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In presenting the results of the campaigns in the four advanced regions (one region, which is highlighted later in the section on "Factors for failure", could not be included because of a change in the pilot site during mid-stream which precluded completion of the steps in the DSC process during the life of the project), it should be noted that each followed a rather standard format.
All were launched during the autumn of 1992, and had an effective running-time of about 18 to 20 months to around April 1994; all also used a relatively uniform channel strategy with a common media-mix made up of CATS, print materials (pamphlets and leaflets), posters, SoAs and video to some degree.
Variations in media-mix were in the number of SoAs conducted, and the production of wall-posters, flip-charts and instructional videos. All pilot-sites also had the benefit of extension agent support and subject matter specialist input for hands-on demonstrations, under the label of "farmers' classes", immediately following the SoAs.
Both bench-mark and post-campaign surveys were essentially conducted by RACO members under the guidance of each pilot-site manager.
On average, each exercise was completed over a two- to three-week period with teams ranging from five to ten interviewers. All regions used an outside group with which to compare results of the media strategies in the pilot sites.
In virtually all cases, however, the outside group could not be considered a "control sample" in the sense of its being isolated from any contact with materials or personnel involved in the campaigns. It would be fairer to say that each outside community had the opportunity for some contact with the campaign whether it were in the form of access to regional radio broadcasts produced by the RACOs or contact with the same extension worker serving the project community.
With this caveat in view, the beneficial effects accrued to the complete multimedia campaign communities, along with the constraints experienced, are discussed below.
The pilot site for Region 2 was Barangay Nagbukel, one of 13 barangays in San Isidro Municipality in the northern province of Isabela. It consists of a land area of 404 hectares, 94 percent of which is suitable for agriculture and tilled by about 120 farming families.
Rice farming has been the traditional major livelihood. A handful of farmers had added on Tilapia and duck raising, along with some vegetable production.
Generally, the barangay could be described as being poor, relatively non-cohesive, but with good potential for development, characteristics which closely matched the criteria for site selection.
Prior to the project, for example, a multi-purpose cooperative had started up, but with limited membership.
This was greatly expanded during the project and considerably aided with the construction of a building for rice storage and the donation of a rice drying machine by the governor of the province.
An additional positive factor throughout every phase of the project was the strong support given by the municipal mayor.
Problem tree analysis for barangay Nagbukel
Following the needs assessment, six major focal points for technology concentration were identified, namely, basal fertiliser application for rice, integrated pest management (IPM) to control infestations of golden apple snails and rice leaf-folder, rapid composting technique (RCT), sex fishpond management.
A baseline sample of 130 farmers was interviewed in the target barangay; an additional 30 farmers in a "control" community were included for comparative analysis. A complete resampling of these groups was undertaken in the post-campaign survey.
The campaign launch took place on 30 October 1992 and effectively ran until June 1994. The channel strategy included between one and two hours daily of CATS broadcasts, radio plugs from the regional radio station in addition to regular half-hour Sunday hook-ups with the CATS, pamphlets, and "wall news" on the specific technologies.
Three ten-lesson SoAs were conducted, one each on rice leaf-folder, sex-reversed Tilapia, and rapid composting technology. As well, two instructional videos were produced on SRT and RCT.
Major constraints experienced were in periodic non-functioning of the CATS speakers, partly as a result of original equipment failure but exacerbated by natural factors since this area lies in a major typhoon belt, and the reassignment of the extension worker mid-way through the project as part of an LGU directive.
Even though a replacement extension agent was quickly assigned to the site, some momentum was lost as a result of the extensive training given to the original officer.
Rapid composting demonstration was an integral part of the campaign in Region 2.
Figure 1 Pre- and post- campaign awareness of key rice and fish-pond technologies -full multimedia campaign group (Region 2)
Note: In this table and those which follow, gains between pre- and post-campaign scores for the full campaign group, and gain comparisons between full and partial campaign groups, are significant unless otherwise noted.
In spite of the hindrances, the major findings of the summative evaluation were highly positive.
Figure 1 shows the differences in awareness of the major technologies promoted (defined as a good understanding of the general aspects of a given technology) before and after the campaign.
