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Farmer Voice Awards 2010
ACDI/VOCA PAR FARM Case Study
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Issue 1.1
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on!secondary!research,!utilising!existing!project!
documents!and!plans,!two!project!evaluation!reports,!
documents!describing!the!PAR!FARM!method!and!the!
initial!ALINe!evaluation!design.!!It!is!also!based!on!some!
primary!data,!principally!gathered!during!a!visit!to!
ACDI/VOCA!in!June!2010,!where!ACDI/VOCA!staff!and!
farmers!were!interviewed!and!a!PAR!FARM!session!was!
observed.!!
!
ALINe!researched!the!ACDI/VOCA!PAR!FARM!with!the!
objective!of!understanding!the!results!of!their!approach!
to!including!farmers’!voices!and!identifying!related!good!
practice!in!this!area.!Separately,!ALINe!is!conducting!an!
evaluation!to!assess!the!effectiveness!of!the!PAR!FARM!
method.!This!case!study!was!written!by!ALINe!with!
support!from!ACDI/VOCA!and!particularly!the!
ACDI/VOCA!Monitoring!and!Evaluation!(M&E)!Manager,!
Orlen!Ocleasa.!
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Context!
Situation!of!Filipino!farmers!
ACDI/VOCA!has!focused!on!a!value!chain!approach!to!
enhancing!cocoa!production!amongst!smallholder!
farmers!for!two!reasons.!
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Firstly,!although!cocoa!has!been!cultivated!in!the!
Philippines!since!the!17th!century,!there!is!a!shortage!of!
domestic!supply!of!cocoa!beans!and!some!27,000!MT!
are!imported!per!year.!In!addition!there!is!a!serious!
shortage!of!highIquality!cocoa!at!the!regional!level.
Executive!summary!
ACDI/VOCA’s!Participatory!Farmer’s!Adoption!and!
Results!Monitoring!(PAR!FARM)!method!collects!
farmers’!feedback!on!key!aspects!of!ACDI/VOCA’s!cocoa!
project!to!improve!project!implementation!and!design.!
PAR!FARM!was!introduced!midIway!through!a!project!
called!SUCCESS!Alliance!Phase!II!(SA2)!where!
ACDI/VOCA!works!through!implementing!partners!to!
improve!the!livelihoods!of!smallholder!cocoa!farmers.!!
PAR!FARM!works!by!byIpassing!implementing!partners!
and!allowing!ACDI/VOCA!to!listen!directly!to!farmers.!It!
generated!new!information,!in!addition!to!standard!
monitoring!information,!for!ACDI/VOCA!on!what!was!
and!was!not!working!in!SA2.!This!lead!to!improvements!
in!input!delivery,!training!and!the!contracting!
relationships!with!implementing!partners.!After!
successful!piloting!of!PAR!FARM!in!SA2,!the!method’s!
value!was!demonstrated!to!senior!decision!makers!and!
is!now!being!scaled!up!for!implementation!in!a!new!
project!called!CoCoPal!in!Mindanao!in!the!Philippines.!
!
This!case!study!describes!PAR!FARM!in!SA2,!discussing!!
the!context,!activities!involved,!results!achieved!and!
lessons!learned,!to!investigate!the!method!and!its!
usefulness!for!project!stakeholders.!It!is!primarily!based!
!!
Photo!1:!ALINe!team!presenting!ADCI/VOCA!team!with!
Farmer!Voice!Innovation!Award!
Issue 1.1
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1
!Secondly,!farmers!represent!one!of!the!poorest!groups!
in!the!Philippines.!Out!of!approximately!6!million!
farmers,!around!a!third!of!farmers!(approximately!2!
million!in!2006)!are!below!the!poverty!line!!(Castro!
2009).!!
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1!
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ACDI/VOCA!in!the!Philippines!
AVDI/VOCA’s!mission!is!to!promote!economic!
opportunities!for!cooperatives,!enterprises!and!
communities!through!the!innovative!application!of!
sound!business!practice.!!
!
ACDI/VOCA’s!Sustainable!CoCoa!Enterprise!Solution!for!
Smallholders!(SUCCESS!Alliance)!Philippines!Project!
Phase!II!(SA2)2!aimed!to!establish!a!regular!source!of!
income!for!smallholder!cocoa!farmers.!SA2!ran!from!
2006!to!2009!and!covered!six!areas!in!the!Philippines!
(see!et!development!(Ocleasa!2009a).!
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Figure!1).!!ACDI!/VOCA!worked!with!local!implementing!
partners,!such!as!national!agencies,!local!government!
units,!NGOs,!cooperatives!and!other!groups.!!!
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The!intervention!included!Farmer!Field!Schools!(FFS),!
establishment!of!nurseries,!plant!production,!seedling!
distribution,!tree!rehabilitation,!provision!of!post!
harvest!facilities!and!training,!establishment!of!
demonstration!farms,!the!Philippine!National!Standards!
on!cocoa!bean!quality!and!market!development!
(Ocleasa!2009a).!
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Figure!1:!Success!Alliance!Phase!II!project!areas!
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Photo!2:!Farmers!organizing!their!stakeholders!in!
terms!of!accessibility!and!usefulness!in!a!PAR!FARM!
session!in!Subasta,!Davao!City,!June!2010!
