USING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS) TO IMPROVE ON EXTENSION AND ADVISORY

SERVICES IN AFRICA: LESSONS FROM MAIN BEAN PRODUCING REGIONS OF CAMEROON

G.T. Mafany 1*, S.B.N. Musongong2, A.E. Sama1,,2

1 South West Regional Centre of Research and Innovation, P.O. Box 461, Buea, Cameroon.

Tel: (+237) 77 87 74 60 Email:gmafany@yahoo.com 

2 Institute of Agricultural Research for Development, Ekona Centre, Cameroon

BACKGROUNDPROBLEMOBJECTIVESMATERIALS AND METHODSRESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS CONCLUSIONSRECOMMENDATIONS IMPLICATIONS

PRESENTATION OUTLINE

Extension services play vital role in ensuring food security and sufficiency

Many African governments, in the early days of independence invested

heavily in extension services

Extension contributed tremendously to post-independence Green Revolution

in Africa

Government-driven extension vulnerable to economic crises

Hence public investment in extension dwindled in late 80s and early 90s

because of economic crises

Today many more governments have rekindled investment in these services

BACKGROUND

However , optimum impact of post independence extension and advisory

services undermined by inefficiency and ineffectiveness

Existing challenges e.g. Food Insecurity are accentuating while new

challenges such as Climate Change are emerging

Efficiency and effectiveness of extension services need to be improved on to

meet current challenges

Several avenues exploited e.g. policy formulation, capacity building,

innovative technologies

Innovative tools with a great potential is Geographic Information System

(GIS)

PROBLEM

A GIS is a computer-based tool for mapping and analyzing things that exist

and events that happen on earth (i.e. things and events with a geographic

component.)

GIS technology integrates common database operations such as query and

statistical analysis with the unique visualization and geographic analysis

benefits offered by maps

These abilities distinguish GIS from other information systems and make it

valuable to a wide range of precision agricultural applications

More than 70 % of all extension information has a geographic component

WHAT IS A GIS ?

OBJECTIVES

Main objective: test if GIS could enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of

extension and advisory services in the three main bean-producing regions of

Cameroon.

Providing useful information to farmers is an essential component for most

extension services.

The idea is to investigate whether the application of GIS to the process of

information dissemination can improve on farmers’ understanding of bean

market information and the efficiency of the extension workers.

STUDY AREA

Three main bean

producing regions

were selected:

•North West,

•West and

•Littoral

WEST REGION

LITTORAL REGION

NORTH WEST REGION

STUDY AREA

Farmers in these

regions were tested

on their knowledge

on bean market

information in their

respective regions,

Cameroon and

Central Africa

METHODS

Providing useful information to farmers is an essential component for most

extension services.

Information used in this study was bean market information

The idea was to investigate whether the application of GIS to the process of

information dissemination can improve on farmers’ understanding of bean

market information and the efficiency of the extension workers.

METHODS

Six extension workers were selected from each bean producing region.

Among six extension workers in each region:

Three were given fundamental training in GIS and equipped with global

positioning system (GPS) units and appropriately called the gis-literate workers

(GLW).

Other three had no GIS knowledge and no GPS units non-gis-literate workers

(NGLW).

Both groups assigned task of disseminating information on bean production

and market trends to farmers.

METHODS

Information given to farmers had been earlier on acquired through previous

surveys.

After dispensing bean market information to farmers, questionnaires were

then administered.

METHODSTwo groups of farmers interviewed in each region:

GEF: GIS-exposed-farmers (GEF) interected only with GLW

NGEF: Non-gis-exposed farmers (NGEF) nteracted only with NGLW

Measures were taken to prevent interaction between GEF and NGEF before

administering the questionnaires.

Total of sixty structured questionnaires administered: 20 per region

Ten of 20 questionnaires in each region where given to GEF and the other

ten ere administered to NGEF.

METHODS

All the sixty questionnaires distributed were retrieved and analyzed.

Questionnaires supplanted by focused group discussions with the different

groups of farmers and the extension workers.

Data analyzed using the EXCEL statistical package.

METHODS

Information given to farmers had been earlier on acquired through previous

surveys.

After dispensing bean market information to farmers, questionnaires were

then administered.