Figure 2 Comparison of pre- and post-campaign scores and relative gains in awareness levels of key rice and fish-pond technologies by groups sampled (Region 2)
And even though what we term the "partial campaign" group had potential access to regional radio broadcasts produced by the RACO, and the same extension worker(s), and possibly some of the print materials, as the full campaign group, the cumulative effects of these potential sources appear marginal when compared to the solid awareness achievements of the full campaign group (Figure 2).
Finally, the effects on technology adoption, while showing in general a healthy gain between pre- and post-campaign levels in light of the time for such adoption to take place, also produced some unanticipated results (Figure 3).
These occurred in the sex reversal technology portion of the campaign wherein, as farmers learned more about fingerlings and the healthy market currently available in the municipality, they quickly switched from raising Tilapia (which required technology) to fingerling production.
Altogether an original group of six farmers raising Tilapia to grow-out prior to the project rose to 16 during the campaign with a spontaneous switch en masse to fingerling raising after learning about the advantages of doing so. Thus even though the awareness of sex-reversed Tilapia was high (Figure 1), a serendipitous effect took place as a result of learning about a new method for income generation, one with a fast turn-around time of 45 days and immediate market potential.
Anecdotal evidence gathered during the post-campaign survey indicated that the problems with rice-pest management were well on the way to being solved. Partly as a result of this success, coupled with the conversion to fingerling production, the Nagbukel Broadcasters Association - through strong support from the Region 2 RACO - has gained the enthusiastic respect of the community, and in effect become the major gate-keeper to further NGO and government agency involvement in the barangay. As well, NBA members have become a resource base for emerging applications of CATS in other northern municipalities.
Iloilo City is the headquarters for Region 6 and has the distinction of having the largest RACO in the country with representatives from 27 different government agencies, universities, colleges and NGOs.
In national terms, most of the island of Iloilo per se is relatively well off agriculturally and in casting about for a suitable barangay for the project the search led to the Island of Gulmaras, which lies about a half-hour bypower-launch west of Iloilo.
Once on Guimaras, the quest for a barangay meeting the criteria for site selection led to the north-eastern part of the island and the municipality of Nueva Valencia. After investigation of three communities falling with in the selection criteria, Barangay Concordia was chosen as the project site.
Figure 3 Comparison of pre and post-campaign adoption levels of multimedia campaign (Region 2)
Concordia is one of 22 communities in Nueva Valencia and has been designated as a depressed community by the government since 1982. Out of a total population of about 2 000 in 1994, the agricultural sector is composed of 168 farmers and 76 farm labourers.
The total land area of the barangay is 1 060 hectares, less than 10 percent of which is suitable for rice cropping. Mango production, which is the pride of the island but mostly carried out on large plantations, is second to rice in importance in the community, followed by coconut, cashew and bamboo.
The barangay is electrified and has a multi-purpose cooperative developed through Save the Children (Australia) some years earlier. Immediately prior to the project, however, it was characterised as relatively inactive but at the same time wishing to increase its membership and role as a community marketing agent. Public transportation to the community is poor, mostly by private motorcycles.
Following the RRA and KIP, rice and mango production were identified as the key priorities for technology concentration.
A base-line sample of 216 "farm cooperators" was interviewed in Concordia with an additional 60 rice and mango farmers sampled in a control barangay ten kilometres down the road. in the post-campaign survey the interviews were restricted to 137 farmer cooperators who produced either rice alone or rice along with mangos (81 out of the 137).
The 60 control respondents, which were later designated as a "partial campaign" sample, remained intact for the summative evaluation comparison.
In addition to awareness, general knowledge and adoption measures, 31 respondents were chosen randomly from the pilot-site sample and administered a 15 item key knowledge test separately for each of the rice and mango technologies promoted, before and after the campaign. The same test was administered for comparison with the partial campaign group.
For the purposes of brevity, only the results accrued to the mango portion of the campaign are presented in this monograph.
Audio-tower, Concordia
The campaign-launch took place on 15 August 1992 and effectively ran until the latter part of April 1994. In this community the regular CATS operations were from 5 to 6 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday along with a hook-up with the regional agricultural broadcasts producedby the RACO.
A half-hour slot was given to religious programming in the evenings (7.30-8.00 p.m.). As well, the audio-tower was used for unscheduled announcements such as vaccinations for people and animals, visiting speakers coming to the community, and special events.