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Approach!
Success!Alliance!Phase!II!used!a!logframe!to!track!the!
inputs!and!outputs!being!achieved!in!the!delivery!of!its!
services!with!its!partner,!CocoaPhil3.!In!addition,!a!
multiIlevel!participatory!monitoring!and!evaluation!
(PM&E)!system!was!introduced!midIway!through!SA2.!
This!involved!participatory!assessments!and!project!
review,!and!planning!workshops!with!all!project!
stakeholders!at!different!levels!(farmers,!field!staff,!local!
partners!and!main!project!partners).4!Here!we!focus!on!
the!assessment!that!was!undertaken!with!farmers.!This!
was!called!Participatory!Farmer’s!Adoption!and!Results!
Monitoring!(PAR!FARM)5.!!
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PAR!FARM’s!primary!objectives!
PAR!FARM’s!primary!objectives!were:!
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• To!train!farmers!to!collect!and!use!their!own!farm!
data,!to!understand!production!efficiency,detect!
early!problems!and!manage!them!
• To!collect!farmers’!attitudes!on!the!SA2!program!and!
its!effect!on!them.!This!includes!farmers’!feedback!
on!Farmer!Field!Schools!(FFS),!particularly!their!
quality!and!efficiency,!along!with!farmers’!outlook!
and!expectations!of!cocoa!farming!and!SA2,!and!
their!awareness!of!the!cocoa!value!chain!!
• To!gauge!the!levels!of!adoption!of!SA!practices!and!
technologies,!including!lessons!from!FFS.!
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The!overall!objective!for!PAR!FARM!was!to!use!feedback!
from!farmers!to!improve!service!delivery!in!order!to!
enhance!outcomes!around!increased!income!growth!
from!cocoa!(Ocleasa!undated).!
2!
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PAR!FARM!aims!to!channel!feedback!from!beneficiaries!
upstream!directly!to!actors,!in!this!case!ACDI/VOCA.!!In!
this!respect,!ACDI/VOCA’s!role!is!similar!to!that!of!a!
donor,!in!that!it!distributed!resources!to!local!
implementing!partners.!ACDI/VOCA!is!concerned!with!
how!much!of!this!information!reaches!senior!decision!
makers.!This!is!illustrated!in!Figures!2!and!3.!
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Figure!2:!Flow!of!information!in!a!standard!monitoring!
system!!
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Figure!2!shows!a!standard!project!monitoring!system,!
whereby!monitoring!data!is!passed!up!the!chain.!The!
risk!is!that!there!is!leakage!or!filtering!of!information!
through!this!process.!
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Figure!3:!Flow!of!information!in!PAR!FARM!
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Donor
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Grantee agency
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Local implementing partner
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Extension agent
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Farmer
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Figure!3!illustrates!the!PAR!FARM!system,!whereby!
feedback!is!transmitted!directly!to!the!donor,!avoiding!
leakage!and!filtering!of!information.!Data!from!the!PAR!
FARM!sessions!is!gathered!by!ACDI/VOCA,!analysed!and!
fed!down!through!the!system!to!local!implementing!
partners!and!Training!Facilitators!(extension!agents)!
working!with!the!farmers.!!
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Photo!3:!Piloting!PAR!FARM!in!Zamboaga!Sibugay!!
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In!practice,!when!PAR!FARM!sessions!identified!
problems,!ACDI/VOCA!tried!to!resolve!them!informally!
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with!the!Training!Facilitator!(TF),!asking!for!reasons!for!
the!problem!and!also!asking!farmers!what!solution(s)!
they!would!prefer.!Farmers!tended!to!raise!initial!
complaints!with!their!TF!first!and!use!the!PAR!FARM!
sessions!as!an!avenue!for!complaints!when!the!TF!had!
not!addressed!their!problems6.!
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PAR!FARM’s!secondary!objectives!and!spill!over!effects!
PAR!FARM!is!primarily!seen!as!a!solution!to!a!technical!
issue!for!ACDI/VOCA!and!its!implementing!partners,!
generating!accurate!information!on!service!delivery,!
rather!than!a!solution!to!a!political!issue!for!farmers,!
such!as!strengthening!their!political!voice.!In!other!
words,!ACDI/VOCA!sees!the!role!of!PAR!FARM!in!terms!
of!developmental!outcomes!rather!than!democracy!
outcomes!(Gaventa!and!Barrett!2010).!However,!
ACDI/VOCA!recognises!secondary!objectives!and!
possible!spill!over!effects:!
• By!providing!additional!data!of!adoption!and!
emerging!economic!impact,!PAR!FARM!!allows!
ACDI/VOCA!to!describe!the!impact!of!SA2!
• By!building!farmers’!capacity!for!selfImonitoring,!
assessment!and!learning,!may!allow!PAR!FARM!to!
create!greater!farmerItoIfarmer!learning!and!
!
strengthen!groups.!
• With!PAR!FARM!encouraging!farmers!to!have!more!
confidence!in!their!engagement!with!external!
groups,!this!could!also!encourage!them!to!voice!their!
opinions!about!interactions!they!have!with!other!
3!
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service!providers,!e.g.!local!government!(Ocleasa!
2009a).!!