Variable Total for all Regions

Reliable Source of Improved Seeds GEF (n-30) NGEF (n=30)

Ƒ % Ƒ %Region 28 93 22 73

Country 24 80 13 43

Central Africa 15 50 9 30

Bean Price GEF(n-30) NGEF(n=30)

Region 30 100 30 100

Country 27 90 20 67

Central Africa 23 77 6 20

Main Production Sites GEF(n-30) NGEF(n=30)

Region 27 90 14 47

Country 24 80 16 53

Central Africa 20 67 10 33

Main Variet(ies) Produced GEF(n-30) NGEF(n=30)

Region 27 90 22 73

Country 23 77 20 67

Central Africa 17 57 7 23

Main Markets GEF (n-30) NGEF(n=30)

Region 30 100 28 93

Country 27 90 24 80

Central Africa 25 83 14 47

Main Market Channels GEF (n-30) NGEF (n=30)

Region 24 80 21 70

Country 25 83 12 40

Central Africa 21 70 10 33

Main Consumption Sites GEF(n-30) NGEF(n=30)

Region 28 93 18 60

Country 29 97 20 67

Central Africa 27 90 17 57

Main Variet(ies) Consumed GEF(n-30) NGEF(n=30)

Region 27 90 23 77

Country 30 100 18 60

Central Africa 18 60 17 57

Prevailing Road Transport Situation GEF(n-30) NGEF(n=30)

Region 30 100 30 100

Country 30 100 17 57

Central Africa 17 57 9 30

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONSTable summarizes main outcomes of 09

issues raised in questionnaire to test

farmers’ understanding of information

imparted unto them by extension workers.

(Ƒ = frequency, % = percentage, n = sample

population, GEF = Farmers who were exposed to

GIS-literate extension workers; NGEF= Farmers

who were exposed to non-GIS-literate extension

workers)

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS: General Trends

Generally level of

understanding of

various parameters

decreases with

increasing distance

of farmer from the

geographic area in

question.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS: General Trends

All groups of farmers

display better

understanding of

parameters in their

respective regions and

less so in the country

and even lesser in

Central Africa.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS: General Trends

Geographic

hindrance minimized

in GEF group

NGEF: decrease in

understanding with

increasing distance is

more acute.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS: Specific Trends

Figure 2: Knowledge of Bean Farmers in the NW, W and Lt Regions of Cameroon on Bean Price

Figure 1: Knowledge of Bean Farmers in the NW, W and Lt Regions of Cameroon on Reliable Source of Improved Bean-Seed Varieties

Figure 3: Knowledge of Bean Farmers in the NW, W and Lt Regions of Cameroon on Main Bean Producing Sites

Figure 4: Knowledge of Bean Farmers in the NW, W and Lt Regions of Cameroon on Main Bean Varieties Produced

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS: Specific Trends

Figure 6: Knowledge of Bean Farmers in the NW, W and Lt Regions of Cameroon on Main Bean Market Channels

Figure 5: Knowledge of Bean Farmers in the NW, W and Lt Regions of Cameroon on Main Bean Markets

Figure 8: Knowledge of Bean Farmers in the NW, W and Lt Regions of Cameroon on Main Bean Varieties Consumed

Figure 7: Knowledge of Bean Farmers in the NW, W and Lt Regions of Cameroon on Main Bean Consumption Sites

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS: Overview

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS: Overview

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS: Overview

CONCLUSIONS

GIS can improve on the efficiency of extension workers in disseminating bean

market information to farmers in the North West, West and Littoral bean

producing regions of Cameroon.

RECOMMENDATIONS

GIS is a useful tool in improving on the efficiency and efficacy of extension

services in Africa.

Hence we recommend that GIS should be integrated into all extension

services in Africa: be they public or private.

Some steps to be taken:

All extension workers should be given fundamental training in GIS and

the use of a GPS unit.

All extension workers should be equipped with a GPS

All existing analogue extension data should be digitized and integrated

into a GIS system

IMPLICATIONS

It has been established that a GIS simplifies complex operations such as:

•query and statistical analysis of agricultural data and

•visualization and geographic analysis of such data through map making

In extension besides bean market information dissemination by extension

workers GIS can be useful in apparently simple activities like :

Distributing planting materials

Distributing farm inputs

Tracking farm to market roads

Tracking farm performance e.g. yield

Tracking characteristics of farms

Locating farmers house and farms

The initial cost of adopting a GIS system into an extension service may be

high but the short term and especially long term benefits will even be higher

IMPLICATIONS

The initial cost of integrating a GIS system into an extension service may be

high but the short term and especially long term benefits will even be higher

Hence adopting a GIS system will in the long term reduce cost and ultimately

increase effectiveness and efficiency

Especially during this era of precision agriculture

THANKS FOR YOUR KIND

ATTENTION