Since Concordia is a large barangay, outlying areas beyond the reach of the tower were serviced through audio-cassette listening groups.
Other support media included flip-charts, pamphlets, wall news, posters, radio plugs and a seven module video on mango production.
Two SoAs averaging four to five weeks were conducted, one each for rice and mango production, using the CATS and audio-cassette listening groups and specially prepared "primers" accompanying each lesson. Each SoA was followed by four week-long farmers' classes consisting of hands-on field demonstrations provided by subject matter specialists and extension workers.
Mango grafting demonstration by specialists followed SoA.
While only the results referring to the mango technology portion of the campaign are presented here they closely parallel those realized for the rice topics. Altogether twelve technologies covering all phases of mango production were covered with the overall objective being to promote the growing of three trees per backyard. As far as awareness was concerned, the full campaign group nearly reached the maximum ceiling (Figure 4) and scored impressive relative gains between pre and post campaign scores in comparison to the partial campaign groups (65 percent versus 7 percent).
Figure 4 comparison of pre- and post-campaign scores and relative gains in awareness levels of mango technologies by groups sampled (Region 6)
The strong awareness levels generated by the full campaign group, in turn, translated into solid gains in adoption / adaptation rates (Figure 5).
Figure 5 Comparison of pre- and post-campaign levels in actual adoption or adaptation of mango technologies by groups sampled (Region 6)
The Island of Mindanao has been a major growth area in recent years and Davao City has become a beehive of development activities. It also houses the Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Headquarters for Region 11 and its RACO.
After a lengthy search for appropriate project sites in the region, including several on-site inspections, the barangay of Tacunan in the district of Tugbok, Davao City was selected.
Rush-hour traffic in barangay Tacunan
In many ways, Tacunan started out as the most depressed of all pilot sites included in the project. Most of its farmers are tenants with only about 10 percent land-ownership.
And although Tacunan is a large barangay with about 2 000 inhabitants spread over eight poroks or sub-divisions, prior to the project it was non-electrified, lacked piped water distribution and had access to only two passenger deepness plying the dirt road leading to the community.
The lack of transport meant that at any rush-hour period upwards of 35 people might be stacked onto one jeepney andjostling for space with everything from pigs and goats to sacks of rice going to market.
Tacunan is essentially a coconut-based farming community with bananas, rice, corn and assorted fruits (such as pomelo, mango and rambutan) comprising the other major commodities.
Not surprisingly, the needs assessment pointed to coconut and banana as the two priority areas for technology concentration, and notably symptoms, prevention and control of diseases in bananas, and pests in coconuts.
A total of 160 farmers, men and women, were interviewed during the base-line survey from all eight poroks.
During the post-campaign survey a sampling of 40 farmers was included from the full campaign area and 40 respondents from the peripheral poroks outside the range of the audio-tower. This latter sample was again termed a "partial campaign" group since they had access to regional radio broadcasts produced by Region 11 RACO, and were serviced by the same extension worker as the full campaign group. Since they were neighbours, they were also no doubt privy to secondary information from the full campaign group.
Figure 6 Awareness of major banana disease symptoms, prevention and control: full campaign group (Region 11)
The Tacunan pilot project was launched with much fanfare on 16 August 1992 and effectively ran until the latter part of May,1994. As part of the opening ceremonies, the "problem tree" was graphically displayed on a billboard as a focus for community development.
Local government dignitaries, led by the mayor of Davao City as well as invited NGOs were then asked to pledge their support to problems in their sectoral area (such as agriculture, health, sanitation, education). Thus, as the project evolved, a holistic community development approach was followed wherein as one set of objectives was solved, the problem tree provided an agenda for the next round.
Within agriculture per se, the communication strategy followed a series of single technology-focused campaigns to address the priorities previously identified. Major problems extant in the community consisted of two banana diseases, bugtok or tibagnol, and bunchy top, both transmitted by insect pests, and one major coconut pest, rhinoceros beetle.
Tibagnol causes hardening of the fruit pulp, while bunchy top stunts growth and eventually kills the banana plant; rhinoceros beetles destroy both coconut fruits and trees if left unchecked.
