Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 Developing Livestock Feed Interventions with the Feed Assessment Tool (FEAST) Lesson 1: The FEAST Concept December 2014

Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA Lesson 1: The FEAST Concept How FEAST differs from other methodologies The Role of a FEAST Facilitator

3 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 Lesson Objectives Lesson 1 By the end of this lesson, you should be able to: Recognize the importance of smallholder farmers in the global economy Describe the importance of livestock feed to smallholder farmers Summarize how the Farmer-Centred Diagnosis methodology helps smallholder farmers improve access to livestock feed List the major activities in a Farmer-Centred Diagnosis Explain why it is important to involve the farmer in the process Summarize how the FEAST Tool is employed in a Farmer- Centred Diagnosis Describe your role as a FEAST Facilitator

4 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 Key Terminology Lesson 1 Farmer-Centred Diagnosis – A methodology for improving livestock feed resources that lets local farmers, rather than outside experts, lead the process FEAST Facilitator – This is your role: a skilled professional who provides guidance, organization and technical support to help farmers and local stakeholders successfully complete the Farmer-Centred Diagnosis Feed Assessment Tool (FEAST) – A set of electronic forms designed to collect and analyze data related to a community’s livestock feed resources and produce reports to inform the development of interventions

5 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 Goal of the FEAST Methodology Lesson 1 Who are “smallholder famers”? Why does it matter if they have access to quality livestock feed?

6 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 Discussion Question #1 Lesson 1 Discuss the following question with the class: What kind of person do you imagine when you hear the term “smallholder farmer”? What are some of the challenges that smallholder farmers face? How important are livestock to smallholder farmers?

7 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 Smallholder = farmer who owns a small plot of land (often less than 1 hectare) 500 million smallholder farmers worldwide (97% of all farms) Responsible for feeding over 2 billion people Most operate outside formal economy, without access to resources, cash or government support (Cambridge University Research, reprinted under CC license) The Challenges Facing Farmers Lesson 1

8 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA of the 5 highest-value agricultural commodities (milk, beef, pork, chicken meat) are livestock products Smallholder farms supply majority of livestock products in many developing countries Livestock production #1 way for smallholder farmers to improve livelihoods (FAOSTAT 2010 report) The Importance of Livestock Lesson 1

9 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 Lack of feed for livestock = main limiting factor for improving productivity of smallholder farms. Factors affecting livestock feed include availability, quality and seasonality. Specific causes of problems and potential solutions vary from community to community. The Role of Livestock Feed Lesson 1

10 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 Livestock Feed Interventions Lesson 1 Local or outside groups sometimes conduct intervention projects to help farmers improve access to livestock feed. –Government (local, provincial, national) –Farmer Collectives –Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Many different approaches / methodologies have been tried –Analyzing content of feed –Introducing new breeds, new fodder crops –Improving infrastructure –Providing financial assistance

11 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 Led by outside experts / fail to involve local farmers Focus too narrowly on analyzing composition / nutritional value of feeds Fail to place livestock feed in context of farmers’ livelihoods Fail to account for unique local conditions (economy, culture, climate, etc.) Problems with Livestock Feed Interventions Lesson 1

12 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 Farmer-Centred Diagnosis (FCD) Lesson 1 A Farmer-Centred Diagnosis (FCD) approaches interventions differently by: Directly engaging rural people to develop their own solutions for local problems Having outside experts play supporting role, while letting locals drive process Using Feed Assessment Tool (FEAST) to collect and analyze data to inform decision making

13 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 Focus of Farmer-Centred Diagnosis Lesson 1 Conventional InterventionsFarmer-Centred Diagnosis Using the FEAST Tool Types of feeds Nutritive value Ways to improve nutritive value Types of feeds Nutritive value Ways to improve nutritive value +Is livestock an important livelihood strategy? +How important are feed problems relative to other problems? +What about labour, input availability, credit, seasonality, markets for products etc.?

