| Property | Value |
| Name | Making a Difference in the Community. Assessing the impact of a participatory research-oriented |
| Description | Buenavista, G. I. Coxhead, and K. Kim 1998. Making a Difference in the Community. Assessing the impact of a participatory research-oriented project: results of a survey. SANREM.If project evaluation is difficult, assessing the impact of a research project -- in which the major outputs are ideas -- is very difficult, and to do so for a participatory rural development project utilizing non-formal locally-based methods of information exchange is highly problematic. In this paper we report such an attempt for a project investigation sustainable agriculture and environmental management among mainly farm households in a Philippine watershed. We present and analyze data from surveys of individuals and 'opinion leaders' at the project site. To substitute for “with project” and “without project” samples of respondents (since other sources of heterogeneity may divide these) we construct several measures of “distance” from the project and locate our sample along these measures. While hypotheses of statistical causation remain to be tested, preliminary analysis of the survey results indicates that proximity to the project is positively correlated with heightened awareness of environmental linkages and concepts, more “environment-conscious” attitudes, and a higher propensity to adopt relatively costly sustainable agriculture practices such as integrated pest management (IPM), hedgerows and contour strips. These findings emerge in spite of a relatively brief project life (less than five years) and a concentration of project activities on research rather than training or extension. Moreover, 'opinion leaders' who report the project as a primary influence on their thinking are also cited as important sources by respondents in the random sample. This finding, in an era of administrative decentralization and political devolution, suggests that the project may have indirect as well as direct means to influence individual decision-makers. We conclude that a participatory approach to research design and implementation, as followed in the project under examination, is an effective means to transfer information to and among farmers, thus reducing the subjective costs of adopting new practices. |
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| Created On: | 11/18/2008 14:55 |
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