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For!the!two!latter!spillover!effects,!PAR!FARM!is!aimed!
only!indirectly!at!nurturing!and!building!the!confidence!
and!selfIreliance!of!farmers.!!
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PAR!FARM!in!practice!
To!decide!who!would!use!PAR!FARM,!firstly!ten!groups!
were!randomly!selected!from!each!of!the!six!project!
areas.!Then,!from!these!ten!groups,!two!groups7!were!
chosen!that!were!located!in!an!area!with!a!stable!
security!situation,!were!easily!accessible!by!the!
monitoring!team,!had!a!well!performing!Training!
Facilitator!(TF),!were!well!attended!by!farmers!and!were!
heterogeneous!(some!with!new!seedlings!and!some!
with!rehabilitated!cocoa!trees).!
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During!SA2,!PAR!FARM!was!conducted!in!12!groups!
(around!5%!of!all!FFS!groups).!Two!sessions!were!held!
for!each!group!(12!at!midIterm!and!12!at!end!of!
project).!The!farmers!were!assembled!by!their!leaders!
or!training!facilitators!in!the!location!where!they!usually!
hold!their!FFS!and!sessions!lasted!for!half!a!day!(Ocleasa!
undated!;!Ocleasa!2009a).!The!sessions!involved!the!
following!tools!below!(Ocleasa!2009b).!For!detailed!
description,!see!Annex!1.!
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Tools!conducted!during!SA2!PAR!FARM:!
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Farm!mapping!and!planning!to!assess!farm!
transformation!and!attitudinal!and!behaviour!change!
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Circle!of!change!to!draw!out!changes!brought!about!by!
SA2!in!their!own!lives,!the!lives!of!their!families!and!the!
lives!of!their!neighbours!
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Participatory!change!assessment!to!identify!indicators!
and!to!draw!out!changes!brought!about!by!SA2,!and!
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Venn!diagram!!to!assess!participants’!awareness!of!
cocoa!stakeholders!and!their!relationship!with!these.!!
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Data!from!these!exercises!was!collected!separately!for!
women!and!men!with!some!of!it!being!quantified8.!The!
sessions!were!facilitated!by!the!ACDI/VOCA!M&E!
Manager,!with!support!from!ACDI/VOCA!or!CoCoaPhil!
staff!(primarily!Agricultural!Technicians).!This!was!to!
ensure!that!farmers!felt!able!to!express!their!views!
without!the!presence!of!the!Training!Facilitator!they!
had!most!contact!with!during!the!project.!
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Rated!K!game!to!evaluate!the!quality!of!services!
delivered!through!the!FFS!and!reflections!on!what!
participants!had!learned!from!the!FFS!
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4!
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Photo!4:!PAR!FARM!session!in!Miagao!,!Iloilo!Province!
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Results9!
ACDI/VOCA’s!introduction!of!the!PAR!FARM!approach!
gave!project!staff!an!extra!source!of!information10!on!
farmers’!perspectives!of!project!performance!and!
identified!areas!that!were!working!well!and!those!that!
needed!attention.!PAR!FARM!generated!actionable!data!
on!various!aspects!including:!
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• Overall!quality!of!FFS,!length!of!FFS,!quality!of!
teaching!methods!and!materials!
• Delivery!of!inputs!to!Farmer!groups!
• Success!and!outcome!indicators!identified!
• Value!chain!players!identified,!and!
• Farmer!expectations!of!project!impact.!
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It!also!uncovered!issues!not!known!about!by!
ACDI/VOCA!project!staff:!
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• The!fact!that!farmers!had!received!too!many!or!too!
few!seedlings!
• NonIdelivery!of!FFS!sessions!
• Lack!of!care!for!seedlings!by!TFs!
• Lack!of!establishment!of!nurseries!by!TFs!
• Financial!irregularities,!such!as!withholding!of!budget!
allocated!to!FFS!sessions!by!one!TF.!Farmers!did!not!
always!know!that!there!even!was!a!budget!for!FFS!
sessions,!and!
• Existing!relationships!with!barangay!(village)!councils!
that!also!trained!farmers.!
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The!PAR!FARM!reports!(midIterm!and!end!of!project)!
made!a!number!of!recommendations!based!on!this!
assessment!for!changes!to!the!project!implementation!
including:!
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• More!farm!visits!by!TFs,!agricultural!technicians!and!
project!partners!
• Better!distribution!of!seedlings!
• Use!of!regular!participatory!monitoring!as!farmers!
seem!to!be!more!motivated!when!their!expected!
outcome!or!impact!are!discussed,!and!!
• Engage!with!value!chain!players!identified!to!
leverage!resources!to!assist!farmers.!
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As!a!result!of!problems!uncovered!through!PAR!FARM!in!
SA2,!particularly!around!financial!irregularities,!
performance!of!extension!agents!will!be!more!closely!
monitored,!even!outside!the!PAR!FARM!system.!Their!
stipend!will!only!be!released!after!they!have!submitted!
a!monthly!report!with!detailed!budget!expenditure.11!
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PAR!FARM!data!presented!progress!against!farmerI
identified!indicators!of!perceived!changes!and!impact.!
The!changes!identified!by!farmers!were!comparable!to!
the!indicators!in!the!log!frame.!Additionally,!PAR!FARM!
allowed!ACDI/VOCA!to!uncover!unexpected!changes!as!
some!farmerIidentified!indicators!were!unique,!such!as!
maximised!land!use!and!increased!varieties!of!crops.12!
