Happy New Year!

Scampis Lessons Learned

Scampis demonstrated that integrated strategies for rural livelihood improvement are indispensable for sustainable scaling-up of micro-irrigation.

• Institutions involvement is crucial for the structural embedding of MIS for more productive agricultural production
• Local availability of low-cost MIS supply chain together with post

  
  

  -sales services
• Strengthening farmers knowledge in intensive agricultural practices and management of savings
• Diversified and safe vegetable production, conservation (for own supply and for the market) and strategic marketing for sales knowledge is important to move farmers from extreme poverty to logic of  micro-investments and  plans for the future.
• Farmers and micro-entrepreneurs economic fragility could affect the investment decision. Supporting farmers to access formal or informal micro-finance institutions and organized production and sales (e.g. in group) is important to overcome the investment risk factor.

Read and download the Scampis detailed lessons learned.

Scampis MSC - Information Note for KM/KS writeshop (Bangkok 3-7/12/2012)

This information note was prepared to share the Scampis MSC experience during an international event (Bangkog 3-7 December 2012). It gives a general idea of why and how MSC has been readapted for the Scampis needs and gives share the practical experience of Scampis India who implemented the methodology (May - October 2012). References to the Guatemala experiences and to the media material (videos, photos) are also available within the document.

Information note Most Significant Change - Ruberto/Pradhan from ceci1982lia

M&E outcomes analysis 2012

Scampis MSC Analysis - findings

Below you can find synthesis of the MSC analysis made on 3 levels:
- Field staff level
- National level
- Cross country level (India --> Guatemala & Guatemala --> India)
The various analysis have been coded and compared. The images below show the main MSC identified during the analysis process (6 for each country).

Scampis Outcomes and MSC

Read the presentation below OR
WATCH THE VIDEO (with music) on YOUTUBE!!

Don Vincente Most Significant Change (Abstracts)

...Abstracts from Most significant Change interview. Download the entire interview txt

2^nd Interviewer: Do you cultivate vegetables? 3^rd User: Yes, as you can see we have vegetables here (the other user asks: before Scampi?) no, before Scampi no, this program has helped us a lot in the strengthening of our community because before we had so many weaknesses because some people said that they wanted to quit because it is a hard job, it has helped our vegetables and plants to be more nutritive for all the things we put in them, because they work different in our system comparing them to meat which takes a longer process inside our body so I prefer the vegetables, and for me it would be better to continue cultivating more vegetables and I hope this group continues to do so because sometimes it is hard but we have to keep working to reach a better development as farmers.

 2^nd Interviewer: Why didn’t you cultivate them before? 3^rd User: Well, we did not cultivate them because we thought that we needed a larger land to cultivate but at the same time we realized that we didn’t need so much space in order to cultivate vegetables we can use small land getting a lot of harvest there is no need of larger acres, for example in this area we harvested 5000 radishes and before we could not imagine that this amount was able to be harvested in this place, we thought that maybe in larger acres but now we see that it is possible here, and also with the tips and help of the engineers and experts which have been helpful we were also able to put a lot of seeds in another part for example the one that we have here as you can see are more, there is the space from the ones we have harvested and now we realized that vegetables do not take a lot of time to harvest it is also fast to get and it is also easier to reach more incomes for example here we have coriander, it was cultivated for business and as you can see it is growing and we have more, and you are not asking me this and I am not doing it just to take more time but for example here in this 2 meters of land we have 25 quetzales in 40 days (someone asks in the back and he replies yes in 40 days) and for us this project has been really helpful and we hope to be able to keep going.

 1^st Interviewer: Since the arrival of Scampi what do you think is the most significant change in your family?   3^rd User: Well since the program came I believe it has been the nutritional part which has been more balanced because we not only eat vegetables, we also have drinkable water, we have filters to kill the germs in the water, and we are healthier, before we suffered several diseases like flu and diarrhea, well and those have been some of the positive changes we have faced because before for example we ate radish which we used to buy and took the herbs away and now we eat them.

