The SWHISA approach to extension:

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The SWHISA approach to extension
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The SWHISA approach extension

• participatory, farmer led,
• open-ended and interactive relationship among
  farm families, extension staff, agricultural
  researchers and other rural development agents
• The primary extension technique would be
  Participatory Technology Development,
  supplemented and supported through a variety of
  other modern extension methods.

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Participatory Technology Development (PTD)

• Participatory Technology Development (PTD) is a
  process of developing technology that is led by
  farmers.
• PTD differs from demonstrations as it does not
  involve showing a farmer a proven or recommended
  technology is conducted in a participatory
  manner and farmers are full partners.
• Conducting PTD is a learning process for
  everyone, with extension staff acting as
  facilitators.
• Farmers have always been active developers of
  farming practices. PTD builds on, supports and
  encourages this capacity.
• Farmers work directly with research station
  scientists to design and monitor trials.

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The Participatory Technology Development
approach will

• develop appropriate technology for each site,
• create farm user and local advisor (DA) ownership
  in the technology,
• create important learning opportunities for
  extension staff,
• provide important information needs assessment
  opportunities to providers of extension technical
  assistance and training,
• provide appropriate and necessary applied
  research projects for concerned scientists.
• demonstrate the role of research in responding
  to, rather than directing farmers activities
• provide an opportunity for extension staff at all
  levels to learn and apply a number of additional
  extension techniques
• immerse the three main partner institutions,
  CoSAERAR, BoA and ARARI in a cooperative,
  mutually supportive, working environment

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The project will have three different areas of
extension involvement

• household water harvesting,
• irrigated crop production, and
• watershed improvement.

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The extension strategy requires the formation of
Farmer Focus Groups and (Technology) Development
Teams.

• Farmer Focus Groups would be the group of farmers
  directly engaged with technical support staff in
  the design and implementation of the PTD project.
• Development teams would be the group of
  extension, research and rural development
  professionals working with the farmer focus
  groups to carryout the PTD project.

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Farmer Focus Group for irrigated crop production
practices

• the current water user group concerned with a
  traditional or permanent stream diversion scheme,
  or the command area of a dam. The traditional
  water user group organization centered around an
  elected water father would likely be utilized
  initially. Alternatively a modern water user
  group could be formed.

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Farmer Focus Group for household water harvesting
structures

• Each of these focus groups would consist of the
  householder selected for a household water
  harvesting structure trial, any adjacent
  householders also benefiting from the trial
  structure and/or immediate neighbors interested
  in the trial.

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Farmer Focus Groups for watershed improvement
practices

• the farm families utilizing the watershed area of
  a small scale water catchment structure as well
  as others downstream who benefit directly from
  the water harvested by the catchment structure.
• the farm families utilizing a site where farm
  level water conservation practices and small
  structures can make major contributions to
  environmental preservation and productivity. This
  group should include farm families utilizing
  sites below these areas that will also benefit
  from the upslope interventions.

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The Development Teams

• approximately 10 persons would be formed to work
  with the concerned farm families in each focus
  group.
• Project partners ARARI, BoA and CoSAERAR in
  collaboration with SWHISA advisors, would
  identify and assign appropriate regional persons
  from each agency to participate in the core
  Development Teams.
• Each Woreda Administration would designate the
  Woreda level team members in accordance with
  project requirements.

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Each team should include

• TEAM LEADER the Woreda level Agriculture Officer
  responsible for the technology being examined
• two of the farmer representative(s) selected by
  the farmer focus group,
• the concerned DA,
• the regional officer(s) of BoA responsible for
  technical assistance and training to extension
  field staff,
• the scientist of ARARI concerned with the
  technology being developed,
• the ARARI on-farm research assistants in the
  Woreda,
• the concerned CoSAERAR officer(s ),
• the Woreda level Agriculture Officer responsible
  for extension activities focused on women ,
• the concerned SWHISA advisors.

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• The development team would meet (at least) three
  times a year at the PTD field sites.
• Between meetings members of the development team
  based in the Woreda (ie.Woreda Agriculture
  officers, DAs and ARARI on-farm research
  assistants) would continue to work with the
  farmer focus group to implement the PTD project.

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The first development team meeting

• The first meeting would introduce the team
  members to the selected focus group and establish
  the parameters of the PTD project to be
  undertaken.
• The PTD plan would be formulated and the various
  responsibilities managerial, informational,
  physical and financial, would be reviewed and
  allocated.

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The second development team meeting

• The second meeting would convene when the PTD
  activity was in place and established. For
  example
• in irrigated crop production technologies it may
  be desirable that the crop is well established
  and the initial water application completed
• for watershed management technologies small
  constructions or initial environmental
  modifications should have been completed
• for household water harvesting structures the
  structure should be completed and operational.
• During the second meeting the project would be
  examined for compliance with the initial plan,
  any indicative changes discussed and agreed and
  any additional managerial, informational,
  physical and financial needs allocated.

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The third development team meeting

• During this meeting
• PTD results and achievements would be evaluated,
  
• problems would be identified and reviewed, and
  ideas for improvements would be discussed.
• A cost benefit analysis would be an important
  part of the evaluation procedure.
• Yearly evaluations may be necessary for a period
  of time.
• The roles, mission and organization of the
  development team would also be evaluated.

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The lifetime of the PTD projects

• It is envisaged that after 2 years of structured
  intervention, the focus group, with the
  cooperation of the local DA, the designated WOA
  officer and periodic further advice and/or
  assistance from other concerned professionals,
  would carry on monitoring, improving and
  evolving their technology.