Testing of Promoted Practices

Output

number or % of trained farmers who in the past [specify the time period] tried [specify the promoted agronomic practice] on their farms

The indicator assesses the proportion or number of trained farmers who tried an agronomic practice promoted by your intervention on their own farms. It indicates the extent to which farmers are interested in its use.

Determine the indicator's value by using the following methodology:

 

1) Specify what exactly it means to try the promoted methodology – what exactly needs to be done, how, with what materials, for what purpose, etc. (for example, “establishing terraces on fields” means establishing terraces a) covered by grasses or trees; b) on contours every 1m of field elevation or at least every 15m of slope).

 

2) Collect the required information from a representative sample of trained farmers. Ensure that the sample adequately represents the target population. For example, if the population includes women and men, younger and older people, and other relevant subgroups, make sure these subgroups are adequately represented in the sample (for instance, avoid interviewing only heads of households). Ask farmers whether they (or their households’ members) have tried to follow the promoted practice. If the reply is YES, ask further questions that will help you to determine whether the practice has been followed correctly. If possible, verify the answers by conducting observations.

 

3) Calculate the percentage or number of farmers who a) have tried the promoted practice, and b) have tried it correctly (decide in advance which result you will use for your indicator).

Disaggregate the data by gender, location, wealth and other relevant criteria.

1) If you promote a larger number of practices, consider changing the indicator to “% / number of farmers who in the past [specify the time period] tried at least X out of X promoted agronomic practices on their farms” (for example, 2 out of 4).

2) If a trained farmer did not try the practice (or tried but did not follow it correctly), ask a brief follow-up question to understand the reasons, and analyse these by subgroups (e.g. based on gender, age, location). Examples include access to inputs, labour and time burden, perceived ineffectiveness, insufficient know-how, mobility constraints, social norms, and decision-making power within the household or community.