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PAR!FARM!also!generated!information!on!the!
behavioural!and!attitudinal!changes!of!individuals,!
families!and!their!organizations!that!occurred!as!a!result!
of!the!project!interventions.!These!can!be!considered!as!
outcomes!or!emerging!impacts.!
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Farmers!interviewed!by!ALINe!commented!that!they!
found!the!PAR!FARM!sessions!useful.!It!provided!a!
dedicated!space!to!meet!other!farmers,!discuss!and!
assess!the!project!and!identify!improvements.!One!
farmer!commented!that!if!PAR!FARM!did!not!exist!they!
would!have!no!method!to!discuss!with!ACDI/VOCA!the!
progress!of!the!project.!13!
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According!to!the!ACDI/VOCA!M&E!Manager,!about!80!
percent!of!feedback!from!farmers!was!acted!upon.!14!
Partners!and!contractors’!attention!was!called!to!the!
issues.!Meetings!were!held!to!iron!out!problems!and!
issues.!The!other!20!percent!was!not!addressed!because!
the!issues!were!beyond!the!control!of!the!project!such!
as!occurrence!of!the!natural!calamities!that!meant!that!
seedlings!were!damaged!or!beyond!the!project!
mandate!such!as!health!and!education.!!
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5!
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Costs!
SA2’s!M&E!budget!covered!the!costs!of!PAR!FARM.!This!
meant!that!only!a!small!number!of!groups!could!be!
sampled!(around!5%!of!all!FFS!groups!and!24!sessions!in!
total).!Existing!costs!for!village!visits!were!used!and!
existing!staff!were!mobilized!to!organize!and!conduct!
the!PAR!FARM!sessions.!The!costs!for!the!entire!PAR!
FARM!activities!in!SA2!are!detailed!in!Table!1,!coming!to!
a!total!of!approximately!US$10,000.This!equates!to!
about!20!percent!of!the!total!budget!for!M&E!
($50,00015)!and!0.38!percent!of!the!total!budget!for!the!
whole!of!SA2!($2.6!million)!
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Table!1:!Costs!for!PAR!FARM!in!SA2!
Description!
Direct!costs!
Snacks!
Unit!cost!
!
10!pesos!each!x!25!
pax!=!P250!x24!
Materials!
500x24!
Land!Transportation!Cost!! P3,000!x!24!
Average!!Return!Air!Fare! P7,000x!6!areas!x!!2!
Cebu!to!Project!sites!
(Midterm!/End)!
Land!Transportation!of!
!6!Field!Technicians!
Field!technicians!to!coI
x!2000!x!2!trips!
facilitate!
(Midterm/!End)!
PAR!FARM!Orientation!
!
Seminar!
Other!costs!
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Staff!costs!
!
Average!Per!Diem!!of!!AV! P1,250!x!3!days!x!6!
M&E!Manager!!
areas!x!2!trips!!!!!!!!
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Average!Per!Diem!of!Field! P800!x!3!days!x!6!
technician!!!
areas!x!2!trips!
%!of!Annual!Salary!of!AV! 15!%!
M&E!Manager!used!for!
PAR!FARM!Activities!
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TOTAL!
SubWtotal!
(pesos)!
!
P6,000!
P12,000!
P72,000!
P84,000!
P24,000!
P93,500!
!
P!10,000!
!
P45,000!
P28,800!
P75,000!
P450,300!!!
$9,789!!
Source:!Personal!communication!with!Orlen!Ocleasa!
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Scaling!up!
Lessons!from!PAR!FARM!in!SA2!are!being!incorporated!
into!a!new!project,!where!the!PAR!FARM!tool!will!be!
replicated.!CoCoPal16,!also!funded!by!USDA,!will!cover!
six!areas!in!Mindanao.!PAR!FARM!will!be!scaled!up!and!
applied!in!approximately!14%!of!all!FFS!groups!and!
farmer!leaders!will!be!trained!to!facilitate!the!PAR!
FARM!sessions.!It!is!hoped!that!farmer!leaders!will!be!
able!to!facilitate!farmers!to!give!their!feedback!more!
!
thoroughly.!These!farmer!moderators!will!work!with!
groups!to!identify!their!needs/problems!and!formulate!
their!own!Theory!of!Change.!!
Although!farmers’!groups!will!agree!on!the!frequency!of!
PAR!FARM!sessions,!the!project!will!require!these!
groups!to!hold!at!least!quarterly!sessions.!Feedback!
data!will!be!captured!in!the!ACDI!/VOCA!Database!
Information!System!and!Geographical!Information!
System!(GIS).!Mapping!tools!will!be!used!in!monitoring!
and!plotting!trends!of!feedback.!!
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Further!potential!developments!include!exploring!
farmers’!use!of!ICT!for!reporting!feedback!and!further!
work!on!how!to!quantify!data!feedback!data.!Finally,!
participation!of!women!will!be!ensured!in!each!FFS!
group!and!the!PAR!FARM!system!and!female!field!staff!
will!also!be!deployed!(ACDI/VOCA!2010).!
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Lessons!!
Piloting!PAR!FARM!
