Sorry but I would like to take exception to Ablaye Layepresi Gaye comments concerning farmers' lack of experience and knowledge. I wonder if what he is observing is really the impact of limited operational capacity to comply with recommendations. Can he confirm that the farmers have access to enough labor to complete various crop management activities in the desired timely manner. That is 300 diligent person hours per hectare for manual (hoeing) land preparation. Does this labor have the necessary 4000 kcal/day diet that will allow them to undertake a full day of agronomic field work, or are they limited to 2000 - 2500 kcal/day, which after subtracting 2000 kcal/day for basic metabolism only leaves a few hundred kcal/day for labor, at 280 kcal/hr is good for perhaps two hours of diligent effort. Thus, is what he is objecting to is the rational compromises farmers have to make in adjusting the recommendation to their limited operational capacity. Rather than emphasis on badgering farmers on information they already have a reasonable knowledge off, but not the resources to utilize, would it be better to facilitate access to additional operational resources that will allow them more readily comply with desired management practices? This is an area that is traditionally overlooked and falls into an administrative void between agronomists and social scientists assisting smallholder communities. Please review the following webpages:
RE: A lack of learning in the monitoring and evaluation of agriculture projects
Sorry but I would like to take exception to Ablaye Layepresi Gaye comments concerning farmers' lack of experience and knowledge. I wonder if what he is observing is really the impact of limited operational capacity to comply with recommendations. Can he confirm that the farmers have access to enough labor to complete various crop management activities in the desired timely manner. That is 300 diligent person hours per hectare for manual (hoeing) land preparation. Does this labor have the necessary 4000 kcal/day diet that will allow them to undertake a full day of agronomic field work, or are they limited to 2000 - 2500 kcal/day, which after subtracting 2000 kcal/day for basic metabolism only leaves a few hundred kcal/day for labor, at 280 kcal/hr is good for perhaps two hours of diligent effort. Thus, is what he is objecting to is the rational compromises farmers have to make in adjusting the recommendation to their limited operational capacity. Rather than emphasis on badgering farmers on information they already have a reasonable knowledge off, but not the resources to utilize, would it be better to facilitate access to additional operational resources that will allow them more readily comply with desired management practices? This is an area that is traditionally overlooked and falls into an administrative void between agronomists and social scientists assisting smallholder communities. Please review the following webpages:
https://agsci.colostate.edu/smallholderagriculture/wp-content/uploads/s…;
https://webdoc.agsci.colostate.edu/smallholderagriculture/OperationalFe…
https://agsci.colostate.edu/smallholderagriculture/calorie-energy-balan…
Thank you