Important Issues & Features

Creation of a vision of a better future through careful sensitization of communities to the potential for change and the mobilization of farmers to take charge of their own development is very crucial under the RIPAT approach. Development is a thinking job.

Before embarking on a community economic development project, anyone who wants to join will be interested to know from the beginning how their household will be after time 'T' (1–3 or 5 years). RIPAT displays an illustration of the "super household model" — showing spatial arrangements, interactions and values of the target farming system.

RIPAT helps farmers set goals and remain focused, knowing that development is a process which should be achieved — there is no quick fix. As Mwalimu Nyerere said: "People cannot be developed — but they can only develop themselves."

A participatory field survey (PRA — Participatory Rural Appraisal) is conducted to identify challenges, potentials and opportunities and to suggest relevant interventions, and to undertake a stakeholder analysis.

Various stakeholders — especially the beneficiaries and local authorities — are encouraged to participate in order to lay a foundation for project sustainability. The output is a project proposal with a well-established basket of options and logical framework (objectives, performing indicators, outputs, activities, and assumptions).

This feature is about avoiding donor dependency and ensuring that farmers take full charge of their own development at individual and community level. The approach insists on self-reliance as the prime foundation for freedom and development (poverty reduction and food security).

Under RIPAT, there is always a "price tag for development — nothing is for free." Every direct recipient of project support is responsible for supporting three other community members in terms of knowledge and planting materials, while for animals they follow the solidarity chain (Heifer approach).

Under the sister group system, groups support the formation of new groups and supply them with planting materials and knowledge. VSLA groups allocate community support funds for additional outreach.

A. Community Mobilization and Sensitization
Communities are encouraged to come together and are supported to analyze their own situations and take steps toward the goal and objectives of the RIPAT project. Village governments are informed to mobilize the community through village meetings where RIPAT facilitators and WDC members handle sensitization and awareness creation.

B. Group Formation and Development
Scattered small-scale farmers are mobilized into groups with good leadership to enable the transfer of appropriate agricultural technologies through participatory demonstrations and reflective learning. Two groups of 35 members are formed per village (~70 households per village). Members commit themselves to continue, or unwilling members drop out early and are replaced.

A group Farmer Field School (FFS) plot of around one acre is the entry point for all technologies. It serves four core purposes:

Crops are planted in plots based on soil suitability and arranged according to their life cycle — annual crops (cassava, sweet potatoes, sunflower, maize with legumes) or perennial (improved banana varieties). Trials are set to allow experimental comparisons between common practices and introduced technologies.

When farmers see the benefit from a technology, they adopt it, and others in the community follow suit. The methods and technologies allow farmers to discover, reflect upon, and adjust to local conditions — minimizing the risk of failure.

RIPAT projects are implemented in harmony with the overall government policy of poverty alleviation and food security. Government authorities partner with RECODA throughout the entire project implementation period to ensure ownership and continuation.

A District Project Coordinator (DPC) is selected to represent the project at the district level, to use authorities in enforcing bylaws, and to enhance government participation — especially extension officers at ward and village level. Advocacy and awareness creation are done to local government to spread RIPAT activities via the government agricultural Extension Officers.

Through RIPAT, farmers are offered a range of improved farming methods and technologies (basket of options) that are viable in their area. The basket gives farmers genuine choice regarding technologies and working in groups gives them a voice on how to organize themselves.

The basket is rooted in situation analysis and tailor-made according to geographic context — woven using participatory bottom-up and top-down approaches to ensure diversification, integration, and intensification of production. This results in a smoothening effect on family income and access to nutritious food all year round, minimizing climate change impact and seasonal hunger gaps.

Farmers are trained on the four stages of drought and associated mitigation measures: Normal → Alarming → Danger → Recovery (based on IIRR Drought Cycle Management). Measures include rainwater harvesting, infiltration pits, contour cultivation, soil water retention improvement through manuring, irrigation, drought-tolerant crops, and zero grazing.

a) Crop-Livestock Integration
Combines crop and livestock production so they complement each other. Emphasis on improved animal breeds under zero grazing to maximize recycling of resources (animals use crop byproducts; produce manure for crops), environmental conservation, and production per unit area.

b) Crop Diversification
Increasing the scope of crops grown within the project area for profit maximization and risk diversification. New crops are determined during situation analysis and incorporated in the basket of options. DCM and environmental conservation are mainstreamed in all normal agronomical practices.

Civic education is conducted to enlighten communities on their rights and learn to demand and defend them. This is done through leadership training and advocacy for democratic leadership at all levels. Leaders are taught to plan and execute daily activities more successfully.

Group members are trained to realize they are also leaders (development ambassadors) and need to be proactive. Transparency and accountability are given due attention to ensure the expected objectives are met.

Agricultural marketing channels are established inclusive of all value chain links. Farmers are trained on the different links from production to end users — agro-dealers (seed, fertilizer, agro-chemical suppliers), extension services, transporters, TBS, processors, buyers/middlemen, and customers.

This goes hand in hand with post-harvest handling including food storage, processing, and utilization. Value chains for improved banana varieties and Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) have been developed at project level. Groups and individuals are facilitated to develop crop-based business plans, and training on marketing agricultural products is provided.

RECODA has the required technical knowledge for facilitating Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA). From the realization that most rural farmers do not access saving and credit services from conventional financial institutions, RIPAT projects train farmers on mobilizing local resources (cash) for the same purpose.

Farmers save some of the cash earned from RIPAT interventions and later access loans. The VSLA groups are instrumental in strengthening the production groups — ensuring group cohesion, good attendance, and punctuality. This self-managed savings system creates a community-owned financial safety net that outlasts the project.

RIPAT projects maintain continuous study and monitoring of all project activities. From monitoring results, Action Learning and Reflection (ALR) are employed to ensure desired outcomes are produced. Projects set milestones that are monitored to establish whether required standards are achieved.

The Department of Quality Control uses smartphone mobile-based programs to collect data and upload it to a central system accessible via computer — enabling easy data collection and comparison between groups across the project.

Field Days and Upscaling: Field days are held so implemented innovations are exposed to more farmers and stakeholders — at village level and project level. The major purpose is to advocate for more farmers to adopt interventions. Exchange visits through group-to-group and farmer-to-farmer field visits are facilitated.