| Description: | Training is the communication of basic information that helps extension staff to understand and carry out the problem-solving approach. Aspects which were emphasized during the training were: how to carry out a situation analysis, communication techniques, the development and participatory use of extension material. |
| Purpose: | The pilot project followed a problem-solving approach which deviates from the more common approach where the extension agent delivers a package to the farmers. Because of this change in extension approach, different standards were expected of the extension staff. Training ensured that the quality of this resource was adapted to the new requirements. |
| Methods: | On-the-job training as well as formal refresher courses. Discussions, case studies and role plays were the most important techniques used for the training courses. |
The need for training can only be established by first evaluating the level of knowledge and the abilities of the local project staff. The comparison with the requirements of the problem-solving approach then revealed discrepancies. Obviously, such deficiencies (especially regarding communication skills, attitude and behaviour) could only become apparent after working together for a certain period.
On the other hand, expatriate project staff had to recognize that they first had to familiarize themselves with the circumstances in the region, the experiences and results of past and present extension strategies, as well as the rules and procedures of the Department of Fisheries.
Consequently, both parties had to learn from each other. It was followed by a joint definition of how the problem-solving approach could be carried out under the prevailing circumstances. Only after these first stages, was an assessment of each other's capacities valuable and could one start working on complementing the ‘missing qualifications’.
Since the development of an extension methodology was a long process involving many different steps (of which not all were foreseeable), a formal training course was not appropriate. Moreover, the aquaculturist (the pilot project's principal local staff member) possessed a good technical know-how of fish farming, had extensive knowledge of the conditions in the rural areas, and had considerable practical experience. Thus no formal training to back-up the basic knowledge was necessary.
The on-the-job training concentrated on the following aspects:
analysis of current conditions in the region and at village level, including the review of results of past fish farming development efforts. These findings were then used as inputs for the newly developed fish farming extension system (diagnostic ability);
communication strategy and techniques. Free discussions with farmers aimed at stimulating target groups to put forward and apply their knowledge was emphasized. Non-conventional ways of training extension workers were practised (see Chapter 7.2 presentation of the teacher's guide);
development, testing and use of extension material;
identification of supplementary studies, notably the development and testing of questionnaires;
analysis of the field performance of fish scouts in relation to the skills and behaviour desired by the problem-solving approach. The identification of their weaknesses resulted in the development of a training module for extension workers in which new experiences were introduced.
During the first stage of the pilot project the development and testing of an extension methodology was emphasized rather than its implementation on a large scale. Therefore, no attention was paid to organizational skills, like the programming of extension, personnel management and administration.
The pilot project was invited to help retrain fish scouts and agricultural extension officers in extension. Technical fish farming matters were taught by another project (the National Fish Culture Development Project). The duration of the refresher courses varied from one to two weeks and the time allotted for extension issues varied from 1.5 hours to one full day. It was obvious that priorities had to be established for the message on extension methodology to be conveyed during such a short time.
Fish scouts were often trained to deliver a technical package to the rural farmers (see also chapter 2.1), whereas the pilot project had chosen to use a problem-solving approach. During the fieldwork it was realized that this change in approach was difficult for the fish scouts. One of the reasons was that they have had a rather theoretical training, especially concerning extension matters. Rarely being exposed to practical experiences, this latent knowledge was hardly applied which, combined with their uncertainty regarding technical matters, led to a rigid attitude in the field. In the problem-solving approach, the fish scouts had to be facilitators in the adoption process. They had to ask questions which would stimulate the target group to contribute their knowledge and at the same time make farmers realize the gaps in their knowledge. They should then provide the target group with the information lacking on fish farming in such a way that the farmers understand the ‘how and why’ of fish farming.
Taking these facts into consideration, the choice was made for the following message for the refresher courses: “fish farming can be practised at different levels. Extension workers need to be flexible in the application of the technologies to meet farmer's needs.”
A short training module was developed and tested. A Teacher's Guide was prepared with five chapters (available from ALCOM on request). The introduction gives suggestions on how to use the guide. It is followed by a chapter discussing the characteristics of the subsistence and emerging/commercial farmers. This chapter was intended to make the extension workers aware of the different farmers they meet in the field as well as the necessity to acquaint themselves with their situation if they want to improve the livelihoods of the target group. The third chapter deals with the possible reactions of the different types of farmers when introducing fish farming and elaborates on the key elements in the decision process to adopt fish farming. The fourth chapter analyzes different fish farming systems farmers may adopt as a result of their dissimilar starting positions. The last chapter reviews the consequences of the target group's situation for fish farming extension.
