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Developing communication and networking mechanisms for improvingservices to small scale farmersSimon WilkinsonNetwork of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific, Suraswadi Building,Department of Fisheries, Kasetsart University CampusBangkok 10900, ThailandAbstractGiven the limited availability of traditional extension services, there is a need to investigate alternative approachesto improve communication and networking with small scale farmers. Effective communication requires clearlyidentifying the target stakeholders and researching their needs, interests and preferred methods ofcommunication. This kind of information can be gathered through an information access survey. A blendedapproach to communication is often more effective than any single method alone. Approaches that encouragenetworking and ‘self-help’ between and within stakeholder groups, such as farmer associations or locallyowned/maintained information centres, may offer effective starting points.The internet does not have sufficient penetration to be a mainstream communication tool for communicatingdirectly with the majority of farmers. However, it can be successfully employed through facilitated access, and isoften an important tool for those working with farming communities. Online ‘social networking’ is providing anunprecedented level of connectivity and exchange between interest groups, and will become increasinglyimportant as internet penetration increases amongst rural communities.IntroductionFarming has never been easy, but in the era of globalisation it is getting harder. Rural communities that were onceisolated are being drawn into national and global markets, competing for energy, fertiliser and feed inputs andfacing ever more stringent food safety and environmental regulations. Farmers in the ASEAN region will need tocontinuously improve their efficiency and competitiveness to stay in business. They need to adopt bettermanagement practices.Asian aquaculture is characterised by small-scale, family-operated farms that are typically very numerous andwidely distributed. This presents challenges to training and extension services operating with limited personneland resources. We need to find smarter, more efficient ways to deliver services and strengthen networking forsmall-scale producers.This guide explores options for improving communication with and between small-scale farmers, in the context offacilitating adoption of better management practices.Developing a communication planCommunicating effectively with stakeholders is not necessarily difficult, but large organisations such asgovernment departments are notoriously bad at it. The most important thing is to consider the needs of yourstakeholders and put that first. What kinds of information do they want? How do they prefer to communicate? Youneed to find out.81
Once you understand your stakeholder’s needs and interests you will find it easier to communicate with them. Themore relevant your message the more willing they will be to listen. Give your stakeholders something that theyvalue and you will also get your organisation’s own message across to them more effectively.How? A good way to start is to develop a simple communications plan. The main elements of this are to:• Clearly identify your stakeholders.• Find out what they need.• Find out how they prefer to communicate.• Use your findings to develop an appropriate plan.Clearly identify your stakeholdersIt is important to clearly identify who you want to communicate with because this will determine the methods youuse. Small scale farmers can of course be highly variable in terms of their farming practices, relative wealth and inthe resources available to them.• Who exactly are your target stakeholders?• Where do they live / how are they geographically distributed?• Are there any social, economic or geographic groupings amongst them that may be relevant?It is useful to prepare an inventory of who you want to influence and to identify any natural groups or structuresyou can find amongst them. You may decide to focus on farmers in a particular area or who use a particularpractice, or to work with existing farmer organisations, or people belonging to a particular social group.Find out what they needA second important step is to determine the needs and interests of your stakeholders. Government organisationsoften assume that their stakeholders are interested in the same issues that they are. However, the ‘real world’concerns of farmers are frequently different. It is important to find out what your stakeholders think the real issuesare.It is best to gather information about your stakeholders concerns and interests directly if you can. Attend farmermeetings if possible. If you don’t have access to them yourself, try to work through field staff or regional officesthat do. Look for publications, prior studies and surveys your organisation may have conducted in the past, usuallyorganisations will have quite a lot of existing information about their stakeholders on hand, but it may not be wellorganised or easy to find. In the context of the present project, formal needs assessments have been conductedas the foundation for the preparation of the BMPs.If you understand the needs and interests of your stakeholders you will be much better placed to provideinformation and services that are useful to them. The more relevant your message, the more likely they are tolisten, and the more effective you will be. Government organisations frequently try to ‘take their policies to thefarm’ and expect people to adopt them wholesale. In reality, farmers may only be interested in a subset of the‘issues’ most relevant to them. You need to identify the overlap, the areas of common interest between yourorganisation and your target stakeholders. That’s your entry point for engaging their interest and also where youhave the best chance to influence their views.Find out how your stakeholders communicate82
