8. Thesis structure
2.2 Materials and methods
2.2.2 Data collection and analysis
Secondary data were collected on crops grown, production, area planted while yield was estimated by calculating the ratio of production to area under production. The Crop Production Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security also provided data on annual crop estimate figures. Crop production figures were also obtained from famine and early warning systems (FEWS) from the Planning Department.
Primary data were collected by a field research team comprising the principal investigator, a social scientist, an enumerator and two extension officers, one from Bembeke EPA and the other from Mitundu and Mkwinda EPAs. The extension officers facilitated field visits and mobilised farmers for group discussions.
A pre-test visit (pilot study) was first made to the study areas. The pre-test visit was important for two reasons. Firstly, to brief the participating farmers on the study’s purpose, importance and implementation plan. Secondly, the visit allowed the facilitators to test the prepared guide questions and amend them if necessary before the actual implementation of the study. In addition, general information on locally-grown legume crops other than beans, rainfall patterns, and crop production practices was also obtained during the pre-test visit. This information assisted the team to establish relevant discussion topics necessary for improving the guide questions. For the pre-test questionnaire, 15 individual bean growers from randomly selected households were interviewed. The pre-test questionnaire was used only in two villages in Bembeke EPA.
For the purpose of the main study, semi-structured interviews and matrix ranking and scoring were the two PRA techniques that were used to collect data from both individuals and focus groups. Farmers were put in groups (Fig 2.2) where issues outlined in Table 2.1 were dealt with.
Table 2.1: Summary of data obtained from bean growers from three extension planning areas
(EPAs) in Lilongwe and Dedza Rural Development projects Information gathered from bean growers
• List of commonly grown bean varieties, both landraces and improved varieties
• Type of cropping systems normally practised
• In relation to storage pests, whether intercropping minimises bruchid damage to stored beans or not
• Proportion of stored beans that is destroyed by bruchids
• Prevalence of bruchid damage - is it throughout the year or at certain times of the year?
• Their experience in terms of whether some varieties are more susceptible than others to bruchids
• Length of storage before bruchids are noticed
• Views of farmers on whether infestation occurs both in the field as well as in storage
• Experience of farmers on incidence of bruchids between beans produced in the winter and summer
• Indigenous methods farmers use to minimise bruchid damage in storage
• Their assessment of the effectiveness of those methods
• Views of farmers on whether modern varieties are better than their old varieties in terms of bruchid resistance
Farmers of both sexes were included in the study to get the benefit of multiple insights on common issues and problems. A total of 30 households in each EPA, with varying group sizes (5 to 15 people) were engaged in focus group discussions.
Figure 2.2: Focus group discussions in one of the villages in Bembeke Extension Planning Area, Dedza RDP
Where it was felt necessary to obtain additional information or clarity on certain topics or issues, individual interviews were conducted. The interviews were conducted at random with key informants, such as local leaders or with some farmers considered to be ‘model or key farmers’ in their areas.
A direct matrix ranking technique was used to determine farmers’ priorities and preferences as to which bean varieties they considered most important and their reasons for this. The farmers identified the bean varieties they grew. The varieties were listed on a large sheet of white paper. After group discussions, farmers were asked to rank the varieties in order of preference using agronomic and culinary attributes. To probe for more details on each of the varieties, some questions were asked. Answers to all the questions were written on a flip chart. These were then listed on the left hand side of the matrix with scores on the top row rated from the highest to the lowest.
Fifty individuals selling dry beans, ten from each of the five markets in Ntcheu district, were interviewed. In Lilongwe and Dedza districts, three open markets were visited in each district where 30 individuals, ten from each market, were interviewed. A summary of the information obtained from bean traders in various market outlets is presented in Table 2.2.
Table 2.2: Summary of information solicited from bean traders from three market outlets in Lilongwe and Dedza districts
Information gathered from bean traders
• Names of varieties commonly bought from farmers
• Varietal preferences or preferred variety characteristics
• Timing of purchase whether they buy after harvesting or as farmers are harvesting
• Time it takes to experience bruchid damage in storage
• Whether or not they buy different bean varieties or one variety only
• Their experience in terms of whether some varieties are more susceptible than others to bruchids
Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 11.5 to generate percentages and frequencies for the various variables. Cross tabulations were used to establish relationships between target variables.