5. Field Activity

5.1 Preparing for the field exercise

Objectives

On completion of this activity, participants will have formed their perspective groups, chosen a topic, and prepared a list of questions for the field exercise for the next day.

Lead person: Resource person
Duration: One hour
Method: Group discussion
Materials needed:
- List of possible topics
- Pencils
- Notebook

Instructions to trainer/facilitator:

• Group participants into teams composed of 5-6 members each, preferably a mix of research and extension or training people.
• Each group should choose an interpreter.
• Each group should choose a topic from the list of suggested topics and talk to farmers about emic-etic, taxonomy, or partonomy, and prepare a list of 5-7 questions to ask farmers.

Suggested groupings:

• Weeds
• Rats
• Insect pests
• Crop diseases
• Rice stages

• Each group needs to learn farmers’ folk knowledge, classification and terms (language) for weeds, rats, insect pests, rice stages, etc.:
  1. Discover and describe local knowledge about your group’s topic.
  2. Describe the folk categories.
  3. Have emic labels and etic descriptions for the categories of the topic.
  4. Discuss some of the knowledge (“lore”) surrounding the categories; give emic and etic descriptions.
  5. Emic and etic descriptions of behavior would be helpful. (Etic descriptions may include agronomic and sociocultural descriptions).
  6. Make a chart of the taxonomy.
  7. Prepare 5-7 short questions to serve as a guide to stimulate conversation with a group of farmers on the topic. Present results in a simple numerical form.

Do’s and Don'ts

Participants should bear in the mind that the field interview is an opportunity to learn from farmers. To get the most out of this exercise, here are a few tips to remember:

• Keep an open mind and listen more. Do not push your own agenda (e.g. a special “tool” or concept you have developed which you think will solve farmers’ problems).
• Make the farmers feel that you are truly interested in learning about what they think and do with regard to the topic at hand.
• Be conversational. The field interview is some sort of directed story telling where you probe and pursue issues that come during the conversation.
• Empathize - try to be on equal footing with farmers in order to establish rapport and build trust.
• Although you have more theoretical expertise, never engage the farmers in a debate nor pass judgment on their views or practices. Always remember your objective in talking to the farmers – to learn what they are doing, find out their problems, identify the root cause, and perhaps explore how your “tool” could find a way into their crop management and decision-making.
• Avoid questions that yield yes/no answers.
• Avoid leading questions.

Examples

1) “Don’t you think that the use of poison baits is the most effective method to control rats?”
2) “Do you agree that IR-64 is an excellent variety?"

5.2. Field Exercise

Objectives

On completion of this activity, participants will be able to describe farmers’ folk knowledge, classifications, and terms (language) for weeds, rats, insect pests, rice stages, etc. and compare it with scientific knowledge.

Lead person: Resource person
Duration: Four hours (morning)
Method: Field work
Materials needed:
- List of questions
- Pencils
- Notebook
- Token gift for participating farmers (packets with 1-2 kg rice seeds of recently developed appropriate varieties)
- Snacks for participating farmers and trainees.

Instructions to trainer/facilitator:

During field work (half day)

• Bring the various groups to the selected field work sites.
• Agree on pick-up time.

Reporting: After field work (1 hour)

1. Review notes and consolidate farmers’ responses.
2. Compare farmers’ local knowledge with scientific knowledge.
3. Group presentation – process, results, lessons learned.
4. Discussions.