The Farming Systems Diagram is one of SEAGAs Livelihood analysis tools, and helps us to understand how rural household livelihoods are assembled. It is a diagram designed to highlight the farming system, including on-farm activities such as crop production, off-farm activities such as fuel collection, and non-farm activities such as marketing. The diagram also shows the flow of resources to and from the household and who is involved, by gender.

Having household members make a diagram of their farming system helps to capture the full range of household activities showing the complexity of the livelihood system. They also often show how livelihoods may depend on many different types of agro-ecosystems many of which may be common property resources such as forests, grazing lands, rivers and streams.

Farming systems diagrams can also illustrate that women and men each have specialised knowledge about particular crops, animals or tree products - knowledge that can be built upon for development.

Process

• Select two households from each of the socio-economic groups identified in the Social Map. Visit each household individually.

• After courteous introductions tell the family that you want to learn about their farming activities (no need to mention mapping at this point). Ask the women and men in the household to walk with you through their farmAs you walk along ask questions about the activities and resources you see. Do not forget to ask about what happens in other seasons and in places too far to visit.

• After about 30 to 40 minutes walking, gather together as many household members as possible - men, women, children - for discussions about what you have seen and talked about. Then stop and suggest to the family that the information they are providing is too much to keep in your head and is better recorded by drawing the information on a piece of paper.

• Continue the discussion but ask those present to help you make the drawing. As soon as you can let the family take over the drawing. Soon you will just be asking questions and listening.

Materials: Paper, coloured pencils or pens.

Notes to the facilitators

The concept of a farming system is often easier to express in a diagram rather than in words. With this tool, you just want to learn the typical or the general circumstance, an overview of the farming system.

As the household members progress with the drawing, use the SEAGA questions to explore the labour and resource flows in the farming system. Be sure that the diagram shows roles and responsibilities by gender, and also age and household position (head, husband, first wife, sister), if appropriate.

Some SEAGA Questions to Ask While Facilitating

• What are the major on-farm activities? crop? livestock? fruit and vegetables? Who has responsibility for each, women, men or both?

• What are the major off-farm activities? fuel collection? water collection? fishing? Who has responsibility for each?

• What are the major non-farm activities? marketing? waged labour? Who has responsibility for each?

• Which activities and resources contribute most to meeting the basic needs of the household?

• How do the diagrams from the different socio-economic groups compare? Which households have problems meeting their basic needs? Why?

• Which households have the most diversified livelihoods? Which are the most vulnerable, depending on only one or two activities or resources?

• Identify the key linkages between the different kinds of activities and resources, e.g. between forest products and livestock production.

See the full SEAGA Field Handbook for an example of this tool. The internet address can be found under references. The SEAGA Field Handbook also contains tips on working in the field, facilitating community workshops and use of different tools, including other livelihood analysis tools.