2^nd Interviewer: How is the work organized in the group in this farm? (He repeated the question)   3^rd User: We are organized in 5 people who know the place, we studied the land because it had a yellow color and did not produce anything but thanks to the effort of the group we prepared the land, fertilized the ground, put manure of cattle, hens and other types, we strained the soil to have different types for example the prepared soil called this way because it has been strained and mixed with cattle manure it also has fish bones and egg shells and ashes all very good mixed and we put them in bags all the manure which we always use, each time the group come to water the land each person brings their own manure and put them little by little in the ground after being strained and we also tell the people to bring bones so we grind them and have better results in the nutrition of the plant because we have better harvest in this case bigger radishes.

2^nd Interviewer: Was it difficult to organize the group in the beginning? 3^rd User: Yes, it was difficult because we had to face several weaknesses because some people wanted and other did not want to be part because some thought it was too much work, and for that reason communities like ours have many difficulties among the people because they don’t always like to work and for us that is a problem because the ones who want to improve and fight like us against our worse poverty which for me is the mental poverty the one we have to fight because it is hard for us because we are not prepared sometimes it is our own fault for our lack of desire to improve because when opportunities like this come we have to use them and I would like to invite the entire group to keep working hard because it is the best way to have a better life.

1^st Interviewer: After Scampis what do you plan to reach in a near future? 3^rd User: Well for me if we had the opportunity for now it is only a dream if we could have a better mechanism to use water so we do not have to waste it and use it as much as we could and be able to use it for our harvest because as we can see here the family is washing things and wasting water and I think that there is a way we can use it or even having some kind of watering system more advanced to use and even to commercialize it because right now it is only for consumption and with that system we could have a better result that is a dream a better watering system but who knows if God helps us I believe we can have it if we continue working hard. 

2^nd Interviewer: Thank you so much for your time.

Untold Stories Seminar: participants thoughts..

This are the participants thought about:
- What I liked about the seminar
- What I learned
- What action I feel I should undertake after this seminar

Untold Stories Seminar - World Water Week participants feedback from ceci1982lia

World Water Week 2012: Untold Stories about Micro-Irrigation Seminar

Article on IFAD Social Blog about Untold Stories

Micro Irrigation under Spotlight at Stockholm World Water Week #wwweek

Posted by Beate Stalsett Tuesday, August 28, 2012

By Charles Dhewa

IFAD’s work on Scaling Up Micro Irrigation Systems (SCAMPIS) attracted a full house during the first day of Stockholm World Water Week (26 August 2012). In a session entitled “Micro-Irrigation for Food Security: The Untold Stories of Forgotten Stakeholders”, participants listened to fascinating stories from Guatemala, Madagascar and India where 30 000 people have been moved out of poverty through the SCAMPIS project. The project has shown the benefits of combining investment in Agriculture Water Management with innovation involving the private sector.

The session generated thoughtful and useful comments from the participants.  Some of the emerging issues and questions include:

• Return on investment in Micro Irrigation Systems;
• The need for scaling up Micro Irrigation Systems to consider the depletion of blue water (water in rivers, dams, streams and other reservoirs) which is used by irrigation;
• Need to look at self adoption by people outside the projects who learn by observing and implementing the technology in their own contexts;
• Men should also work in the field rather than leaving the bulk of the work to women and children;
• It is important to explore and expand markets for crops because this determines investment. Scaling up depends on market demand;
• While micro credit should be considered, it is not suitable for the majority of smallholders due to high interest rates, among other factors such as expectation for obtaining subsidies;
• While most technologies tend to exclude the poorest of the poor, Micro Irrigation Systems are suitable for these vulnerable groups; and, it is also important to explore alternative energy systems for pumping water.

The main conclusion was that the main focus is not to scale up technology but to reduce poverty and improve the lives of rural poor people.

Micro-irrigation for food security: untold stories of forgotten stakeholders

Scampis seminar at World Water Week, Stockholm, Sweden. 

