FLD: Using Digital cameras in Bolivia and South Africa

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FLDUsing Digital cameras in Bolivia and South
Africa
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Bolivia Agrecol Andes

• Disadvantages Farmer-to-Farmer exchange
• meetings
• Lack of time for the meeting. Especially women
  stayed at home
• After returning to their community, the
  participants had a difficult time to share their
  experiences. Stories were told, but they had no
  materials to illustrate the stories

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FLD Method Agrecol Using Digital
CamerasProcess

• Looking for community with experience in NRM and
  willingness to document
• The community lists all the experiences they have
  and would like to document to share.
• The group of participants (everyone form the
  community is welcome to join) sits together to
  define all aspects that form the experience
• The participants decide which type of
  documentation would be best to transmit the
  experience
• If community select some facilitators for the
  process that should know the experience and be
  recognized by their community (training in fe
  using digital camera's)
• With the script/storyboard and facilitators
  trained the documentation process can get
  started.
• A presentation of the organised material is made
  with the whole community in order to validate the
  documentation
• Finally the participants use this documentation
  to share the experience with other communities

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Effective means

• Digital cameras have been found to be one of the
  most effective means of documentation as they are
  simple to use and a photo taken by a farmer needs
  no further elaboration as the message does not
  need to be translated or shaped according to a
  given structure

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Disadvantages/Challenges

• The technology is expensive (digital camera,
  computer, printer) and difficult to upscale
• All equipment requires energy (to transfer photo
  images to computers, print, or disseminate on the
  Internet)
• Some important information may not be captured
  using camera e.g. market information
• Most rural areas have limited information
  infrastructure and also do not have electricity
  which makes it difficult scale up
• Equipment is delicate may require maintenance and
  repair (and additional costs)
• Requires skills training to learn how to use the
  ict equipment
• Control on appropriate use of ict equipment (for
  learning rather then entertainment)

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Potshini farmers SOUTH AFRICA

• Potshini farmers are using photography to capture
  their experiences in farming in general and what
  they have also learnt form various sources,
  particularly the Smallholder system Innovation
  (SSI) in watershed management

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Farmer Support Group piloting FLD in Potshini
Reasons for the FLD component

• The final documentation is in the perception of
  the researchers. Farmers are not conducting a
  parallel process which would reflect their own
  perceptions.
• It is one way through which farmers can market
  and advertise their products. In addition it
  brings out their knowledge and constrains to the
  foreground, thus allowing outsiders to render
  more effective assistance.

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Challenges

• Limited availability of still cameras in the
  retail stores since almost everyone is now
  stocking digital cameras.
• Limited time of the pilot to start documenting
  pilot started during harvest time when farmers
  were busy harvesting
• Learning how to use the camera.

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Highlights

• FLD increased the groups participation, gave
  voice also to the quiet farmers.
• Other communities have shown interest in starting
  their own documentation process Potshini farmers
  will train their colleagues.
• 2 farmers already bought their own cameras- FLD
  is getting institutionalized