Attitude counts: engaging with rice farmers in West Africa

Abstract

An international project called PADS promoted participatory learning and action research with inland valley rainfed rice farmers in West Africa. All countries received the same training, similar funding, and the same leadership. Although the staff in Ghana were conscientious and gave much training to the farmer beneficiaries, the Mali staff explicitly encouraged farmers to experiment. Farmers in Mali responded to this favourable attitude by experimenting more than those in Ghana, and in qualitatively more interesting ways. Long-term engagement with grassroots organisations may be as conducive to changing public servants' attitudes as the actual participatory approach promoted on the ground.

L'attitude compte: travail avec des riziculteurs en Afrique de l'Ouest

Un projet international appelé PADS a favorisé l'apprentissage participatif et la recherche-action avec des riziculteurs pratiquant la culture pluviale dans les vallées de l'intérieur des terres en Afrique de l'Ouest. Tous les pays ont reçu la même formation, un financement similaire et le même leadership. Alors que les membres du personnel du Ghana étaient consciencieux et dispensaient une formation considérable aux agriculteurs bénéficiaires, le personnel du Mali encourageait expressément les riziculteurs à faire des expériences. Les riziculteurs du mali ont réagi à cette attitude favorable en faisant plus d'expériences que ceux du Ghana, et ce de manières plus intéressantes sur le plan qualitatif. L'engagement à long terme avec les organisations de la base populaire peut être tout aussi propice à la modification des attitudes des fonctionnaires que l'approche participative même promue sur le terrain.

As atitudes contam: Engajamento com produtores de arroz na África Ocidental

Um projeto internacional chamado PADS promoveu uma pesquisa sobre aprendizado e ação participativa com produtores de arroz irrigado com água da chuva no interior do vale na África Ocidental. Todos os países receberam o mesmo treinamento, financiamento semelhante e a mesma liderança. Embora os funcionários de Gana estivessem cientes e oferecessem bastante treinamento aos produtores beneficiários, os funcionários de Mali incentivaram explicitamente os produtores a experimentar. Os produtores de Mali responderam a esta atitude favorável experimentando mais do que aqueles de Gana e de maneiras mais interessantes em termos qualitativos. O engajamento de longo prazo com organizações de base pode contribuir para mudar as atitudes dos servidores públicos tanto quanto a abordagem participativa real promovida na base.

La actitud cuenta: el trato personal con campesinos arroceros de África Occidental

Un proyecto internacional llamado PADS promovió el aprendizaje participativo y la investigación-acción entre campesinos que cultivaban arroz de secano en los valles centrales de África Occidental. Todos los países participantes recibieron la misma capacitación, un financiamiento similar y las mismas orientaciones. Si bien el personal de Ghana era muy diligente y transmitió muchos conocimientos a los campesinos beneficiarios en capacitaciones, el personal de Malí se centró más explícitamente en animarlos para que experimentaran. Los campesinos de Malí respondieron a esta actitud estimuladora realizando más experimentos y de maneras cualitativamente más interesantes que los campesinos de Ghana. El compromiso de largo plazo con organizaciones de base puede ser tan importante para lograr un cambio en la actitud del servidor público como el método participativo que se promueve en la actualidad sobre el terreno.

Keywords:

• Gender and diversity
• Labour and livelihoods
• Methods
• Technology
• Sub-Saharan Africa

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Marco Wopereis commented on an earlier version. Jonas Wanvoeke was part of the evaluation team and contributed to the conclusions drawn here.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Paul Van Mele

Paul Van Mele (corresponding author) was Program leader, Learning and Innovation Systems at the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice, ex-WARDA) and was the former regional coordinator of the PADS Project (Participatory Adaptation and Diffusion of Technologies for Rice-Based Systems). <[email protected]>

Jeffery W. Bentley

Jeffery W. Bentley is an agricultural anthropologist and international consultant, based in Cochabamba, Bolivia. He reviewed the PADS project. <[email protected]>

Rosaline Maiga Dacko

Rosaline Maiga Dacko was the national coordinator of the PADS Project for Mali and is now coordinating projects for Intercooperation, Mali. <[email protected]>

Kalifa Yattara

Kalifa Yattara is a researcher with the IER (Institut d'Économie Rurale). Together with Rosaline Maiga Dacko he managed the PADS project in Mali. <[email protected]>

George K. Acheampong

George K. Acheampong is a researcher at the Crops Research Institute (CRI), Kumasi, Ghana and was the national leader of the PADS Project for Ghana, during the last year of the project (2007–08). <[email protected]>