within each division and the Director Gener... more 1 Effective January 2007, the Discussion Paper series within each division and the Director General's Office of IFPRI were merged into one IFPRI-wide Discussion Paper series. The new series begins with number 00689, reflecting the prior publication of 688 discussion papers within the dispersed series. The earlier series are available on IFPRI's website at www.ifpri.org/pubs/otherpubs.htm#dp.
There is an observable dynamism of technology development and transfer approaches in the Ethiopia... more There is an observable dynamism of technology development and transfer approaches in the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Institute (EIAR), as well as in the National Agricultural Research and Extension System (NARES) of Ethiopia. Using some of the critical elements to compare approaches, it is obvious that scaling up is superior to pre-extension and other participatory approaches for technology development and transfer. As such, scaling up is getting more momentum and synergy. Since scaling up aims to provide 'more quality benefits to more people over a wide geographical area more quickly, more equitably and more lastingly', this approach is gaining constantly more acceptance and popularity in EIAR, among both its partners and stakeholders, to develop and transfer crop, livestock and, to a limited extent, natural resources management (NRM) technologies and knowledge. Improved technologies and innovations are essential to support an increased productivity of natural resources in watershed management. Many research and development programmes and projects on NRM have been conducted in Ethiopia and potential technologies and knowledge for scaling up have been generated. However, very few of the recommendations from research have been put to use by the target end-users. Therefore, there is a huge potential for utilizing scaling up approaches in the area of NRM. The nature of interventions in NRM, lack of institutional and professional commitment to scale up NRM technologies and knowledge, and the failure of research projects to have a communication strategy of research findings to stakeholders other than farmers are some of the challenges that must be dealt with in order to successfully scale up NRM technologies. This paper will evaluate the importance of a scaling up approach for NRM technologies and knowledge development, as well as transfer, and the challenges in the area of NRM scaling up.
1 Effective January 2007, the Discussion Paper series within each division and the Director Gener... more 1 Effective January 2007, the Discussion Paper series within each division and the Director General's Office of IFPRI were merged into one IFPRI-wide Discussion Paper series. The new series begins with number 00689, reflecting the prior publication of 688 discussion papers within the dispersed series. The earlier series are available on IFPRI's website at Abstract iv
The experience with Vertisols technology generation, diffusion and adoption process in case study... more The experience with Vertisols technology generation, diffusion and adoption process in case study areas indicate that either a full package of a technology may be adopted or some components of a package may be adopted depending on farmer knowledge, needs and resource conditions. Gradually adoption may evolve from components to the package as a whole. Experience also indicate that technology adoption is not a one-off static decision rather it involves a dynamic process in which information gathering, learning and experience play pivotal roles particularly in the early stage of adoption. Farmers move from learning to adoption to continuous or discontinuous use over time. The characteristics of both the user and the technology are important in explaining adoption behaviour and the pathway for adoption. The sets of factors that may significantly influence decisions to acquire knowledge about BBM, to adopt and then to use it continuously or discontinuously may be different. The lag between learning and adoption, and the possibility of discontinuation and readoption imply that a longer period will require for majority of the farmers to use the technology than if adoption was a one off decision leading to continuous use.
ABSTRACT This study is motivated by the idea that even though participatory monitoring and evalua... more ABSTRACT This study is motivated by the idea that even though participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) is widely accepted as a tool to manage development programs to be effective, its application is widely constrained by its high start-up resource requirements in terms of both finance and time. However, this paper argues that after the initial investment is made, the payback from using PM&E is much higher both in terms of grassroots-level learning, empowerment, and capacity building and in terms of higher-level strategic decision making which enhances impact. This is demonstrated using field-level experience of implementing PM&E in farmer field schools (FFSs) under the Agricultural Services Support Program and Agricultural Sector Development Program–Livestock (ASSP/ASDP-L) program in Zanzibar, Tanzania. After describing the major steps followed in designing and implementing a PM&E for FFSs, the major lessons learned and challenges faced in the process are discussed. The study found out that PM&E has enabled the tracking of technology uptake and reasons behind adoption and nonadoption of technologies through detailed data collection. This informed and improved decision making at a higher level to design feasible methods to scale up adoption at other FFSs and to devise solutions for nonadoption. The need for incentives to undertake PM&E was found to be one of the major challenges of implementation, among others.
The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 2008
1 Effective January 2007, the Discussion Paper series within each division and the Director Gener... more 1 Effective January 2007, the Discussion Paper series within each division and the Director General's Office of IFPRI were merged into one IFPRI-wide Discussion Paper series. The new series begins with number 00689, reflecting the prior publication of 688 discussion papers within the dispersed series. The earlier series are available on IFPRI's website at www.ifpri.org/pubs/otherpubs.htm#dp.
There is an observable dynamism of technology development and transfer approaches in the Ethiopia... more There is an observable dynamism of technology development and transfer approaches in the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Institute (EIAR), as well as in the National Agricultural Research and Extension System (NARES) of Ethiopia. Using some of the critical elements to compare approaches, it is obvious that scaling up is superior to pre-extension and other participatory approaches for technology development and transfer. As such, scaling up is getting more momentum and synergy. Since scaling up aims to provide 'more quality benefits to more people over a wide geographical area more quickly, more equitably and more lastingly', this approach is gaining constantly more acceptance and popularity in EIAR, among both its partners and stakeholders, to develop and transfer crop, livestock and, to a limited extent, natural resources management (NRM) technologies and knowledge. Improved technologies and innovations are essential to support an increased productivity of natural resources in watershed management. Many research and development programmes and projects on NRM have been conducted in Ethiopia and potential technologies and knowledge for scaling up have been generated. However, very few of the recommendations from research have been put to use by the target end-users. Therefore, there is a huge potential for utilizing scaling up approaches in the area of NRM. The nature of interventions in NRM, lack of institutional and professional commitment to scale up NRM technologies and knowledge, and the failure of research projects to have a communication strategy of research findings to stakeholders other than farmers are some of the challenges that must be dealt with in order to successfully scale up NRM technologies. This paper will evaluate the importance of a scaling up approach for NRM technologies and knowledge development, as well as transfer, and the challenges in the area of NRM scaling up.
1 Effective January 2007, the Discussion Paper series within each division and the Director Gener... more 1 Effective January 2007, the Discussion Paper series within each division and the Director General's Office of IFPRI were merged into one IFPRI-wide Discussion Paper series. The new series begins with number 00689, reflecting the prior publication of 688 discussion papers within the dispersed series. The earlier series are available on IFPRI's website at Abstract iv
The experience with Vertisols technology generation, diffusion and adoption process in case study... more The experience with Vertisols technology generation, diffusion and adoption process in case study areas indicate that either a full package of a technology may be adopted or some components of a package may be adopted depending on farmer knowledge, needs and resource conditions. Gradually adoption may evolve from components to the package as a whole. Experience also indicate that technology adoption is not a one-off static decision rather it involves a dynamic process in which information gathering, learning and experience play pivotal roles particularly in the early stage of adoption. Farmers move from learning to adoption to continuous or discontinuous use over time. The characteristics of both the user and the technology are important in explaining adoption behaviour and the pathway for adoption. The sets of factors that may significantly influence decisions to acquire knowledge about BBM, to adopt and then to use it continuously or discontinuously may be different. The lag between learning and adoption, and the possibility of discontinuation and readoption imply that a longer period will require for majority of the farmers to use the technology than if adoption was a one off decision leading to continuous use.
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Papers by Elias Zerfu