This study assessed the effectiveness of low-external input technologies (LEIA), as an alternative to conventional soil management techniques requiring higher capital expenditure and extensive infrastructure development, in alleviating soil nutrient depletion through a case study of four districts in Kenya and Uganda conducted between 1997 and 1999. Communication strategies, in the form of dialogues and information sharing between farmers and the project implementation groups through oral and visual means, were framed within a larger participatory project design and employed at different project stages. The findings illuminate the importance of developing effective communication strategies enabling horizontal interactions between the beneficiaries, project staff, and policy makers.


Evaluation/Research Methodologies:

The study used a field experimental design in which an experimental group (LEIA management site) was paired to a control group (conventional soil management site) in each country. Instruments were developed to measure the impacts of LEIA on yields and economic returns. Different stages of the project implementation used participatory techniques (e.g., participatory rural appraisal, participatory technology development method, participatory evaluation, etc.), and facilitated the collaboration among farmers, project staff, and researchers.

Interpersonal communication constituted the bulk of the communication activities in the project implementation, but several specific communication strategies, such as collaborative map creation and other visual presentations of soil conditions and economic impacts, were employed as tools to select desired soil management techniques for testing and evaluation. The study did not have specific instruments to measure the impact of communication on the project outcome.

Key Findings/Impact:
The study did not find differences in impact of the tested LEIA techniques between experimental and control groups. However, the research as a whole produced positive capacity-building effects among the farmers, and facilitated policy activities ensuing the project. Opportunities given to the farmers to participate in the diagnostic and technology/policy selection phases had positive impacts on their self-efficacy and encouraged them to experiment with different soil management techniques. On the policy front, the project supplied the policy makers and other stakeholders with soil nutrient information. The stakeholder discussions held during the research were instrumental for several policy proposals initiated by participants at the district and national levels.

The impacts of communication were strongly implied but not explicitly measured. Communication techniques were employed in two different project phases: (1) diagnostic phase, and (2) technology/policy selection phase. In the diagnostic phase, farmers and extension agents jointly assessed the soil conditions in the study areas and produced quantitative and visual data that were utilised in subsequent project stages. Communication techniques used include dialogues among participating farmers and between farmers and extension agents during regular meetings, and joint map making and data collection by farmers and extension agents. In the technology/policy selection phase, the visual aids produced in the previous stage (e.g., soil maps) facilitated the selection, experimentation, and evaluation of specific soil management techniques among the farmers and extension staff.

The participatory approach - relying primarily on communication activities among key actors - produced positive impacts in the study areas beyond the timeframe and immediate scope of the project (i.e., improvement in soil fertility). A year after the active phase of the study ended, farmers who participated in the project continued to meet regularly, communicating and sharing their knowledge, experiences, and resources among each other. Similarly, farmers and extension staff continued to have regular contact.

de Jager, A., Onduru, D., & Walaga, C. (2004). Facilitated learning in soil fertility management: Assessing potentials of low-external-input technologies in east African farming systems, Agricultural Systems, 79 (2), 205-223.