Led by the CATS, two campaigns were conducted involving a series of broadcasts, information pamphlets, posters, extension-worker support and invited subject matter experts for special on-site training. The pre- and post-campaign results on awareness of symptoms, prevention and control of key banana diseases are shown in Figure 6. The adoption of recommended technologies shown in Figure 7 is also impressive, particularly when noting the low pre-campaign levels.
Figure 7 Comparison of pre- and post-campaign adoption levels of recommended banana technologies by groups sampled (Region 11)
Further to these encouraging quantitative findings, a host of other developments have transformed the community. In addition to a plant nursery and community fish pond, three demonstration plots have been established for research purposes, namely sericulture, bananas, and coconut varieties. The research in this sense is initiated by the farmers themselves and subject matter specialists are only invited for methodology and technology input advice.
Field workers discussed community action planning with the aid of problem tree in Tacunan
Three cooperatives were operational by 1994, a water system was installed, electricity was on the way to the village, and a new cement road was under construction. From hesitant beginnings, the 20-member strong Radyo Tacunan Community Broadcasters Association (RTCBA) had developed a new image, complete with a standard uniform for all members. It had also become established as a legal association capable of undertaking revenue-generating activities.
During the latter part of the project the RTCBA had become the catalyst around which five year community development planning was taking place and, in effect, the entry point for NGO and government agency involvement in the village. Perhaps as a direct result of this involvement, Tacunan residents were unanimous in their post-campaign rating of the CATS as the most important source of agricultural information and their wish to see it remaining in operation.
Radio Tacunan weekly broadcast schedule
Lying in the south-east portion across the Island of Mindanao from Davao City, is the headquarters for Region 9, Zamboanga City and the last of the pilot sites, barangay Tulungatung. In this instance only one commodity, rice, was chosen for technology transfer concentration, but each phase of the production cycle was done thoroughly.
Tulungatung lies about 17 kilometres west of Zamboanga in Ayala, one of the city's six districts. Comprised of seven poroks, it has a total land area of 227 hectares, the cultivated portion of which is mainly devoted, in order of priority, to rice, coconut and vegetable crops.
As of 1991 it had a population of 1890, 52 percent of whom were rice-based farming families, 23 percent coconut-based, and 25 percent in other employment. It has adequate access to transportation with a passable dirt and gravel road giving easy access about a kilo metre away to the main highway leading to Zamboanga. During the life of the project a common irrigation system for rice was revitalised and two rice-drying mills were actively functioning.
The barangay qualified as a depressed agricultural area mainly because of a gold mining operation in the foothills immediately above Tulungatung which deposited its tailings in a stream the barangay used for irrigating its rice paddies.
Over a period of three decades, the once fertile soils of the barangay were gradually rendered less productive. This degradation of the agricultural base, coupled with low knowledge of rice technologies and exacerbated by outbreaks of pests and diseases, naturally resulted in a lowering of annual yields. In the year leading up to the launching of the pilot-site campaigns, for example, average rice yields in the barangay were 46 cavans (44 kilograms of rice per cavan) per hectare as opposed to 77 cavans for the whole of Zamboanga City.
Billboard of revenue-generating activities Tacunan
The Tulungatung campaign was similar in many respects to those noted earlier. Following the installation of the CATS and a brief try-out period, it was launched during October 1992 and ran until May 1994. The variety of media used included the CATS, pamphlets, instructional video models projected from a mobile van, a three-month-long SoA, hosted by the extension workers assigned to the area, supported by primers, and evaluated throughout with written tests after each lesson.
Farmer training sessions with hands-on field demonstrations by subject matter specialists complemented the media-based learning modules.
The Tulungatung campaign varied somewhat from the other pilot sites in that its CATS put out a full two hours of scheduled broad casts daily, seven days a week with a dedicated half-hour of agricultural broadcasts (5.30 to 6.00 a.m.) Monday through Friday. In addition, a Saturday morning hook-up with the regional half-hour agri-business radio programme produced by Region 9 RACO was aired.
A further variation occurred when the audio-tower was moved from its original location beside the Barclay office and re-established some two kilometres away in the middle of, and surrounded by, the community's rice fields. Timely technology announcements could hence be directly targeted to farmers as they were working.
