Annex 4

AKIS Study - Eritrea
Method Guide (3) Problem Tree

This is a technique for bringing out an analysis of the causes and effects of key problems which affect agriculture and farming decisions. It produces a visual representation of the analysis, in which the key problem under discussion resembles the trunk of a tree, the effects of the problem become the branches and the causes of the problem become the roots. This analysis then provides an opportunity to identify causes which might be tackled by the farmers, or with outside support. For an agricultural extension service, which causes can be removed or alleviated by the providing advice or information, or doing on-farm research?

It can be very informative for agricultural experts to produce their own problem tree, and then to compare it with the one produced by farmers. This will indicate areas of knowledge which may need strengthening among farmers, as well as areas where the experts understanding of local farming systems and problems needs strengthening.

Procedure:

• ask farmers what problems affect agriculture in the area: write these on separate cards



• ask farmers to rank them: which are the most serious or important?



• agree on a main problem on which the discussion will now focus¹



• place the main problem in the centre of a large piece of paper, or on the ground



• ask farmers what causes the problem, and what the effects are



• write each of these causes and effects on a separate card and place them on the paper or on the ground to show how they are linked to the main problem. Place the causes below the main problem, and the effects above it



• for each cause, ask what causes it; for each effect, ask what the consequences are. Continue this process until no further causes and effects are mentioned



• move the cards around until participants agree they are in the correct position in relation to the main problem. Draw lines between the cards to indicate the patterns of cause and effect, as in the example below



• discuss which causes have the most effect on the problem; and then discuss which ones the farmers, local organisations and outside agencies might be able to tackle.

¹This main problem should not be expressed as the lack or absence of something: this tends to lead to a very limited analysis of causes and effects. Instead, encourage farmers to identify the problem that this lack or absence produces. For example, if "shortage of animal manure" is identified as a problem, it would be better to treat this as a cause of a more general problem, such as "declining soil fertility" or "low crop yields".

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