Steps

Following introductions, facilitators worked with local farmers to identify the crops planted. If done, the Seasonal Calendar is a helpful tool for identifying types of crops cultivated in a community.

Based on the list, participants prioritized the most important crops planted.

For each of the major crops listed, participants then outlined each step involved in cultivating to selling crops:

	Millet			Sorghum			Cotton
	Men	Women	Total	Men	Women	Total	Men	Women	Total
Digging
Planting
Weeding
Harvesting
Drying
Selling

 

For each step in cultivating each crop, the research team asked participants to outline:

• How much land is dedicated to each crop?
  • Probe→ Why is this?
  • Probe→ Where do you get the seed, and at what cost?

Focusing on 1 acre:

• How much time is required for each step?
• How is work split between men and women (this can be determined by laying out 10 stones and asking participants to allocate stones accordingly)?
• When does each step happen (months)? Are any inputs used and, if so, what is the cost?
• Is the plant inter-cropped, and if so, with what?
• Yield per garden or acre? How much is kept? And sold?
• Where do you sell? (market, farm-gate, while plant is still in the ground?) Who markets it and how do you transport it (collective group, motorcycle hire, costs associated)? What is the selling price?