THE AGRARIAN RURAL HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY

Initially we used Excel, because SPSS licenses are
prohibitively expensive and all organisations had access
to Excel. Individual organisations entered their data into
Excel, with four using other databases according to their
preference (AFRA, SPP, FSG and TRALSO). Individual
databases were checked internally and externally (by
the TA research co-ordinator) and the organisational data
was cleaned by research team members in the individual
organisations.
Representatives from the partner organisations met to
carry the process forward and decided to use PSPP, an
open source version of SPSS with less flexibility but enough
to sufficiently support the data. All databases were then
converted to PSPP.
A smaller team consisting of research team members
from SPP, FSG, TRALSO, BRC and SCLC with two steering
committee members and research co-ordination and
facilitation cleaned the data in a series of workshops,
and selected the variables for inclusion in a ‘mother’
database, linked to the indicators (Appendix 1) and
which cut across all or many organisations.
This process went through a number of iterations, with
team members being tasked to clean sections of the
database, which was then checked by selected members
of the research team. Members moved between SPSS
and PSPP as they came across limitations in the open
source package. The process took longer than planned,
since the time it took to enter, clean and check the data
was under-estimated. Nevertheless, research team
members benefited and learnt from in-depth engagement
with the database.
2.4 DATA ANALYSIS AND REPORTING
Individual organisations conducted their own data analysis
with some feedback both from TA co-ordinators and their
constituencies. There were some methodological errors,
especially around gender, which we were nevertheless
able to correct in the meta-analysis phase as a result of
the work by individual organisations. The core research
team met in another series of workshops to analyse the
data as it emerged.
This included identifying additional variables and cross
tabulations required to mine the data and their interrelationships
in more depth. An initial presentation of the
data was made to the steering committee in February
2012 with Prof Michael Bollig, the external advisor, present.
Inputs at this meeting shaped the further direction of
analysis.
THE AGRARIAN RURAL HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY REPORT
Members of the research team met with each other in
small geographical groups to develop sections of the
analysis further. The research co-ordinator pulled the
separate analyses together and conducted an on-going
cleaning up of the database. An initial draft was presented
to an expanded research team with representation from
all nine organisations involved in the research in April
2012, and further comments and analyses were made,
variables added and the draft revised.
The draft report was then presented to partner
constituencies and the steering committee for checking
and further comment in May 2012. Draft proposals for
discussion on the way forward for TA based on the
research are included in this report.
Each organisation produced its own baseline reports to
guide its specific activities. This meta-analysis looks across
all the organisations to obtain an overall picture and to
highlight some key points of overlap that might form the
basis for TA’s interventions as a network. Individual
organisations have very different approaches to providing
support. Part of TA is to understand these, to share across
organisations and learn from one another. .
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