The development process of the Teacher's Guide was comparable to the development of the slide show and the extension pamphlets. Once the message was defined the text, including as many examples of field situations with which the extension workers could identify themselves, was drafted. The courses were evaluated by both trainers and trainees. Several versions were written, incorporating the recommendations of the evaluations, before the Guide was finalized. The most important lessons from this process were:
The lay-out of the Guide is important to the trainer. In the first versions contents and suggestions for presentation of the different topics were all in the main text. It was hard for the trainer to consult the Guide during the training. Therefore, the instructions were separated from the main text; each topic was dealt with on a separate page; and, the key words were underlined.
Since it was anticipated that few persons have had experience with this type of training, the instructions for the trainer were elaborated. Each chapter had a cover page explaining its objectives, followed by a page with suggestions for the presentation of that chapter. Sometimes a checklist was included for easy reference.
In the first versions, the introduction reviewed the two different approaches used in fish farming extension. In fact this was part of the subject matter and thus later integrated in other chapters. Instead, an explanation on how the guide functioned was considered necessary in the introduction.
The first two versions had two chapters which were found to be too theoretical with a considerable amount of text which required too much ‘lecturing’ without active involvement of the trainees. The most important points of these chapters were taken up in the final version of the Guide, but in a different format. A stepwise approach asking participants to list characteristics of different farming households, and relating each characteristic to key elements in the decision process to adopt fish farming, was found to be more efficient.
Precise delimitations of the role plays had to be given.
Many ‘beginner errors’ were made when developing the module. The pilot project had a chance to test the Guide several times during different training courses. However, the trainers were always pilot project staff. If other people also want to use the manual, further testing is needed by potential users.
To bring about the desired change in attitude and extension methods of the fish scouts required a change in teaching methods. Three reasons were given for the choice of a more participatory approach (Mutale, van der Mheen and van der Mheen-Sluijer, 1989):
Didactical purposes. When trainees are asked to participate in the lecture they will come up with examples from their own environment. As a consequence they will be more concerned with the topic because they can see the possibilities for application in their immediate surroundings. Therefore, the message will be better understood.
Foreknowledge of the trainees. Nobody comes to a course on extension with a ‘blank mind’. One can presume that everybody has had, in one way or the other, some experience as or with extension agents. Before you start ‘teaching’ it is useful to learn from the trainees what they already know.
Extension reasons. The trainers want the extension agents to use the same participatory approach when dealing with the farmers. This course on extension should serve as an example for them. They should have a chance to experience themselves that a good educator must in the first place be a good learner.
Lectures were found inappropriate and unfortunately time did not permit field work. In order to emphasize the participatory nature of the extension method, discussions, case studies and role plays were the most important techniques used. This required a through command of the subject by the trainer who had to motivate the extension workers to build on their existing knowledge and supplement it when necessary.
Two drawings (made by a local artist) portraying a household of a small-scale farmer and one of a large-scale farmer were used to solicit trainees' responses regarding the different characteristics of the two categories.
Two role plays have been used to illustrate the most important points of the approach and also to check whether the information had been assimilated. Moreover, they were a welcome change after the more ‘theoretical’ sessions and it gave the trainer yet an opportunity to correct some of the misunderstandings.
The purpose of the first play was to put the fish scout in the farmer's position, i.e. the person who has to adopt a new activity. Two types of profitable businesses were proposed to them (to start a shop in town; and to grow potatoes and sell them at the market, two typical examples from Eastern Province). The scouts followed the same reasoning and used similar arguments like the small-scale farmers who opted for a small, low risk fish farming system.
In the second play a group meeting was imitated in which the fish scout had to introduce himself to the audience, give information about fish farming and answered questions from the audience.
During the training the differences between the problem-solving approach and the extension method the fish scouts were familiar with became clear. Despite the lively discussions during the first role play, many fish scouts found it difficult to apply this knowledge during the simulation of a group meeting. A few examples to illustrate this observation:
questions from the audience were answered using technical jargon (e.g. the fish we use is Oreochromis andersonii);
no explanations for fish farming operations and/or requirements were given (e.g. you need a gently sloping area; no reason was given for the need of the slope. In Eastern Province there are few ideal sites with a gentle slope);
they were creating a dependency relationship where the fish scout is the expert possessing all the knowledge without exchanging it with the target group (e.g. when the pond is finished the fish scout will tell you how many fish you need);
all fish scouts held the opinion that intermediate harvesting was not allowed because they needed harvesting data for their reports. For the same reason the farmers always had to ask a fish scout to assist with the cropping.
Obviously, such a short classroom session is not enough to bring about an attitude and behaviour change. A more systematic training is needed, especially since the problem-solving approach relies heavily on the motivation and ingenuity of the extension workers.