14 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 The goal of a FCD is to help members of a community: –Examine issues that concern local farmers –Identify problems & opportunities –Prioritize problems –Evaluate options for solving problems –Develop interventions to address problems –Implement and follow through on interventions –Measurably improve livestock feed resources Goals of a Farmer-Centred Diagnosis Lesson 1

15 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 Review Questions / Clickers Lesson 1 We will ask review questions throughout the class Responses are anonymous OK to answer incorrectly –Testing effectiveness of presentation, not knowledge of participants Use the clicker to respond

16 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 What is the significance of the term “farmer-centred” in Farmer-Centred Diagnosis? A.Only one farmer is involved B.Farmers take a leading role in finding solutions to local problems C.No one from outside the community is involved in the process D.Experts conduct a complete inspection of each farmer’s livestock Review Question #1 Lesson 1

17 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 The FCD Methodology: Gathering Data Lesson 1 Interview individual farmers to collect detailed data. 3. Host group discussions with local farmers to gather general information 2. Visit the site to collect information, make preparations 1.

18 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 How Data is Used Lesson 1 Data collected from focus group Data collected from individual interviews FEAST Data Template Analysis including charts, tables, other output

19 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA Summarize qualitative data collected from focus group discussions 1.Analyze quantitative data and produce graphs using FEAST Data Template From Data to FCD Report Lesson 1 A) B) C) Merge qualitative and quantitative output in final report. Summarize, interpret and make recommendations

20 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 From FCD Report to Implementation Lesson 1 FCD Report Plan / Road Map for Implementation Secure Buy-In from Farmers, Officials, Other Stakeholders Implementation & Follow-Through APPROVED

21 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 As a FEAST Facilitator, you will: –Guide farmers through the Farmer-Centred Diagnosis –Conduct advance research and planning in preparation for FCD –Recruit a FEAST Technical Team to help with the process –Use data collected with the FEAST Tool to help identify causes of local problems and opportunities for improvement. –Follow up to assess effectiveness of interventions Your Role as a FEAST Facilitator Lesson 1

22 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 Discussion Question #2 Lesson 1 Discuss the following question with one or more of your fellow participants. Be ready to share your thoughts with the class: What do you anticipate your greatest challenges will be as a FEAST Facilitator? What skills or qualities would a FEAST Facilitator need to possess to be successful?

23 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 Discussion Question #3 (cont.) Lesson 1 Possible answers: Knowledge of agriculture and livestock production Helping people work together Being organized Listening skills

24 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 The Feed Assessment Tool (FEAST) is a set of electronic forms that FEAST Facilitators use to collect and analyze data about local conditions (herd sizes, feed resources, climate, etc.) Keeps data organized and consistent We will discuss how to use the FEAST Tool in detail later in the course The FEAST Tool Lesson 1

25 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 Reasons for Collecting Data Lesson 1 Collecting and analyzing data on local farms and livestock helps us to: Identify patterns in local agriculture and livestock production systems that might not be obvious on the surface Offer a more objective point of view on emotional / controversial issues Help us measure extent of problems and success of interventions

26 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 What is the main responsibility of a FEAST Facilitator? A.To tell local farmers how to solve their problems B.To know everything about livestock feed C.To help local farmers develop strategies for improving livestock feed D.To inspect local supplies of livestock feed Review Question #2 Lesson 1

27 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 How is a Farmer-Centred Diagnosis different from a typical approach to feed intervention? A.The FCD process is driven by local farmers with a FEAST Facilitator acting as a guide B.A FCD is controlled by government experts C.In a FCD, a set of standard strategies are applied to all villages, worldwide D.A FCD does not deal with problems of livestock feed Review Question #3 Lesson 1

28 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 How important is my role as FEAST Facilitator to the success of the Farmer-Centred Diagnosis? A.Critically Important B.Somewhat Important C.Only a little bit important D.Not at all important Survey Question #1 Lesson 1

29 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 Lesson Objectives Review Lesson 1 You should now be able to: Recognize the importance of smallholder farmers in the global economy Describe the importance of livestock feed to smallholder farmers Summarize how the Farmer-Centred Diagnosis methodology helps smallholder farmers improve access to livestock feed List the major activities in a Farmer-Centred Diagnosis Explain why it is important to involve the farmer in the process Summarize how the FEAST Tool is employed in a Farmer- Centred Diagnosis Describe your role as a FEAST Facilitator

30 Copyright 2014 ILRI/CGIAR Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 Questions?