Watch the single stories on the Untold Stories Youtube Playlist

Mis-Geography: the role play game for strategies and negoziation simulations!

What is MIS-Geography???

It is a simulation of real life experiences, tuff negotiations and incredible problems (always, constantly happending during a project-programme development) can or cannot be solved thanks to the effort of brave and smart coordinators and policy makers.

What is the objective of the game is to develop strategies for scaling up micro-irrigation systems (MIS) in a time-span of 6 years.....or obstacle and slow down the dissemination of MIS! 

Who will win?

The game will let you discuss, argue, negotiate and finally find solutions and more than something else will let you have fun, learning!!!!!

(The game has been ideated by Cecilia Ruberto, more info: ceciliaruberto@gmail.com)

Micro-irrigation Stories on FaceBook

Scampis is finally on Facebook

Join our group and share your experiences, learn about our experiences!

Join the page: Micro Irrigation Stories on Facebook!

Tell a Story!!

In this section we are uploading useful web-links that help us in understanding the importance of listening and telling stories. 

Why a story is so powerful? 
           How can we include the stories in our monitoring evaluation and learning systems?
                               How to be a good story-teller?

Links:

1. Pacific Resources for Education and Learning,  By Word of Mouth: A Storytelling Guide for the Classroom by Jeff Gere, Beth-Ann Kozlovich, Daniel A. Kelin II www.prel.org

2. Aaron Shepard’s Storytelling Page : Telling a Story, Stories to Tell

3. Muscles of Immagination A synthesis for story-telling by Cecilia Ruberto

Storytelling

View more presentations from ceci1982lia

Most Significant Change Scampis India - national analysis

MSC India training synthesis NCP

View more PowerPoint from ceci1982lia

The MSC reporters in India

Most Significant Change stories collection in Koraput and Gajapaty districts, Orissa Region, India

Most Significant Change Scampis Guatemala - national analysis

The Most significant Change Strategy

Implemented for the SCAMPIS Project (micro-irrigation and natural fertilization for vulnerable small-holders), to improve the M&E strategy and the International Learning/Sharing Platform (Learning Path).
Involved organizations:
IFAD (Water and Infrastructure desk)
Guatemala: Funcafé;
India: IDEI, OTELP, IFAD ICO)

Started in:
Guatemala - Oriental Region (April 2012)
India - Orissa Region (May 2012)

The Scampis MSC steps are

1 - Stories Collection by young reporters
A small group of young reportes (trained by Scampis staff, age between 12 - 16) interview farmers of their own community. Modaily interviewr, video recording and photos makers.

2 - Field level analysis
The project local staff analyse the videos collected on the field and discuss about i)Most Significant Change perceived by the interviewed ii) Most Significant Difficoulties iii) Innovations and Hidden aspects of the project. Among the almost 30 videos 10 are selected to continue the analysis process.

3 - National Level analysis
Project supervisor and National staff analyse the videos (same criteria mentioned above) and select 6 videos.

4 - International Level analysis
The partner counties and IFAD will do the analysis on the 6 videos selected

5 - Linking MSC to M&E data collection
The qualitative and quantitative information will be linked together in order to provide a overall comprhensive understanding of the project, the achievements and the strategies implemented. This will provide a useful tool for the future to design and implement effective strategies for scaling up micro-irrigation.

The variation  from the ufficial MSC process

The Scampis MSC has been introduced during the last stage of the project due to a concrete need to improve the understanding of the project, numbers and data collected were not enough to understand the real changes and their dimensions. Due to this late start the stories collection has not been a continuous and incremental process (as it should be in order to capture the real change - daily change and challenges). The strong interest in the implementing organization in developing and practicing the method to discover/understand  the project brought to the formulation of the Scampis MSC. In this strategy the collection of the stories is limited in the time and the analysis of the stories is extremely articulated and developed in order to be sure to internalize the knowledge and transform it in learning (learning for change). The cross countries analysis is a fundamental step for the process. The analysis developed at each stage is a way to let the staff recognize the impact of their activities and understand how to improve them.

