RICE SEED SYSTEM Ubon Ratchathani Province Lower northeast Thailand

1
RICE SEED SYSTEMUbon Ratchathani ProvinceLower
northeast Thailand

• A role-playing game to understand how seed system
  performs
• Chirawat VEJPAS, François Bousquet Guy Trébuil
• Faculty of agriculture, Ubon Ratchathani
  University
• CU-CIRAD ComMod Project, Chulalongkorn
  University, Bangkok, Thaïlande

2
The context

• A very centralized RLR seed supply system
  controlled by public agencies provides only seed
  of few recommended varieties (KDML 105, RD 6 RD
  15).
• More needs of seeds and more frequent seed
  purchasing needs of such varieties due to better
  grain quality demands and more broadcasting
  practices.
• The inadequate supply of quality seeds leading to
  the recent emergence of several new seed supply
  agents (private companies traders, community
  seed centers, etc.) with government support.

3
Objectives

• To understand the seed system and seed
  dissemination processes among the seed producers
  and suppliers
• - the structure of the system
• - how each institute plans, interacts and trades
  seeds among the other institutes
• - how the system performs under vairous
  institutes to share or compete in seed trading-
  from seed producer to farmers.
• To identify the constraints or problems in the
  system

4
Conceptualisation of the game (1)

• A series of meetings was held among researchers
  from concerned institutions (OARD, UBU, RRI) to
  construct a shared conceptual model by using
  Unified Modelling Language (UML) diagrams.
• More information were obtained by interviewing of
  key informants of seed producers and suppliers.
• Model verification, calibration validation
  implemented through
• The construction and use of a role-playing game
  (RPG).
• Group discussion during and after RPG

5
Conceptualisation of the game (2)

• Conceptual model for seed supply systems of the
  recommended RLR varieties

6
Conceptualisation of the game (3)

• Translation of the conceptual models into a RPG
• to facilitate sharing, discussion, and their
  improvement
• Two gaming session were conducted at Agricultural
  College
• The first session was played in April 2004
• - to simulate the seed supply system in Ubon
  Ratchathani
• The second session was played in April 2005
• similar to the first game but
• included the players that were the national
  level planners

7
Conceptualisation of the game (4) - RPG
assumption for simplifying the system boundary

• Assume that the players are in the province that
  has 2 districts and each district has 2
  tambons(sub-districts) and RRC and SC are
  responsible only for the assumed province.
• Assume that each tambon consists of 1,000
  households of farmers 10 rais (1 rai0.16 ha)
  of paddy area/households.
• Assume one rice variety is used

8
Main features of the RPG to be described

• Players other participants
• The gaming room
• Game supporting features
• Duration / Time management

9
The players other participants (1)

• The players represented their institutes that
  research team selected. Players received free
  transport per diem (the official rate).
• Two gaming sessions were held
• April 2004 10 players were from different seed
  supplier units in Ubon Rachathani 1 from RRC, 2
  from SC, 2 from AC, 2 from DAO, 2 from CSC and 1
  agricultural store(played by an official of OARD
  ).
• April 2005 players from Ubon Ratchathani AC,
  DAO, and CSC from 2 districts different from the
  2004 plus higher level planners - one from
  provincial Cooperatives, four governement
  officials from Bangkok one from Department of
  Agriculture (DAO), two from Department of
  Agricultural Extensions(DAOE), and one from
  Department of Cooperative Promotion (DOCP).

10
The players other participants (2)

• Two researchers manage farmers demand desks
  seed purchasing by farmers in the province.
• Other members of the research team played the
  roles of moderators, assistants, and observers.

11
The gaming room- Session 1 April 2004

• Three groups of tables for players at
  1)provincial level, 2)district A and
• 3) district B
• A farmers demand desk (registration of
  transactions)

Province
Amphoe A
Amphoe B
Tambon 3
Tambon 1
CSC
ST
Tambon2
Tambon 4
AC
AC
DAO
DAO
CSC
Farmers demand desk
Farmersdemand desk
RRC
SC
12
The seed demand processes- Session 1 April 2004
No farmers in the game. A demand is generated
each time step based on the field survey in
2002-3. Tambon1 CSC (20), DAO, AC (35 each),
ST (5), RRC, SC (2,5) each, Tambon2 DAO, AC
(45 each), ST (5), RRC SC (2,5) each, Tambon3
DAO, AC (45 each), ST (10), Tambon4 CSC (20),
DAO, AC (35 each), ST (10),
13
The gaming room - Session 2 April 2005

