ERIC Number: EJ1071472
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1389-224X
EISSN: N/A
Communication between Participants and Non-Participants in Analytical Capacity Building Projects: Management Advice to Family Farms in Benin
Rouchouse, Marine; Faysse, Nicolas; De Romemont, Aurelle; Moumouni, Ismail; Faure, Guy
Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, v21 n4 p325-342 2015
Purpose: Approaches to build farmers' analytical capacities are said to trigger wide-ranging changes. This article reports on the communication process between participants and non-participants in one such approach, related to the technical and management skills learned by participants and the changes these participants subsequently made, and the outcomes in terms of non-participants' learning. Design/Methodology/Approach: In this study, we analysed the following: (1) participants' learning and changes in social practices; (2) communication between participants and non-participants regarding technical and management skills and changes in social practices; (3) non-participants' learning and changes in social practices. The case study was a management advice to family farm project in three villages in Benin. Findings: Most participants learned management skills, which led them to reassess their objectives and to reduce traditional social practices they now considered unproductive. Even in the case of frequent communication, non-participants found it difficult to learn management skills, which hindered their experiential learning. Non-participants consequently had difficulty understanding why participants changed their social practices such as reduction of their traditional gift giving, leading to limited well-argued discussion about these changes in practices between participants and non-participants. Practical Implications: This study shows that, due to the limited learning process of nonparticipants communicating with participants, there is a need to design and test approaches to achieve capacity-building while including more participants at a similar cost, and to stimulate explicit discussion at village level about the changes in values and social practices that these approaches may trigger. Originality/Value: The article analyses both participants and non-participants' experiential learning, and looks at the two sides of the interaction between the communication processes and non-participants' learning.
Descriptors: Capacity Building, Farm Management, Social Change, Management Development, Skill Development, Stakeholders, Case Studies, Change Strategies, Semi Structured Interviews, Research Projects, Rural Extension, Participant Satisfaction, Participation, Educational Practices, Praxis, Interpersonal Communication, Social Influences, Social Values, Experiential Learning, Program Effectiveness, Program Evaluation, Communication Strategies, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Benin
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A