A key part of the research was to examine the sources which farmers use to obtain new ideas in agriculture. A ranking exercise was used. Farmers discussed all the various sources of new ideas and, as long as more than one member agreed, a card was used to indicate this source with a diagram for the benefit of members who could not read. When all sources were named, members were asked to rank in order the five most useful and trusted sources. The results shown here are an average of a number of separate results; for Ghana, for Uganda, for usage, for trust, for women etc.
These results provide an overall total for the members of 75 farmer groups visited in a number of areas within Ghana and Uganda, many in more isolated areas.
The statistics below shows the information sources trusted and used by farmer groups in Uganda and Ghana.
3% Travel Individual visits to friends or relatives, practices observed during working outside the community or, sometimes, group visits.
5% Books Any printed material about agriculture: books, newsletters, teaching notes and leaflets.
9% Radio
11% Extension agents Government extension agents.
11% NGOs Any kind of contact with an NGO, such as training days or workshops – but most commonly, contact with a trainer, extension agent or development worker.
3% Innovative farmers Individuals known to group members (and usually identified by name) who were known to experiment and try out new methods regularly.
8% Elders Well respected elderly people, whether named as elders or clan leaders, or simply respected for their wisdom.
7% Religious leaders Church leaders or religious development workers.
9.5% Animators People within the group (often called trainers) who are seen as a source of new ideas and informal training.
10.5% Friends This nearly always only referred to other group members.
23% Observation and Experience Their own experience as farmers over the years which helps them observe and assess the potential value of new ideas.
Other sources of information
Many other sources were also mentioned including husbands, children’s teachers, funerals (large social gatherings, especially in Ghana), market traders and demonstration gardens. However, these did not receive a high enough ranking to include in the analysis.
Differences: Ghana and Uganda
The roles of extension agents and radio were much more important in Ghana than in Uganda. Most farmers in Ghana also had better access to sources of information outside the community. Also of interest is that results for women’s groups showed little difference. However, twelve women’s groups in the north of Ghana with very few literate members, placed much less emphasis on their own experience and observation – reflecting, maybe, a lack of confidence in their own knowledge.
Lack of contact
Overall the results showed that for the majority of farmers, two thirds of their sources of new ideas come from their local situation. Many members found their lack of contact with outside sources which they trusted – particularly extension agents, development workers, books, newsletters and workshops – very frustrating.
A detailed report of these research findings is available from DFID – see Resources.