Adoption of Promoted Practices

The indicator assesses the proportion or number of farmers who started, and for a minimum period of time at least, continued to follow the promoted agricultural practice. It is a crucial sign of the extension services’ effectiveness. The long-term use of the promoted practices is also the best indication of their sustainability.

Determine the indicator's value by using the following methodology:

1) Specify what exactly does it mean to follow the promoted methodology – what exactly needs to be done, how, with what materials, for what purpose, etc. (for example, “intercropping” means combined sowing of the maize and haricot beans in rows with 40cm span). Always define the minimum time the practice needs to be followed to be considered as “adopted” (for example, at least for the previous two seasons).

2) Collect the required information by asking a representative sample of respondents whether their households’ members a) follow the practice and b) have followed it for the minimum required time period. If the replies are YES, ask further pre-prepared questions that will help you determine whether the practice has been followed correctly. If possible, always verify the answers by conducting observations.

3) Calculate the percentage or number of farmers a) who have followed the promoted practice for the minimum required time period and b) who have followed it correctly (decide in advance which result you will use for your indicator).

Disaggregate the data by wealth and other relevant criteria.

1) This indicator is suitable only for longer-term projects where you can measure not only whether farmers have tried the practice you promote but have also adopted it (i.e. use it for the minimum required period of time). 

2) If you promote a larger number of practices, consider changing the indicator to “% / number of farmers who for the past [specify the time period] followed at least X out of X promoted agronomic practices on their farms” (for example, 2 out of 4).

3) Decide whether you want to collect the data only from those farmers who were trained in the promoted practice or also from other local farmers. If you implement a longer-term project and you expect that farmers which were not trained might replicate the practice from those who were, the latter option will give you a more accurate picture of the project’s outcomes (alternatively, you can also segregate the data by those farmers which were and those which were not trained).

4) Consider including also question on where farmers learnt the agronomic practice – this might help you to assess to what extent can the production of the given crop be attributed to your intervention.

5) Even if a farmer follows the promoted practice, s/he might do so on a very small portion of her/his land. Therefore, consider assessing also the extent to which the practices were applied – for example, on how many hectares of land.  

6) European Commission's DEVCO recommends to use two similar indicators: "Land managed using a) improved technologies and b) improved management practices (in hectares)" and "Number of hectares of where land management practices has been introduced with EU support".