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Training of TrainersProgramme3-7 Au
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Table of Contents1. Preface 42. Sen
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knowledge about the activities carr
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iosphere, in that it is essentially
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Importance in narrowing the supply
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Figure 7: The trend in aquaculture
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aquaculture has been a success thus
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pathogen transfer is generally cons
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• It highlights the importance a
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particular animal are identified, t
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Knowledge at the bottom of the pyra
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farmer innovation process. In this
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• Rapport building• Working str
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shrimp farming is undertaken in the
Page 32 and 33: Reintjes, C and Hiemstra, W. 1989 F
Page 34 and 35: • An increase in reliable product
Page 36 and 37: Principles of AACC are to: 1) Facil
Page 38 and 39: Maintaining genetic quality of fish
Page 40 and 41: Where F is the percent increase in
Page 42 and 43: o G=(0.95) 1/10G =0.994883803Figure
Page 44 and 45: Aquaculture extension and training
Page 46 and 47: ResearchExtensionFarmersFlow of inf
Page 48 and 49: view of outside world than before a
Page 50 and 51: Along with fish sample, the support
Page 52 and 53: Fungal examinationFungal infection
Page 54 and 55: few different pathogen strains. The
Page 56 and 57: Major finfish diseases in Asia and
Page 58 and 59: A great number and diversity of ani
Page 60 and 61: • -oxidase test positive• -resi
Page 62 and 63: ReferencesAustin, B. and D. Austin.
Page 64 and 65: Accessing better markets-improving
Page 66 and 67: Owing to its importance in generati
Page 68 and 69: adopt standards for responsible shr
Page 70: Tokrisna R, Benheam W., 1995. Gain
Page 73 and 74: of the temperature rise that were d
Page 75 and 76: Principles of developing, validatin
Page 77 and 78: such as determinants, exposures and
Page 79 and 80: How to promote adoption of BMPs?Pro
Page 81: economic sustainability. BMPs need
Page 85 and 86: As conventional approaches such as
Page 87 and 88: Printed publicationsPrinted publica
Page 89 and 90: Set up a blog or website for your w
Page 91 and 92: If you have a website, all you need
Page 93 and 94: ought about increased profits among
Page 95 and 96: • It is a farming system the prod
Page 97 and 98: Annex 1. The area surveyed for obta
Page 99 and 100: contribute substantially to maintai
Page 101 and 102: seawater, but in fresh water its le
Page 103 and 104: type of ingredients used, since som
Page 105 and 106: This is a new approach used to buil
Page 107 and 108: New, M.B., A. G. J. Tacon and I. Cs
Page 109 and 110: later stages it has become a much m
Page 111 and 112: c. Improved information exchange an
Page 113 and 114: implemented by both societies. Inte
Page 115 and 116: With better informed farmers, the s
Page 117 and 118: According to FAO, it is estimated t
Page 119 and 120: Farmer organization as models for p
Page 121 and 122: NaCSA disseminates BMPs mainly thro
Page 123 and 124: 1. Drain the pond water completely
Page 125 and 126: Seed transportation and Stocking:
Page 127 and 128: 7. Presently 100% of the society po
Page 129 and 130: would help in sustaining shrimp sec
Page 131 and 132: Stress brought about by the capture
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Enhance women participation in aqua
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women in aquaculture and identify a
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major percentage of staff, the need
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having more self confidence through
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Overall status of men and women in
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Compliance to international standar
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(ii) to protect human or animal lif
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c) FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commi
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Annex 1: List of participantsCountr
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Annex 2: AgendaDate Time Presentati
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Annex 3: List of resource persons1.
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