Three new publications related to sustainable agriculture are
available. They focus more on the methods to generate and
disseminate knowledge about sustainable agriculture:
. Participatory Action Research and Social Change
. Documenting, Evaluating and Learning from our Development
Projects: A Participatory Systematization Workbook
. Farmer-to-Farmer Extension: Lessons from the Field
More details follow...
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BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH AND SOCIAL CHANGE
by Daniel Selener
Published by The Cornell Participatory Action Research Network.
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. USA. 1997 / 2nd. edition,
358 pages; paperback. ISBN 9978-95-130-X
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Participatory Action Research approaches have been developed
and applied in four main areas:
1) participatory research in community development,
2) action research in organizations,
3) action research in education,
4) farmer participatory research.
In Part I, the book presents a detailed description of each
participatory action research approach including: origins,
definition and main focus, main components and characteristics,
epistemological assumptions, role of the researcher, guidelines
for conducting participatory action research and intended
outcomes. It includes a case study for each approach.
Part II of the book discusses the implications and potential
for social change of each participatory action research approach
including: type and level of participation, democracy, power and
control of the research process and of the context in which it
takes place, and theories of social change in relation to
participatory action research.
This is an excellent resource book for both academics and
practitioners using participatory action research in different
settings. It is also very useful as a text-book for professors
and students. It contains a specialized bibliography of more
than 1,000 sources.
HOW TO ORDER:
ORDERS MUST BE PREPAID. The cost of the book is US$ 30, postage
included. Please send check in US Dollars payable to GLOBAL ACTION
PUBLICATIONS, issued from a bank located in the US; or send check
in any European currency (equivalent to 30 U$S) issued from a bank
located in Europe. Mail checks to:
GLOBAL ACTION PUBLICATIONS
Apartado Postal 17-08-8494
Quito, ECUADOR
(South America)
20% discount is available on orders of more than 10 books for
seminars, college or university courses, or other educational
purposes.
For more information please contact us at:
fax (593-2) 443-763 or e-mail: daniel@iirr.ecuanex.net.ec
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BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT
DOCUMENTING, EVALUATING AND LEARNING FROM OUR DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS:
A PARTICIPATORY SYSTEMATIZATION WORKBOOK
by Daniel Selener, with C. Purdy and G. Zapata. IIRR: New York.
1996. 107pp. ISBN 9978-04-241-5 (Available in English and Spanish).
In spite of a growing interest and need, there are few, clear
practical guidelines on how to design, follow-up, and evaluate
development projects and social work programs or activities in
a participatory way.
In general terms, formal evaluations focus almost exclusively on
measuring results without the active participation of
beneficiaries. Many development and social work practitioners are
departing from the traditional practice of measuring only project
results and are seeking a more comprehensive understanding of its
processes as well.
Staff of non-government organizations, grassroots and citizen
organizations, and government agencies need to understand the
operating processes of projects in which they are involved. Social
workers, evaluators, researchers and community members often
reflect informally on how projects have been designed and
implemented and can be improved. This knowledge is rarely
documented, analyzed and shared in a systematic way in order to
improve the project through on-going learning about its process
and results.
Systematization is a continuous process of participatory reflection
on a project's processes and results, undertaken by both project
staff and participants. This systematic analysis generates lessons
which are fed back to improve the project, thus strengthening the
learning and organizational capacities of development
organizations. The project experiences are documented and can be
shared with other organizations.
This practical workbook provides an understanding of the concept of
systematization; as well as guidelines for planning the
systematization process, and for conducting follow-up and
evaluation activities to improve project processes and results. It
also includes useful tools for implementing the systematization
process. The workbook contents are:
Section 1: What is systematization?
Section 2: Objectives of systematization
Section 3: Planning of systematization
Section 4: What to systematize: areas of analysis
Section 5: Sharing lessons learned
Section 6: Toolbox
HOW TO ORDER:
ORDERS MUST BE PREPAID. The cost of the workbook is US$ 20, postage
included. Please make checks payable to "IIRR" in US Dollars,
issued from a bank located in the US; or send check in any European
currency (equivalent to 2O U$S) issued from a bank located in
Europe. Mail checks to:
IIRR
Apartado Postal 17-08-8494
Quito, ECUADOR
(South America)
For more information please contact us at fax (593-2) 443-763
or e-mail: daniel@iirr.ecuanex.net.ec
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BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT
FARMER-TO-FARMER EXTENSION:
LESSONS FROM THE FIELD
by Daniel Selener, Jacqueline Chenier, Raul Zelaya et al. 1997.
IIRR: New York. 150 pp. (Available in English and Spanish).
This book is the result of two workshops, one in Honduras and
another in Ecuador, that were conducted to document and analyze
the experiences of several rural development projects, using
the "farmer-to-farmer" extension methodology. It is important
to emphasize that most of the information contained in the book is
from the farmer promoters (*) points of view, based on many years
of their practical experience working in farmer-to-farmer programs.
The description and analysis presented offers a broad set of
experiences. This information can be analyzed and adapted by the
reader to his/her own project, according to the context, project
philosophy, objectives, and available resources, among others.
The book contents are:
PART I: DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS OF THE COMPONENTS OF
THE FARMER-TO-FARMER METHODOLOGY
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Characteristics of farmer promoters
Chapter 3: What is the work of farmer promoters?
Chapter 4: How do farmer promoters do their work?
Chapter 5: Selection of farmer promoters
Chapter 6: Generalist and specialist farmer promoters
Chapter 7: Work location: in their community or in other
communities
Chapter 8: Volunteer, part-time, and full-time farmer promoters
Chapter 9: Salaries and job incentives for farmer promoters
Chapter 10: Training and technical assistance for farmer promoters
Chapter 11: Relationship between extension agents and farmer
promoters
Chapter 12: Women farmer promoters
Chapter 13: Some final considerations
PART II: CASE STUDIES
Chapters 14 to 18 present 5 case studies from Mexico, Nicaragua and
Ecuador. This book is especially useful for people working in
different kinds of projects (agriculture, health, education,
community development, etc.) following participatory approaches to
rural development.
HOW TO ORDER:
ORDERS MUST BE PREPAID. The cost of the FARMER-TO-FARMER book is
US$ 15 dollars, postage included. Please make check payable to
"IIRR" in US$ Dollars, issued from a bank located in the US; or
send check in any European currency (equivalent to 15 U$S) issued
from a bank located in Europe. Mail checks to:
IIRR
Apartado Postal 17-08-8494
Quito, ECUADOR
(South America)
If you need further information you can contact us at
FAX: (593-2) 443-763 or
e-mail: daniel@iirr.ecuanex.net.ec
(*) Farmer promoters are also known by a number of other names
including: paraprofessionals, community educators or instructors,
rural promoters, farmer extension agents, local facilitators,
community promoters, indigenous facilitators, and village
extensionists, among others.
Daniel Selener PLEASE NOTE NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS!!
daniel@iirr.ecuanex.net.ec
International Institute for Rural Reconstruction (IIRR)
Pasaje Muirriagui Donoso 4451 y Av. America
Casilla Postal 17-08-8494
Quito, ECUADOR (South America)
TEL: (593-2) 458-263 FAX: (593-2) 443-763
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