By!piloting!PAR!FARM!at!a!small!scale!and!approaching!
its!implementation!with!a!learning!attitude,!ACDI/VOCA!
were!able!to!both!refine!its!methodology!and!to!prove!
its!value!to!senior!decision!makers.!This!has!allowed!
them!to!secure!the!support!for!the!approach!that!will!
now!be!scaled!up!and!integrated!into!a!new!project!
called!CoCoPal.!ALINe!has!found!that!senior!decision!
maker!support!and!integration!into!project!
management!methods!is!a!key!ingredient!to!realising!
the!full!benefits!of!farmer!voice!approaches17.!
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Feedback!on!the!project!
In!addition!to!getting!feedback!from!farmers!on!the!
changes!the!project!lead!to,!such!as!%!who!
implemented!FFS!lessons,!PAR!FARM!also!generated!
data!on!farmers’!opinions!of!the!quality!of!the!project!
(FFS!lessons,!inputs!received).!This!allowed!ACDI/VOCA!
to!better!understand!what!farmers’!thought!was!
working!well!or!not!working!well!and,!hence,!make!
changes!that!would!lead!to!project!inputs!being!more!
likely!to!contribute!to!poverty!reducing!outcomes.!!
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Direct!feedback!from!farmers!!
The!model!of!getting!direct!feedback!from!farmers,!byI
passing!extension!agents,!allowed!ACDI/VOCA!to!get!
important!new!information!on!how!farmers!rated!the!
performance!of!extension!agents.PAR!FARM!provided!a!
‘safe!space’!for!farmers!to!discuss!the!project.!This!not!
only!improved!ACDI/VOCA’s!learning!but!also!added!a!
6!
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new!layer!of!accountability!that!resulted!in!
improvements!of!project!delivery!and!strengthening!of!
monitoring!systems!for!subsequent!projects.!
!
PeerWtoWPeer!Learning!
Anecdotal!evidencesuggests!that!PAR!FARM!provides!
added!opportunities!for!farmer!to!farmer!learning,!by!
giving!participants!a!space!to!discuss!progress!and!think!
of!their!own!solutions!to!problems.!This!will!be!
investigated!more!systematically!through!ALINe’s!
evaluation!of!the!effectiveness!of!PAR!FARM!in!CoCoPal.!
!
Challenges!
ACDI/VOCA’s!experience!of!implementing!PAR!FARM!in!
Success!Alliance!2!shows!that!!participatory!methods!for!
M&E!need!to!be!integrated!and!adapted!to!the!
particular!context!in!which!any!project!is!located.!
Implementers!need!to!consider!the!data!requirements!
of!the!project,!the!reporting!requirements!of!donors,!as!
well!as!the!requirements!and!capacities!of!project!
stakeholders,!particularly!farmers.!This!means!that!the!
specific!mix!of!tools!will!vary!according!to!context.!
!
ACDI/VOCA!staff!explained!that!when!they!addressed!
issues!raised!in!PAR!FARM!to!the!implementing!partner!
they!were!not!always!sure!what!exactly!happened!after!
that.!More!regular!PAR!FARM!sessions!or!feedback!from!
partners!to/on!ACDI/VOCA!might!help!tackle!this!issue.!
!
ACDI/VOCA!Philippines!did!meet!some!resistance!from!
ACDI/VOCA!headquarters!on!the!benefits!of!PAR!FARM.!
However,!the!innovation!of!the!pilot!to!improve!service!
delivery!through!farmer!feedback,!leading!to!
ACDI/VOCA!receiving!an!ALINe!Farmer!Voice!Innovation!
Award,!helped!ACDI/VOCA!Philippines!to!make!the!case!
for!using!PAR!FARM!in!CoCoPal.!ACDI/VOCA!did!not!
meet!resistance!from!their!donor,USDA.!When!
suggesting!the!implementation!of!PAR!FARM,!USDA!was!
very!interested!when!they!heard!of!the!Farmer!Voice!
Award.!!
!
As!with!any!participatory!exercise,!there!was!a!risk!of!
‘elite!capture’,!i.e.!that!sessions!were!taken!over!by!
more!dominant!voices!and!more!vulnerable!farmers!and!
women!were!sidelined.!However,!the!different!tools!
took!this!into!account.!Some!of!the!tools!were!suitable!
for!illiterate!farmers!(the!rated!K!game)!or!quiet!farmers!
(the!rated!K!game!and!the!FFS!evaluation!
questionnaire).!The!skills!of!the!facilitator!and!the!
!
overall!quality!of!facilitation!were!also!important.!This!is!
something!that!might!be!challenging!when!PAR!FARM!is!
scaled!up!in!CoCoPal.!To!support!the!ease!of!scale!up,!
the!task!of!facilitation!will!be!taken!over!by!farmer!
moderators,!many!of!which!will!be!farmers!leaders!that!
have!not!had!previous!facilitation!experience!or!
training.!They!will!undergo!training,!but!some!
mechanism!to!ensure!that!PAR!FARM!sessions!remain!
‘safe!spaces’!for!all!farmers!to!share!their!experiences!
may!be!needed.!!
!
Conclusion!!
