Knowledge Center Catalog

Using participatory methods to develop manure options: A case study in Mangwende communal area, Zimbabwe

By: Contributor(s): Material type: TextTextPublication details: Mexico, DF (Mexico) CIMMYT : 1999ISBN:
  • 970-648-009-9
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 338.168 RIS
Summary: This paper describes a Participatory Rapid Appraisal (PRA) conducted in the Mangwende communal area of Zimbabwe to determine management options for improving the quality and effectiveness of manure. The overall objective was to help develop soil fertility management technologies that can be easily be adopted by communal farmers and are compatible with available resources and current production systems. The PRA was conducted in the belief that the search for management options requires farmer input and the integration of indigenous knowledge into more formal approaches to technology development. Informal and formal diagnostic surveys, group discussions, and a farmer workshop were held to understand farmers' practices relating to manure storage and handling, to identify limitations in the system, to develop a research agenda (e.g., choice of treatments for on-farm experimentation), and to prioritize interventions. Farmers were closely involved in problem identification, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation, and were thus able to understand and appreciate the potential value of the innovations being developed.
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This paper describes a Participatory Rapid Appraisal (PRA) conducted in the Mangwende communal area of Zimbabwe to determine management options for improving the quality and effectiveness of manure. The overall objective was to help develop soil fertility management technologies that can be easily be adopted by communal farmers and are compatible with available resources and current production systems. The PRA was conducted in the belief that the search for management options requires farmer input and the integration of indigenous knowledge into more formal approaches to technology development. Informal and formal diagnostic surveys, group discussions, and a farmer workshop were held to understand farmers' practices relating to manure storage and handling, to identify limitations in the system, to develop a research agenda (e.g., choice of treatments for on-farm experimentation), and to prioritize interventions. Farmers were closely involved in problem identification, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation, and were thus able to understand and appreciate the potential value of the innovations being developed.

English

9906|AGRIS 9902

Jose Juan Caballero

CIMMYT Publications Collection


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