Reversals, Institutions and Change 101The strongest incentive, though, is professional and personal satisfaction. Those
who make reversals and changes in directions like those in this book, and who
work collegially with farmers, soon find it intellectually and professionally excit-
ing, enjoyable, and even fun, with the supreme reward of effectively helping farm-
ers to do better. This is the most hopeful aspect. For even if other conditions are
adverse, more and more will want to work in the farmer-first mode for the simple
and sound reason that it satisfies and succeeds.
Methods and Interactions
In themselves, these three things – decentralization and resources, organization for
search and supply, and providing incentives – are not enough. Much also depends
on what is done and how it is done – on the methods available and the quality of
interactions.
The need here is to develop further, describe and disseminate farmer-first meth-
ods in detail. Just as the aim is to widen choice of practices for resource-poor farmers,
so it is to widen choice of methods for scientists and extensionists. Some of these are
methods for decentralization, for search and supply and for farmers’ experiments; yet
others are for interactions between professionals and farmers. Many such methods
are now known. Those that are most promising deserve to be evaluated, written up
and made accessible through manuals and practical training.
The more important methods to be developed and described include:
- aiding farmers’ analysis and learning their agendas;
- getting started with families and communities;
- finding out about agricultural research (for NGOs);
- finding and supporting farmers’ experiments;
- convening and assisting groups;
- convening and managing innovator workshops;
- searching, and supplying farmers with what they want and need;
- designing and managing incentives for scientists;
- communicating: farm family and outsider face to face.
This last, concerning the quality of interaction between farmers and scientists, is
as crucial as it has been neglected. Most accounts and manuals concentrate on the
mechanics of methods, as though rules guarantee results. This is not so. As social
anthropologists, sociologists and some psychologists know, and as is only common
sense, the quality of the face-to-face relationship can make or mar an interview or
discussion; and much depends on mutual respect and rapport.
Good advice is available (see e.g. Rhoades, 1982; Grandstaff and Grandstaff,
1987) but one may still ask how many scientists and extensionists have a grounding
in the significance of non-verbal cues, of seating arrangements, of demeanour and