For!ACDI/VOCA,!PAR!FARM!added!an!additional!layer!of!
accountability!by!supporting!direct!feedback!from!
farmers!that!byIpassed!extension!agents.!In!this!sense!it!
provided!the!project!with!important!additional!data!on!
project!implementation!and!supported!the!objective!of!
improved!project!delivery,!particularly!as!it!presented!
comparisons!between!progress!in!different!districts.!
Furthermore,!PAR!FARM!provided!SA2!with!additional!
data!on!outcomes,!some!of!which!were!unexpected.!
The!data!supported!ACDI/VOCA’s!refinement!of!
strategies!for!future!projects.!Senior!managers!have!
concluded!that!PAR!FARM!is!worth!the!cost!of!scaling!
up!in!their!followIon!project!as!the!direct!costs!were!
modest!in!relation!to!the!overall!project!budget.!!
!
For!farmers,!PAR!FARM!provided!them!with!the!
opportunity!to!understand!and!negotiate!with!
stakeholders.!The!process!has!the!potential!to!allow!
farmers!to!become!more!confident!in!dealing!with!their!
stakeholders,!within!and!outside!the!project,!although!
we!do!not!have!data!as!to!whether!farmers!have!
actually!engaged!more!with!external!stakeholders!as!a!
result!of!PAR!FARM.!PAR!FARM!also!provided!a!
mechanism!for!selfIassessment!and!farmerItoIfarmer!
learning.!This!has!the!potential!to!support!group!
strengthening,!which!may!lead!to!development!of!social!
capital!and!empowerment!
!
The!PAR!FARM!approach!provides!a!mixture!of!tools!
that!allow!all!farmers,!no!matter!their!confidence,!
gender!or!status!within!their!communities,!to!
participate!and!raise!their!voices.!Key!to!this!is!the!
quality!of!facilitation!which!may!need!to!be!monitored,!
ideally!by!asking!farmers.!!
!
PAR!FARM!corresponds!well!to!ALINe’s!concept!of!a!
farmer!feedback!system,!providing!performance!data!
7!
!
!
for!managers!and!creating!incentives!for!implementing!
staff!to!focus!on!their!intended!beneficiaries!(Jacobs!et!
al!2010;!Jacobs!2010).!It!also!encapsulates!many!of!the!
objectives!of!M&E!identified!by!ALINe!(Haddad!et!al!
2010).!
!
8!
!
!
!
Annex%1:%PAR%FARM%tools%
Tools%
Farm%mapping%
and%planning%%
Description%
Farmers!draw!a!map!of!their!farm!including!the!crops,!trees,!animals!and!their!location!/position/number!
including!the!land!mark!and!!natural!resources!in!the!area.!Farmers!then!draw!the!vision!of!their!farm!after!
one!year!with!the!cocoa!plants!,!especially!their!location,!spacing,!shade!management!and!others!
FFS%evaluation%%
The!quality!of!services!delivered!by!SA2!to!
Aspects!of!quality!include!assessment!of!amount!of!time!spent!on!FFS,!scheduling,!training!materials,!
the!farmers!
capacity!of!TF,!numbers!of!visits!by!TFs!and!other!SA2!staff,!number!of!visits!to!other!farms,!quality!of!
!
seedlings!and!assistance!with!tree!rehabilitation!and!overall!conduct!of!FFS.!This!is!either!done!through:!
Rated%K%game%–!particularly!used!where!literacy!is!a!problem!and!ensures!that!more!quiet!farmers!are!heard.!
The!facilitator!asks!questions!and!farmers!answer!by!putting!a!bean/stick!in!one!of!three!containers!!labelled!
for!the!following!rating:!%
•Kayramirami%%%(Much/Good)!
•Katamtaman%(Enough/Moderate)!
•Kulang%(Lacking/None)!
The!numbers!are!presented!and!discussed!in!the!group.!
FFS%evaluation%questionnaire%–!where!literacy!is!not!a!problem!a!standard!paper!questionnaire!may!be!used!
Learning%
Assist!the!extent!of!learning!gained!from!FFS! Using!the!rated!K!games!(as!above),!the!participants!rate!the!different!topics!of!the!FFS!according!to!whether!
reflections%
and!application!made!
it!was!useful,!what!they!have!learned,!!and!whether!they!have!applied/or!will!apply!the!learning!in!their!
farm.!!
Participatory%
Draw!out!changes!participants!felt!or!
Divided!into!2J3!groups,!participants!identify!changes!that!occurred!in!their!lives!due!to!SA2!intervention.!
change%
observed!in!their!lives!!brought!about!by!the! These!answers!become!the!change!indicators!and!are!consolidated!during!a!plenary!session.!The!facilitator!
assessment%
SA2!interventions!such!as!FFS!,!rehab!,!
reads!out!each!indicator!and!those!who!have!experienced!it!casts!their!votes!in!the!same!manner!as!the!
seedling!distribution!
rated!K!game.!For!the!first!meeting,!only!the!indicators!are!identified.!
Circle%of%change%
Draw!out!changes!participants!felt!or!
Divided!into!2J3!groups,!participants!are!asked!to!reflect!on!changes!noticed!as!a!result!of!new!cocoa!plants!
%
observed!in!their!lives!!brought!about!by!the! or!rehabilitated!cocoa!trees!in!a!circle!of!change.!Changes!within!themselves!(write!in!innermost!circle),!