Figure 8 Pre- and post campaign awareness levels - full multimedia campaign group (Region 9)
Region 9 targeted a "total family approach" in its campaign. Accordingly, the baseline survey in the pilot community covered 150 respondents composed of 50 heads of household, male farmers, 50 housewives and 50 adolescents; an equal number were sampled in an adjacent community.
Only the male heads of household were reinterviewed for the summative evaluation of campaign effects on technology transfer since they perform the major part of rice farming operations and take the lead in decisions on inputs and methods.
Figure 8 shows the full range of topics covered and the shifts between pre- and post-campaign awareness levels. Figure 9 puts these gains into relief when compared with those generated by the partial campaign group, the latter of whom, like those in other regions, had access to the same extension worker(s), regional radio broadcasts, and possibly some secondary information from pilot-site farmers as well.
Figure 9 Comparison of pre- and post-campaign scores and relative gains in awareness levels of rice technologies by groups sampled (Region 9)
When the high awareness scores were translated into concrete action, the results were also encouraging for both individual practice changes and in comparing the relative gains made by the pilot-site group in comparison with the financially better-off partial campaign sample (Figure 10).
Figure 10 Comparison of pre- and post-campaign adoption levels of rice technologies and relative gains by group sampled (Region 9)
In acknowledging with some pride the considerable changes which had tively short span of time, Region 9 project implementers were quick to point out that the growth in the rates of adoption were mostly due to low-cost practice changes.
For example, one of their first challenges was to control a severe infestation of black bug which had been a major rice pest in the area during the previous six years. A cheap but effective repellent in the form of neem-leaf abstract was recommended and a vigorous effort was made to increase the local supply of neem plants. By the end of the campaign the outbreak of the pest was brought well under control, largely through the efforts of the CATS.
A further variation in the Region 9 evaluation involved the monitoring of rice production levels in the pilot site which, from a meagre beginning of 43 cavans per hectare during the wet season in 1992, had more than doubled to 90 cavans per hectare after the campaign (see Box 3).
One immediately tangible benefit of this increase in income was manifested by the full attendance of children at the primary school, proudly dressed in fresh uniforms and equipped with new books and supplies. Additional production increases, however, may be dependent upon more costlier technologies and a variety of capital-generating projects, such as sericulture, are being considered by the community to support higher level inputs.
Other benefits accrued to the community during the project cycle included a new paved road connecting to the main highway; and with materials and labour contributed by the community, the barangay hall was rebuilt, along with a farmer training centre incorporating a new CATS studio. Parallel to its CATS-led, techno-transfer success has come notoriety and since 1993 Tulungatung has been listed as one of the agri-tourist locations for Zamboanga City.
A CATS-created celebrity in Tulugatung interviews a fellow farmer
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Box 3 Production increases recorded A detailed tallying of ace production levels in the pilot-site for Region 9 was undertaken before, during, and after the campaign for comparison with those generated in the larger Ayala District. In this case, the campaign was introduced during the dry season in 1993 and its first impact was reflected in the figures for the 1993 wet season harvest (the dry season runs from about December to May, and the wet season from June to November). During the most intense portion of the campaign, a four month SoA with three CATS broadcasts per week plus print support and field demonstrations by specialists covering all facets of rice farming, including integrated pest management, was run from mid-January to mid-May 1994 or immediately prior to the wet season rice production cycle for that year. As can be noted in the table below, from a meagre beginning of 43 cavans per hectare during the wet season in 1992, immediately after the campaign in 1994 the wet season harvest yield had more than doubled to 90 cavans per hectare, only six short of that produced in the district at large. Translated into monetary terms, at the going 1994 selling rate of 3.5 pesos per kilo, the wet season harvest increase per hectare in 1994 over 1992 levels amounted to Ps7 238, or about US$290. One immediately tangible benefit of the increase in income was manifested by the full attendance of children at the barangay primary school, proudly dressed in fresh unifoms and equipped with new books and supplies. Additional production increases, however, may be dependent upon more costlier technologies and a variety of capital generating projects, such as sericulture, are being considered by the community to support higher level inputs.
* The full campaign area contained 94 hectares of rice land. One cavan of unmilled rice or palay in this region of the Philippines is equal to 44 kilograms. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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