In 2007, three small farmer led documentation (FLD) pilots were implemented by participating organizations in the first FLD workshop (Kampala, Nov 2006). On this page you find a description of the pilot projects, including final activities reports.
Africa 2000 Network, Uganda
Africa 2000 Network-Uganda seeks to pilot a process in which farmer innovators will be facilitated to take the lead in documenting their own experiences through a series of write-shops which will help them learn, share and document their experiences in a local environment where language is not a barrier. The write-shops will be conducted in the local language and will be held in a community setting. The role of A2N will be with the assistance of farmers identify the innovators and to facilitate the learning process. A2N will introduce the farmers and innovators to different documentation methods and will encourage them to use the methods most preferred.
The existing farmer network publication, “AGABAHIINGI” published in the local language will be introduced to them as an example of a documentation method they can publish their experiences of innovation. A2N will then facilitate the farmer network (KAFNA) to share these experiences with other farmers in the region who understand the local language and will help identify other farmer groups and innovators for the FLD practice.
View report (PDF file; size : 296 KB)
View article by Jonathan Bakama (A2N), see page 6-8
Farmer Support Group, South Africa
In November 2006, Nicholas Thabane Madondo, a farmer from Potshini, attended a Farmer Led Documentation (FLD) course in Uganda. On his return he has reported back to the farmers he is working with and to the forums where he participated. Most of the farmers considered documentation as not being new as they claimed to be documenting in their minds. However, they would not be able to physically share that documentation.
Following a feedback by Mr Madondo, the other farmers showed interest to document using the methods which Madondo shared with them. As farming is done by almost everyone in the area, documentation of their activities like growth of their livestock and plants, diseases and pests and even periods of those events will be of much help to them. Smallholder farmers, mostly comprising of women, are illiterate and hence preferred the method of documenting using photography most suitable for them as they can see and tell the story about the picture. Documentation using camera was the most preferred way of documentation.
This proposal seeks to allow the 64 Potshini farmers already constituted into learner groups to document their agricultural activities. Photography will be the primary method of documenting. Even though this is the digital age, it is proposed that still photographs will be used. Farmers will work in small groups of five members.
View report (PDF file; size : 116 KB)
Rural Empowerment Network, Uganda
The Rural Empowerment Network (REN) provides a Question and Answer Service (QAS) voucher system to farmers. Vouchers are used to turn farmers’ information needs into demand for information. The vouchers are handed out to farmers to entitle them to ask questions of their choice and to get answers from expert farmers among the participating farmer groups. REN intends to incorporate Farmer Led Documentation (FLD) in this process by training and involving farmers in formulating, capturing, and documenting their questions and answers.
A number of farmers from three farmer groups will be trained in the use of digital cameras in order to capture images of their problems (e.g. diseased features of their crops and animals), and record practices that they have found useful. They will also be trained in interviewing skills so that they are able to capture questions from other farmers. The questions along with the digital images will be submitted to REN that will identify an expert farmer to answer the question.
The expert farmer will be facilitated to go and explain the answer to the farmer group where the question originated, and the farmers will be given an opportunity to evaluate the answer. The farmer groups will be trained in documenting the questions and answers and keeping them at a central location in the form of an information archive at the community level. The project will facilitate the exchange of these archives among the participating farmer groups. This will provide farmers an opportunity of learning from each other and record practices that they have learned and found useful. The documenting of this information by farmers will minimise the need to ask the same question and it will also help build a network of local knowledge.
View report (PDF file; size : 550 KB)