The Scampis MSC strategy (India, MSC training, May 2012)



What is the Most Significant Change Technique?

Our reporters for the MSC!

 The Scampis MSC reporters in Guatemala!!

April 2012

Moyuta, Conguaco, Olopa, San Pedro Pinula, Camotàn.

Most Significant Change Training, Bhubaneswar, 9 – 10 May 2012

Objectives of the training

• Explain what the Most Significant Change (MSC) technique and practice MSC with participants
• Identification and planning of the MSC strategy for SCAMPIS project

Results of the training

         i.            The MSC has been presented and discussed in plenary. The participants understood the main differences between quantitative monitoring and qualitative monitoring. They also identified the differences between simple stories collection and MSC stories collection. The importance of not influencing the interviewed and create the good environment for letting him/her tell the own story has been captured through exercises. 

        ii.            The participants practices exercise for the stories collection and analysis

      iii.            The participant develop their own MSC strategy to apply in the fields in following 2 weeks 

             Participants

The workshop hosted 26 participants (see participants list annex) with roles and responsibilities coming from different organizations.

• Scampis staff: BA, VBM and dealer
• OTELP
• NGOs
• Farmers
• Facilitators: Cecilia Ruberto (IFAD); Tapan (IDEI)

The participants are all in the position to be the implementers and designer of the Most Significant Change for SCAMPIS India.

Methodology

Introduction of MSC. Why we use this tool, to achieve which results: learning and improve our work improve our activities planning. To learn and use the knowledge for a more effective activities. Also to know the hidden stories that are behind the use of MIS technologies, the secret interlinks with the real stories, with the context, families and villages relations, constraints faced in the process.

A great effort has been put on 3 points

-       Create the friendly environment conditions that enable to get the story of life

-       Analysis process: the purpose of the analysis process

-       Practice the technique understanding which are the critical points in implementing it

The participants divided per group following the different district in which they work identified the strategy to implement MSC. The participant decided t

Finally each participant received her/his participation certificate diploma.

The participants identified the following strategy to develop the MSC stories collection:

-       Organize village meeting and explain what MSC is about and identify farmers interested in sharing their story and kids interested in collecting the stories.

-       In a second moment (after few days) train the kids of the village in collecting the story, method of interview, use of flipcam and photograph machine.

-       In the same day of the training go to the farmers of their own village to collect the stories/interviews.

Training Participants Evaluation

The methodology has been overall considered useful and not complex to develop. Generally MSC has been identified as an appropriate tool not only to show the change at the field level, but also to reflect on the strategy adopted by the same staff. The work with group of kids has not identified as a barrier, on the contrary has been consider a good way to reflect the “real story of the farmers” and don’t influence it.

The staff will have the challenge to develop good training technique for the kids and to do so the collaboration between SCAMPIS, OTELP and NGO will be extremely useful (different skills and competencies).

“Previously we didn’t evaluate properly our work as we didn’t know how to do it. A proper evaluation will improve our plan and work”

“I hope I can use MSC for different projects. I will teach others to use this technique. I believe that this technique is good also to evaluate our own life”

“MSC allow people to say what they want to say”

“I feel that now I learn how to collect information and how to evaluate them”

“Previously I was thinking that that was and ordinary agricultural training, but then she discovered that was about a technique to collect stories for learning. OTELP always had difficulties in collecting stories, now we know that is not difficult. We do a lot of work but we are not able to show how our work bring the change. This tool will help us in improve our planning and knowledge”

“Until now I was used to do surveys, surveys are difficult. With the MSC we have a big responsibilities, thanks to MSC farmers will be able to express their own story to their village and friends. They will be happy.”

“I think we should share the videos with the same villages and communities where it has been recorded, this will encourage other farmers”

“The farmers not always think in terms of “change” the MSC will let them think in terms of change, they will explain the differences with the past”