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Quantifying farmers preferences: Can it be done? Steven Franzel. Use of the bao game for getting farmers’ assessments of alternative trees. Combine Accuracy, precision, and ability to generalize User-friendliness of participatory research. Tools for getting farmer evaluations of technologies.
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Quantifying farmers preferences: Can it be done?Steven Franzel • Use of the bao game for getting farmers’ assessments of alternative trees. • Combine • Accuracy, precision, and ability to generalize • User-friendliness of participatory research
Tools for getting farmer evaluations of technologies • 1. Scoring questionnaires • Rating on a ‘1 to x’ basis gives quantitative data, but is problematic in rural, third world setting Because farmers’ involvement is passive, they become bored
Tools for getting farmer evaluations of technologies • 2. Matrix ranking: diagram with alternatives on one axis, criteria on the other.
Advantages of matrix ranking: • Farmers control process • Visual tool, facilitates discussion and correction But it is not used for collecting quantitative data (Maxwell 1997)
Bao game case study • Overall research objective: Combine advantages of scoring questionnaires and matrix ranking. • Case study : Burundi. • Objective.: Find out how farmers evaluate trees in an on-farm trial.
First you need to get farmers’ criteria • Tour the farm asking about the uses, advantage and disadvantage of each tree • List the farmers’ criteria • Break off a branch of each tree
Find a comfortable place for the farmer to use the bao game to score different trees
Burundi case study • 45 farmer interviews. • They rated 8 trees for timber and firewood across 7 criteria • Ratings from 1(low) to 5 (high)
Farmer criteria • Tree management and growth • Compatibility with crops • Speed of growth • Resistance to pests • Use for timber • Wood appearance • Straightness • Use for firewood • Quick in drying • Durability of fire
Burundi case study: Main findings • Eucalyptus and Grevillea, the most common species, also the highest rated • Grevillea for fast growth and compatibility • Eucalyptus for fast growth and firewood • Two other high-rated species, Cedrela and Maesopsis, not commonly grown due to lack of planting material
Conclusions • Bao game combines strengths of scoring questionnaires with those of matrix ranking • Bao game is useful for generating quantitative data • Accurate • Precise • Permits generalization, hypothesis testing • Quantitative data on farmer criteria and preferences are key inputs into tree improvement program.