It can be very informative for agricultural experts to produce
their own problem tree, and then to compare it with the one produced
by farmers. This will indicate areas of knowledge which may need
strengthening among farmers, as well as areas where the agricultural
experts' understanding of local farming systems and problems needs
strengthening.
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Problem Trees do more than just outline the
root causes of the problem. They provide a visual breakdown
of problems into their symptoms as well as their causes. The
process can be a useful tool in building a community’s
awareness of the problem, how they and others contribute to
the problem, and how these problems affect their lives. This
may also be an important step when attempting to build support
for any interventions, new techniques or improved technologies.
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| The problem
tree allows participants to see both the range and
extent of the problems. They can see what the effects
of the problems are and what the causes are. It also
helps us to understand the interrelationships between
problems and causes. |
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| Procedures
for Creating Problem Trees |
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Ask farmers what problems affect agriculture
in the area.
Write each of these problems on separate cards. |
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Ask farmers to rank them: which are the most serious or
important? |
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Agree on a main problem on which the discussion will now
focus. |
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Place the main problem in the centre of a large piece of
paper, or on the ground. |
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Ask farmers what causes the problem, and what the effects
are. |
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Write each of these causes and effects on a separate card
and place them on the paper or on the ground to show how they
are linked to the main problem. Place the causes below the
main problem, and the effects above it. |
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For each cause, ask what causes it; for each effect, ask
what the consequences are. Continue this process until no
further causes and effects are mentioned. |
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Move the cards around until participants agree they are
in the correct position in relation to the main problem. Draw
lines between the cards to indicate the patterns of cause
and effect, as in the example below. |
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Discuss which causes have the most effect on the problem;
and then discuss which ones the farmers, local organizations
and outside agencies might be able to tackle. |
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Examples of a Problem
Tree |
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Above: Problem tree related to soil fertility, indicating the roles played by livestock - through loss of livestock and shortage of labour to handle the manure.
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Above: Problem tree constructed by Rabaris in Kumbhan, Gujarat, showing water scarcity as the core problem. See this example in:
Participatory research at the landscape level: Kumbhan water trough case study
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| Suggestions and Tips |
It is difficult to develop a problem tree in a workshop situation
with a large group of people. A problem tree is best developed
by a smaller group of people who are familiar with the settlement
and problems. This group can more easily focus on the specific
impacts and on issues that can be easily addressed.
It is also important that all the stakeholders develop a common
understanding of the
problems and how they are connected.
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Important issues to remember include the following: |
- Focus on a single issue at a time
- Keep it simple
- Test the logic of what you are doing by attempting to use
“If /Then” arguments. If the statement cannot logically
be worded in this manner, it is almost certain that there is
not an inherent cause/effect relationship in the two linked
components.
- When you have categorized root causes into major categories
in a non-participative manner, ensure that you go back to the
relevant stakeholders to ensure that your assumptions are correct.
- Remember that you are identifying underlying causes and developing
Problem Trees from a livestock development and poverty reduction
perspective.
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| Solutions to
the Problem |
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Solutions must be linked to the Problem
Analysis |
Solutions should be sought that are directly relevant
to the problems being discussed, rather than to an understandable
desire to improve wider problems within a community. |
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Complexity of the Problems |
Many problems are inherently complex and can not be solved
with simple solutions.
Because of this complexity and the fact that each problem
will usually have underlying physical, social and institutional
causes, no single solution or intervention will be able to
address all the problems and their causes. A range of interventions
will need to be developed to address the problems as well
as the causes. This range of interventions should, together,
solve the particular livestock problem. |
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Finding the Right Solution |
Finding the right solution is dependent on ensuring that the
real causes of a problem are addressed rather than just the
symptoms or effects. If a community complained of low fertility
rates in sheep, or of low growth rates - the solution would
not simply be to provide them a different breed of sheep. Instead,
it is more productive and more sustainable to go through the
assessment process to find out why they did not have as many
lambs as expected, or perhaps as in the past, or why they were
not growing as fast as expected. Depending on these reasons,
the potential solutions to the problem may be very different.
Providing an "improved" breed of sheep may simply
make the problem worse, whereas improved or supplemental feeding
at the critical period of the year, or of the breeding cycle,
may provide significant rewards. |
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Short-term versus Long-term Solutions |
You will find that solutions for a number of the causes
of individual problems can be developed that have a short-term
or a longer-term focus. Whilst longer term solutions may initially
be more costly, they may be both cheaper and more sustainable
when seen in the longer time-frame. On the other hand, short-term
changes may sometimes be implemented with little or no cost.
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