Manual - Participatory rapid diagnosis and action ... - FAO.org

PRDA Manual 15Agricultural outputs:• intensification: value added per unit of land;• labour productivity: value added per unit of family labour;• Irrigation water productivity: value added per unit of diverted irrigationsupply.These characteristics should be considered according to the location of theplot within the scheme - head, middle or tail and type of soil (See paragraph“Interaction between the four constituents” below).Type of crops or crop associations and crop rotation.The first step to characterize “plot use” consists in identifying the successionof crops or association of crops on the plot. If it is of a regular nature, it is afixed cropping rotation as with, for instance, the same crop or association ofcrops being cultivated every two or three years or more. The reasons for cropselection and changes in crop rotation are useful indicators of the objectivesof irrigated farming. Information on crop rotation is usually obtained throughretrospective investigation starting from the current crop and going back intime to check if crop succession is of a regular nature or not.Crop production processThe production process relates to farmers’ practices. It is first a matter ofidentifying the succession of elementary tasks/practices performed by farmersduring the production process from soil preparation to harvest, includingirrigation and use of inputs. One also has to understand the reasons whythey are implemented in connection with the technical and socio-economicconstraints farmers have to cope with.The Ministry of Agriculture or other extension service frequentlyrecommends a specific crop production process or a “technology package”.The diagnosis should highlight and explain the differences, if any, betweenthese recommendations and the actual farmers’ practices.YieldsThe last step in the characterization of plot use consists in estimating theyield of each crop and identifying post-harvest utilization: market sale, homeconsumption, intra-consumption by farm livestock. Estimation of yields isdifficult even when allowing for a 10 to 20 percent margin of error.