• 4 Players from Bangkok and 1 from Provincial
  cooperative level were added
• No seed trader player

Province
Amphoe A
Amphoe B
Tambon 3
Tambon 1
CSC
Tambon2
Tambon 4
AC
DAO
AC
DAO
CSC
DOCP (provincial)
DOCP
Farmersdemand desk
Farmers demand desk
RRC
DOA
SC
DOAE
14

• Researchers understanding of interactions among
  players or stakeholders including higher level
  planners

15
The gaming room and players 2004
Players from Seed center (SC) and Rice Research
Center (RRC)
A player from Cooperative A selling seed to
farmers demand desk
16
The gaming room and players 2005
17
The group interview and discussion among players
2004
18
The group interview and discussion among players
2005
19
Game support features

• Plastic sheet of three different colours
  representing three different types of seed
  trading (foundation seed, stock seed, certified
  seed)
• Two different types of papers were used
• Pink colour for recording amount of seed traded
  with each supplier or farmersdemand.
• White colour for money paid/received.
• Record sheet prepared for each supplier to fill
  in the decision making result each year and
  collected after the game

20
Game support features

• Chance cards
• For the seed producers, each year, to draw a card
  among 16 cards ( -50 (1), -40 (2), -30 (3),
  20(4), -10 (3), 0 (2), 10 (1)) after
  multiplying seed to obtain the actual seed amount
  produced from the planned.
• ( Chance were estimated by the researchers
  considered the variables of rainfall, contract
  farmers and others)

21
Duration / Time management
Planning/ SC and AC Ordering seeds from RRC for
next year
4 steps per round of play
Selling seeds to farmersdemand / RRC selling the
rest seed to other institutes

• One round of play one crop year 30 to 60
  minutes.
• Three crop years played in succession in one day
  in 2004
• 4 crop years in 2005
• Gaming workshop over one day in 2004 D1 gaming
  session discussion ½ D2 group discussion and
  interviews. One and a half day for both
  activities in 2005.

22
Role of the moderators rule management

• 2 Thai moderators they introduce the
  participants, they spell out the objectives of
  the session/workshop, and explain the game rules
  proposed by the research team to the players.
• They assist the players in case of clarifying the
  game rules, recording the decisions or in any
  unexpected behaviour.
• After three rounds of play/ three crop years
  they encourage the players to express their
  opinions about the game, its rules to propose
  suitable modifications (no modifications
  requested)

23
Role of assistants observers

• Assistants help
• Labeling the players for each district or tambon,
  prepare and distribute the record sheet, note
  pads for the players.
• 4 observers monitor the individual behaviour of
  the players their interactions (2 of them
  record sequences by using digital cameras)
• Interactions were recorded during the 2 gaming
  sessions.

24
Indicators for the analysis of the game

• The analysis emphasizes the understanding of the
  dynamics observed during the gaming session.
• Key indicators for the analysis of a gaming
  sessions
• Regular planning processes of each stakeholders
• Stakeholders responses to feedback or results
  from the previous year
• Interaction among stakeholders
• Perception of stakeholders through RPG

25
UML diagram after the game
Model validation after game and group discussion
26
Participatory analysis of the game

• Collective debriefing after 3 rounds of play/crop
  years at the end of the gaming sessions
• Comments from the players on the game structure,
  features and propositions of new features and/or
  rules to be introduced and tested.
• Comments on the evolution and management of the
  session at the end.
• Group interviews and discussion after the gaming
  session focusing on
• Similarities differences between the conceptual
  model, the game (its structure, features rules)
  and actual practices
• Problems and constraints perceived in the real
  systems referred to the gaming session.
• Any ideas for scenario changes using the game and
  modeling
• The usefulness of the game for the players and
  possibly other stakeholders.

27
Validation
28
Perspectives

• Associate this RPG with another one representing
  the management of the RLR varieties and seed
  sources at farm level (see the description of the
   Ubon rice varieties  RPG).
• Following their validations by stakeholders,
  integrate both RPG into a single multi-agent
  model to simulate possible scenarios of changes
  in the provincial RLR seed system identified by
  the concerned stakeholders.
• Test the use of machine learning techniques to
  analyse the results of the gaming sessions in a
  more objective and rapid way (in collaboration
  with the Social Simulation Laboratory at Kyoto
  university).