Methodology
The Educational Research Design
The FFS usually has a periodicity of one year and involves a group of approximately 15-30 participants. The methodology incorporates activities which facilitate group observation, discussion, analysis, presentation, and collective decision making and actions. Accompanying this “learning by doing” design this project will undertake a mixed method approach, where the inherent qualities of both quantitative and qualitative methods will be combined to comparatively assess the implementation of the Knowledge Transfer Curriculum (KTC) in three communities in the parish of St. Elizabeth. In this educational design, a summative evaluation will give an understanding of the merit of the KTC and its application by farmers in order to further improved the curriculum.
The IFFS manual is divided into two (2) sections:
Section 1: Welcome to Irrigation Farmer Feild School (IFFS)
- Introduction to IFFS - a general introduction to IFFS and the concept of irrigation
- Agro-Ecosystem Analysis (AESA) - guiding farmers in the process of conducting regular observation and analysis of their farms to become decision- making experts.
- Climate Change - assisting farmers in the understanding of climate trends, threats, and solutions which will aid their adaptive capacity.
Section 2: The Irrigation Knowledge Transfer Curriculum (KTC)
- Climate-Smart Water Conservation Management
- Soil Water Management
- Plant-Water Interactions
(Click to view Irrigation Knowledge Transfer Curriculum)​
Setting the Context
Through small, interactive sessions, each module will be explored in depth within a selected community. The modules will be integrated with Jamaica's dry season (December - March), secondary wet season (April-May) and the Mid-Summer Drought (July).
The communities of Yardley Chase and Red Bank was engaged in February 2017; starting the interactive sessions at this time enabled the construction and implementation of relevant Module 3- Climate Smart Water Conservation methods and systems in preparation for the early rainy season. During the month of April, Module 4- Soil Water Management was introduced where water is expected to be more readily available at this time. This encourages the exploration of soil water management strategies learned. In the month of July during the Mid-Summer Drought, Module 5 – Plant-Water Interactions will be introduced to the Ballards Valley community to practically demonstrate the methods of managing plant water stress, and the increased production of varieties more tolerant to drought conditions. Through collaborative efforts with the Rural Agricultural Development Agency extension officers, all the modules of the IFFS will be demonstrated on selected plots within the communities.
These communities are amongst some of the non-irrigated areas in the parish which struggles with the issues of low irrigation efficiency, the availability and accessibility of water as well as adverse losses during the extended dry season or droughts.
Scoping & Evaluation
In order to initiate the knowledge transfer process, a baseline survey in the form of a focus group was done in each community to build rapport with farmers, identify participants for the IFFS and allow for a deeper understanding of water-related challenges.
This baseline was used to inform the Knowledge, Attitudes and Perception survey which will be carried out to assess differences in knowledge, practice and farm productivity.
Some Data Collection Tools
- IFFS Pre and Post Test
A tool used to determine current knowledge versus gained knowledge (the same questions are asked at the start and finish of the IFFS)
- Information Transfer Chart
A tool used to identify the degree to which knowledge is received through different instruction methods
- Agro-Ecosystem Analysis (AESA) Form
A tool used to improve farmers’ decision-making and data recording process
- Water Audit Forms
A tool used increase farmers’ availability and water use efficiency, while reducing water costs
- Knowledge Attitudes Perception (KAP) Survey
Evaluates farmers’ knowledge and behavioural change (i.e. adoption of adaptive practices) and on farm productivity in comparison to non-participants of the project