Scampis Events, News and Learning

Scampis Seminar at Stockholm World Water Week, 26 August 2012
Listen at the single short presentation on youtube.  Youtube playlist
Watch the Photos on Flikr
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12 speakers coming from the 3 countries will brig the public into the essence of the project through their "stories of life". This will be a unique opportunity to listen and discuss with direct beneficiaries and stakeholders involved in different aspects related to MIS.
Scampis project is about MIS technology  and productivity, water availability, nutrition, market production and income, promotion, youth and women participation, micro-entrepreneurship, learning but more then everything else is about LIFE CHANGING.
Behind each topic there are thousands of hidden real-life stories, we will reveal some of them during the seminar.

...Key message

Seminar at World Water Week (26/08/2012) Untold Stories of forgotten stakeholders
Untold stories of forgotten stakeholders and project implementers from India, Guatemala and Madagascar will highlight the importance of dimension change in pro poor development through the introduction of micro-irrigation systems (MIS).

MIS  are effective tools for addressing rural poverty and improving the lives of smallholder farmers.

The Scampis project (2009-2012), has changed the lives of 30.000 vulnerable farmer households which have adopted low-cost,  user-friendly MIS technologies. This innovative technology has seen farmers embrace other strategies such as organic fertilization (Vermiwash and compost), natural pesticides, more appropriate agricultural practices (extended growing seasons, lower application rates of agro-chemicals and (re)introducing native species and different crops),  and changed knowledge and behaviour on nutrition and health. At organisational level, women and youth have formed strong livelihood groups to explore the manifold impacts.

An holistic development chain from the manufacturer through the retailer shop (with pre- and post-sales service ) to the farmer and sales of vegetables exceeds to local markets has been put in motion by the Scampis project.
Sustainability is a matter of affordability of choice –hence use of subsidies, accessibility of extension and rural finance services, as well as availability of marketing linkages. Together with policy dialogue they lead to scaling-up in the 3 Scampis countries.


SCAMPIS Learning Notes


Seminar Photos

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.

Seminar programme

Section 1. Micro-irrigation: tackling the complex web of poverty

09:00 Context and achievements of the project. Mr Rudolph Cleveringa, IFAD     

9:15 Interest of private sector in micro-irrigation for food security – Ms Sibyl Anwander Phan- Huy Coopernic Group, Switzerland                  

9:30 Understanding numbers through stories: the Scampis monitoring evaluation and learning process. Ms Cecilia Ruberto, IFAD    

Section 2. Untold stories about micro-irrigation… and much more

10:00 Story-telling
Guatemala Group

(1) Project strategy adaptation. Introduction of school garden for MIS. Story. Mr Santiago Guadalupe Girón de Leon, Project Coordinator, Funcafè, Guatemala

(2) Empowering groups of women and youth through correct nutrition health, hygiene. Story.  Ms Magalì Avila Chosco, Educadora, Funcafè, Guatemala
India Group

(3) Use of promotion strategy for introducing the MIS innovation. Story. Mr Tapan Pattanayak, Chief General Manager, Regional Office Bhubaneswar, IDEI, India.

(4) The promotion strategy and involvement of tribal farmers. Story. Mr Bijaya Kumar Rout, Scampis MIS Promoter, IDEI, India
Madagascar Group

(5) Establishment of micro-irrigation market chain, the strategy. Story.  Mr Feno Andriamanalina, Scampis Madagascar project coordinator, AVSF, Madagascar.

(6) How and why a small entrepreneur started the business on micro-irrigation and future opportunities.Story, Mr Lova Randriambelo, Innovagri, Madagascar

11:00 Coffee break

11.15 Story-telling
Scaling-up group

(7) Overall scaling up of integrated strategies for micro-irrigation and scaling up with coffee producers. Story. Mr Mynor David Maldonado Mazariegos, Funcafé Executive Director, Funcafè, Guatemala

(8) Scaling up MIS – Integrating MIS in Indian national programme for livelihood improvement, complexity and opportunities/ Story. Mr Susanta Nanda, Programme Director, OTELP, India

(9) Scaling up MIS – Integrating MIS in Madagascar national programme for livelihood improvement, complexity and opportunities. Story. Mr Christin Ramaroson, AD2M and CapFIDA, Madagascar

12:00 Section 3: Integrated strategies for scaling up micro irrigation systems: key messages


