Improving information ISFM information flows
ASHC is working with the Royal Tropical Institute to carry out an information needs assessment in Tanzania and Ethiopia.
Dannie Romney explains: “ASHC has a remit to develop actionable information on ISFM that will impact on smallholder farming-families. Part of our work is concerned with increasing understanding in the sector about how to achieve this, and as a starting point, so we have been working with KIT to map out information flows.
What we have specifically asked KIT to do is to interview a broad range of ISFM intermediaries to understand how they access, use and share information, what sort of information they need and how it is best presented.
By better understanding how intermediaries process information we believe we can help the sector to intervene in information supply.
A second part of the information needs assessment is to obtain insights into the usefulness to different audiences of the ISFM materials ASHC already published such as the cropping guides and the new materials on pest management. Some similar materials developed by Plantwise are also being scrutinised.
Data collection tools developed will be refined and used by the ASHC team to get feedback about the fitness for purpose, quality and style of any appropriate farmer-level information developed for to support scale-up campaigns.
This information is being obtained through key informant interviews and focus groups.
The outputs of this work will be:
- A detailed report that will inform development of materials to support first scale-up campaigns in Tanzania and Ethiopia
- Tools for prototype testing