SA2!interventions!such!as!FFS!,!rehab!,!
within!the!family!(2nd!circle)!and!the!neighbourhood!or!other!farmers!(3rd!circle)!
seedling!distribution!
Venn%diagram%
Farmers’!awareness!of!the!players!in!the!
Divided!into!2J3!groups,!participants!make!a!Venn!diagram!of!the!stakeholders!or!players!in!the!cocoa!
cocoa!industry!and!assess!their!relationship! industry!that!can!influence!them!and!how!accessible!those!players!are.!Stakeholder!names!are!written!on!
with!them!
pieces!of!paper.!The!sizes!of!paper!indicate!the!magnitude!of!influence/assistance!to!them!and!the!location!
!
where!they!place!them!determines!their!accessibility.!
Source:!Ocleasa!2009b!
!
Aspect%assessed%
Farm!transformation!and!attitudinal!and!
behaviour!change!
9!
!
!
Further'reading'
ACDI/VOCA'resources'
ACDI/VOCA!Farmer!Voice!Innovation!Awards!news:!
http://www.acdivoca.org/acdivoca/PortalHub.nsf/ID/ne
ws_ALINeFarmersVoiceAward2010!!
!
ACDI/VOCA!Success!Alliance!portal:!
http://www.acdivoca.org/acdivoca/portalhub.nsf/ID/ph
ilippinessuccessalliance!!!
!
ACDI/VOCA!(2010)!CoCoPal!Monitoring!and!Evaluation!
Implementation!Plan,!June!11!2010!
!
ACDI/VOCA!(undated)!Success!Alliance!Philippines!
Phase!II!O!SA!II!Monitoring!&!Evaluation,!internal!project!
document!
!
FARM!online!resource:!
http://pinoyfarmersvoice.multiply.com/!!
!
Ocleasa,!O.!(undated)!PARticipatory!Farmers’!Adoption!
and!Results!Monitoring!(PAR!FARM)!Midterm!report,!
internal!ACDI/VOCA!report!
!
Ocleasa,!O.!!(2009a)!PARticipatory!Farmers’!Adoption!
and!Results!Monitoring!(PAR!FARM)!End!of!Project!
Report,!internal!ACDI/VOCA!report!
!
Ocleasa,!O.!(2009b)!Participatory!Monitoring!and!
Evaluation:!PARticipatory!Farmers’!Adoption!and!
Results!Monitoring!(PAR!FARM),!!unpublished!
presentation!
!
Ocleasa,!O.!(2010)!A!MultiOLevel!Participatory!
Evaluation!in!a!Developing!Country:!The!ACDI/VOCA!
Philippines!Experience,!available!at!the!European!
Evaluation!Society!International!Conference!2010!
http://www.czechO
in.org/EES/9th_EES_conference_presentations/0170.pd
f!!
!
Success!Alliance,!Philippines!website:!
http://www.thesuccessalliance.org/philippines.html!!!
!
!
Success!Alliance!Phase!II!Summit!Report:!
http://www.acdivoca.org/852571DC00681414/Lookup/
ACDIVOCA_SUCCESSAlliance2009PhilippineCacaoSummi
tReport/$file/ACDIVOCA_SUCCESSAlliance2009Philippin
eCacaoSummitReport.pdf!!
!
Success!Alliance!Phase!II!Google!Map!of!outputs:!
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&
source=embed&msa=0&msid=11104693111097791574
9.000474242b38915f679bcWorld!Cocoa!Foundation!
SA2!information:!
http://www.worldcocoafoundation.org/whatOweO
do/currentOprograms/SUCCESSO
Philippines_summary.asp!!!
!
Cited'references'
ALINe!(2010)!Farmer!Voice!Workshop!report,!
http://www.aline.org.uk/pool/alineOfarmerOvoiceO
workshopOsummaryO11feb10.pdf!accessed!2/2/11!
!
Castro,!L.!V.!(2009)!2006!Poverty!Statistics!for!the!Basic!
Sectors,!Users’!Forum!on!the!2006!Poverty!Statistics!for!
the!Basic!Sectors!and!2006!Child!Development!Index,!25!
June!2009,!Dusit!Thani!Hotel,!available!
http://www.nscb.gov.ph/poverty/2006pov_asof%2025j
un09/Final%20O
%20presentation%20on%20the%202006%20basic%20s
ectors,%2025jun09.pdf!!!![accessed!27!July!2010]!
!
Estrella,!M.!and!Gaventa,!J.!(1998)!Who!counts!reality?!
Participatory!monitoring!and!evaluation:!a!literature!
review,!IDS!Working!Paper!No.!70,!Brighton!(UK):!
IDS.Gaventa,!J!and!Barrett,!G!(2010)!So!What!Difference!
Does!it!Make?!Mapping!the!Outcomes!of!Citizen!
Engagement,!IDS!Working!Paper!347,!Brighton!(UK):!
IDS.!
!
Haddad,!L.,!Lindstrom,!J.!and!Pinto,!Y.!(2010)!The!Sorry!
State!of!M&E!in!Agriculture:!!Can!PeopleOCentred!
Approaches!Help,!IDS!Bulletin!41.6,!Brighton:!IDS!
!
10!
!
!
Jacobs,!A.!(2010)!Creating!the!Missing!Feedback!Loop,!
IDS!Bulletin!41.6,!Brighton:!IDS!