 The SCAMPIS Most Significant Change Technique

Why:
-          Consolidate the learning from the projects from multiple points of view (strategic, practical and theoretical)
-          Complete the stream of participatory communication and sharing among partners and outside (International Learning Path, phase 2)
-          Bring the light to hidden aspects of the projects which have been the essence that brought to the quantitative results
What has been reshaped from the original guidelines:
-          Timing collection of stories (1 month for collection; 4 months for analysis process)
-          Stories collection methodology (see below the practical guide to SCAMPIS MSC)
-          Process of analysis (see below the practical guide to SCAMPIS MSC)
-          Ranking or not ranking: this was the problem… SCAMPIS will not rank the stories collected and analysed, the stories,  will be catalogued per topic and will be used to represent the various
-          Final reutilization of the products
-          Same analysis in 3 countries (India, Guatemala, Madagascar) + final analysis in an external context (IFAD – Rome, Italy)
Critics, possible pitfalls:
Identified until now, please help us in identifying and prevent them, giving us your comment.
-          Languages barriers
-          Real commitment of all the stakeholders in the stories collection and analysis analysis
-          Time intensive 1 week story collections; 1 day for each analysis (collection and analysis)
-          … (please share with us your doubts! c.ruberto@ifad.org)

SCAMPIS Most Significant Change step by step

 The analysis implemented at the 4 levels  will always look at:
  •  MSC from different point of view
  • Difficulties and risks perceived
  • New ideas (hidden stories)
 A sheets for brainstorming and for analysis will be provided to the countries for the various analysis.
For the analysis is needed only the knowledge of the context of the project is not needed the direct knowledge of the person interviewed.
The analysis should focus on what the audience of the videos perceive as most significant change for the interviewed, difficulties faced and new ideas suggested by the interviewer.
The process should be an “adding-on” process in the discussion any idea is the good one and do not exclude the others, for this reason in the format there are option to list all the different ideas. It is required a general brainstorming and finally a conceptualization of the result of the brainstorming in a more general analysis.

1st phase: stories collections[1]
Collected by kids (age between 13-16 years) who will contemporaneously, as real reporters, film, photograph and ask questions to the project beneficiaries. (Capacity building for the kids at the beginning of the day to break the ice, practice the use of the technologies and understand the reason why of the activity as well the questions for the adults)
At the end of the day there is a final brainstorming with the kids to see how they felt, what they learned, what the liked and not liked at most. A very light analysis is conducted in this case, to fix in the young’s the memory of the day and to understand and improve the MSC methodology.
2nd phase: stories analysis national level
(Direct analysis – each country analyse its stories)
During a SCAMPIS staff meeting all the interviews collected will be reviewed and analysed, a brainstorming about the most important changes perceived by the stories will be done together with the identification of 6 videos considered by the majority most “communicative” , each video will also have its specific analysis to show what topics or item has been considered important. The general analysis (brainstorming), the 6 videos and the 6 related analyses will be sent to the SCAMPIS IFAD team.
The analysis will be at two levels, the first will be field staff level and the second will be at national staff (Hq.) level.
3rd phase: stories analysis international level
(Indirect analysis – other institution and countries analyse the stories)
The 6 stories selected will be again analysed by IFAD Scampis team + external stakeholders to identify “the most significant change” from their point of view (knowing a the context). As well the stories will be sent to the Indian and Madagascar partners, where a similar process of analysis will be conducted (with the help of subtitles). Each group will provide a general analysis, 3 videos identified as “most representatives” and the related analysis for each video.
The videos will be all subtitled for easier comprehension and the analysis translated.
4th phase: connection of the qualitative analysis to the M&E quantitative data
In this phase the interconnection of the results achieved in the M&E data system (outputs; outcomes) with the MSC analysis will provide the “impact of the project” (inferred impact – a real impact can be evaluated only after years from the end of the project).
A virtual map will be created, this will bring the observer in a virtual tour in the SCAMPIS project, meeting the stakeholders involved, listening at their stories and learning about the data (M&E) to them related. This tool will create solid basis for replication and scaling up MIS in new projects/programmes and capitalize the lessons of the 3 SCAMPIS experiences in India, Guatemala and Madagascar.
Each contry has developed MSC with adaptation to their context. Please go to the specific country section to know more about it:


What is Most Significant Change?
From the “Most Significant Change”(MSC) Technique – A Guide to Its Use by Rick Davies and Jess Dart (April 2005). Funded by CARE International, UK
The most significant change (MSC) technique is a form of participatory monitoring and evaluation. It is participatory because many project stakeholders are involved both in deciding the sorts of change to be recorded and in analysing the data. It is a form of monitoring because it occurs throughout the program cycle and provides information to help people manage the program. It contributes to evaluation because it provides data on impact and outcomes that can be used to help assess the performance of the program as a whole.
Essentially, the process involves the collection of significant change (SC) stories emanating from the field level, and the systematic selection of the most significant of these stories by panels of designated stakeholders or staff.....

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