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An underlying assumption in the development of the LPP knowledge
and technology dissemination strategy is that a poor household's
access to and exchange of information is a significant livelihood
constraint.
Most poor livestock keepers interact and
exchange information with other resource
users/production systems, but displaced,
landless and highly mobile people may be so
isolated as to be unable to access otherwise well
established channels of information. Poor
livestock keepers are arguably disadvantaged
more by their inability to be heard, to make
their needs known, and by an inequality of
access to information where knowledge gives
priority to privileged resources (marginalization), than from an inability to
hear about general innovations to their
advantage.
Marginalized livestock keepers need to be
considered as the main actors in the processes
of innovation. Dissemination strategies need to
be developed that will contribute to, and
enhance local innovation processes within the
poorest sectors.
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| The Role and Importance of Knowledge, Attitudes and Information |
People’s knowledge and attitudes influence what they do. There are different kinds of knowledge, including understanding (for example, how diseases are transmitted between animals), and knowing how to do things (for example, how to construct a shelter for animals). Smallstock keepers need both these kinds of knowledge to manage their animals effectively. Areas of knowledge which are important include biological processes, management practices, new technology and innovations, markets and regulations.
Attitudes are the way we feel about things. They are based on our
values - the things that are important to us. A smallstock keeper
who has a strong, positive attitude towards animal welfare is
likely to look after his or her animals differently from someone
who does not think welfare is important.
Having access to information is important for two reasons. First, it is the main way in which knowledge and attitudes develop and change. Second, farmers need information to make decisions.
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| Skills in Relation to Changes in Practice |
Turning new knowledge into a change in practice often means learning new skills. These might be practical or manual skills, such as how to milk a goat or how to plant fodder shrubs. Or they might be mental skills, such as calculating how much fodder is needed for animals at different stages of lactation. Some changes may only be possible if more fundamental skills are already in place: keeping records, for example, is only possible for people who have learned to read and write.
Learning new skills takes time and practice. We develop confidence in our new skills by being able to try them out, seeing them work and getting helpful feedback when they go wrong.
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| Communication and Interaction |
We often think of communication as a process of giving a message to someone, or of transferring knowledge or information to them. A common definition of communication is that it is a process in which a "source" sends a "message" through a "channel" to a "receiver" in order to achieve some "effect": this is the SMCRE model of communication. But most communication is much more interactive than that. People learn best when they can ask questions, and when new knowledge is expressed in different ways so that it becomes clear. Feedback is an essential part of effective communication. This means that those who work with smallstock keepers as teachers and advisers must develop a style of communication that includes opportunities for dialogue and interaction.
Communication happens through many different channels. Some allow much more interaction than others. A face-to-face training session can be much more interactive than a leaflet or a radio programme. But even print and broadcast mass media can be designed to encourage questioning and dialogue.
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| Communicating with Poor Smallstock Keepers |
In all communication, listening is at least as important as speaking. We need to know what the other person is thinking, what is important to them and what their most pressing concerns are before we can interact effectively with them. When working with poor smallstock keepers, this means:
- Finding out how they manage smallstock and why they do it in this way
- Seeing that they already have knowledge and skills, which can be built on
- Recognizing that poor families cannot afford to take unnecessary risks.
Poor smallstock keepers get most of their information and ideas about livestock management from other smallstock keepers in their own community. Most of them do not have good access to other sources of information, such as vets and extension workers. Two effective ways of improving their access to information are:
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Identifying and training smallstock keepers as informal, or "farmer to farmer", extension workers.
For more information see:
Participatory Farm Management
methods for agricultural research
and extension: a training manual
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Training local animal health workers who can provide health advice and basic clinical services within the community.
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| Communication as a Means of Promoting Policy Change |
Policy makers need information to help them see how current policies
affect poor smallstock keepers, and how change in policy might
improve their situation. As national politicians and senior government
administrators, they are busy people and lots of organizations
and interest groups try to influence the decisions they make.
It is important that the voice of poor smallstock keepers is heard
clearly amongst all these other voices. Advocacy, or putting forward
the point of view of those affected by policy decisions, is an
important communication task which can be done on behalf of poor
smallstock keepers either by their own representative bodies or
by others such as non-government organizations.
Effective ways of communicating with policy makers include:
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- Preparing short, informative briefing papers on the outcome of recent research
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- Interacting with them at short seminars and workshops
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- Arranging face to face meetings between policy makers and
smallstock keepers' representatives
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- Exposing the situation of smallstock keepers in the national media (press, radio, television)
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- Using drama or participatory video to present smallstock
keepers' analysis of their situation to policy makers.
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| Tools for Finding out: Enquiry and Discovery
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Anyone who wants to work with smallstock keepers in a particular area, to help them maintain and improve their livelihoods, must spend time finding out a lot about them. Some of this information may be available in reports and publications, but much of it will need to come from listening and discussing with smallstock keepers. The information needed might include:
- Why do they keep animals? How much contribution do the animals
make to the household income? How important are they in
the family's nutrition and food security?
- How do they look after their animals? Who looks after the animals? What do they see as their main constraints in managing their smallstock? What changes would they like to make if they had the opportunity?
- What are the constraints to keeping animals? Where smallstock are important for household food security and poverty reduction, which types and breeds are best suited to the local conditions. What are the constraints to improved survival of smallstock, and/or to increased production? How do people start keeping livestock if they don't have any?
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For more on tools for finding out |
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| Tools for Communicating |
Communication - this sharing of ideas and information - is a large part of an extension worker's job, whether they are part of a formal extension agency, or any other group working with farmers. By passing on ideas, advice and information, agricultural extension workers attempt to influence the decisions that farmers make. They may also encourage farmers to communicate with one another, since farmers are an important source of information for each other, and the sharing of problems and ideas is important in a farming community.
Extension workers and others involved in the communication of agricultural and livestock related information must also be able to communicate with superior officers and research workers about situations faced by farmers in their area.
There are many ways in which such extension agents and farmers might communicate. This section looks at general principles of communication and discusses the use of mass media and audio-visual aids for communication in extension work.
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For more on these tools |
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| Providing Information |
The provision of information on livestock production has not been seen as a priority for centralized extension services in many developing countries. Agricultural extension services are usually designed around the need to provide information on annual or perennial crops. Livestock ministries tend to be dominated by veterinarians and as a result their major concerns are for animal health. At the same time, the potential for increasing livestock production through the provision of improved information is growing.
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For more on information needs and sources |
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