!
Jacobs,!A.,!Barnett,!C.!and!Ponsford,!R.!(2010)!Three!
approaches!to!monitoring:!feedback!systems,!
participatory!monitoring!and!evaluation!and!logical!
frameworks,!IDS!Bulletin!41.6,!Brighton:!IDS!
!
M’Cormack,!F.!(2010)!A!Critical!Analysis!of!Existing!
Research!on!Farmers’!Perceptions!of!their!Interactions!
with!Agricultural!Development!Agencies,!ALINe!report!
!
Parkinson,!S.!(2009)!Power!and!perceptions!in!
participatory!monitoring!and!evaluation,!Evaluation!and!
Program!Planning,!32,!229–237.!
!
Pinto,!Y.,!Haddad,!L.,!Bonbright,!D.!and!Lindstrom,!J.!
(2010)!PeopleOcentred!M&E:!Aligning!Incentives!so!
Agriculture!does!more!to!reduce!hunger,!IDS!Bulletin!
41.6,!Brighton:!IDS
!
11!
!
!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1
http://www.acdivoca.org/acdivoca/portalhub.nsf/ID/philippi
2
!Funded!by!United!State!Department!of!Agriculture!(USDA)!
and!in!partnership!with!Cocoa!Foundation!of!the!Philippines!
(CocoaPhil),!World!Cocoa!Foundation!(WCF)!and!MARs!Inc.,!!
3
!SA2’s!M&E!system!was!based!on!the!project!design!and!the!
log!frame!and!included!various!tools!for!data!collection!and!
analysis,!including!a!baseline!and!end!of!project!surveys,!
various!monitoring!and!evaluation!forms!completed!by!
stakeholders!(including!for!monitoring!extent!of!leveraging!of!
resources!by!stakeholders),!Geographical!Information!System!
(GIS)!tools,!and!photo!and!video!documentation!(ACDI/VOCA!
undated)!
4
!For!a!detailed!description!of!the!whole!M&E!system!see!
Ocleasa!2010!
5
!The!concept!of!PAR!FARM!was!first!developed!by!the!M&E!
Manager,!Orlen!Ocleasa.!A/V’s!Chief!of!Party,!Nic!Richards,!
was!keen!for!the!midOterm!review!to!use!participatory!
methods.!PAR!FARM!built!on!Orlen!Ocleasa’s!previous!
experience!and!a!number!of!other!PM&E!tools!that!were!
adapted!to!the!specific!context!of!SA2.!
6
!Personal!communication!with!Orlen!Ocleasa,!based!on!video!
recorded!for!ALINe!Farmer!Voice!Innovation!Award!distance!
learning!event!held!13!July!2010!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
but!are!not!yet!exactly!sure!what!happened!after!that!–!the!
PAR!FARM!approach!is!too!young!to!be!able!to!track!these!
changes.!Additionally,!this!highlights!the!importance!of!and!
difficulty!in!institutionalizing!a!learning!and!feedback!system!
that!is!responsive!to!beneficiaries.!!
15
!This!figure!includes!baseline!survey,!external!evaluation,!reO
survey!of!baseline,!ICT!equipment!and!travel!for!M&E!
purposes,!but!not!staff!costs!so!cannot!easily!be!compared!to!
the!total!PAR!FARM!budget.!The!actual!percentage!is!lower!if!
staff!costs!are!included.!
16
!CoCoPal!is!named!after!Cocoa,!Coconut!and!the!
Palayamanan!concept!of!riceObased!diversified!farming!Palay!
is!rice!and!Kayamanan!is!wealth,!to!form!Palayamanan.!
17
!See!Pinto,!Haddad,!Bonbright!and!Lindstrom!(2010)!and!
ALINe!Farmer!Voice!Workshop!2010.!!
7
!Therefore,!2!groups!were!chosen!from!each!of!the!6!project!
areas!
8
!Data!from!the!rated!K!game!and!the!participatory!change!
assessment!were!quantified.!
9
!ALINe!is!conducting!an!evaluation!of!the!effectiveness!of!the!
PAR!FARM!method!in!CoCoPal.!One!of!the!goals!of!the!
evaluation!is!to!discern!to!what!extent!any!improvement!in!
technology!adoption!can!be!attributed!to!PAR!FARM.!ALINe!
also!aims!to!track!the!feedback!through!the!system!to!assess!
how!it!is!managed!by!ACDI/VOCA!and!partners.!
10
!There!were!some!issues!that!farmers!felt!unable!to!voice!to!
the!TFs,!particularly!when!it!concerned!the!TF’s!behaviour.!
PAR!FARM!thus!acted!as!a!useful!validation!exercise!for!
ACDI/VOCA!on!how!farmers!were!experiencing!the!project.!!
11
!Focus!group!discussion!with!ACDI/VOCA!staff,!22!June!2010!
12
!Discussion!with!Orlen!Ocleasa!during!ALINe!Farmer!Voice!
Innovation!Award!distance!learning!event!held!14!September!
2010!
13
!Interviews!with!farmers!in!Subasta!and!Calinan,!Davao!City,!
19!June!2010!
14
!ACDI/VOCA!staff!reported!that!they!addressed!any!issues!
and!recommendations!arising!from!PAR!FARM!information!
!
12!