1. INTRODUCTION (2 hrs)

• Farming Systems in Zimbabwe and Southern African Region:
• Different systems
• Crop/Livestock interaction
• Livestock related problems in small holder Agriculture

• Conventional approaches to research and extension
• Research station results versus farm performance
• Define Farming Systems Research/Farmmg Systems

• Stages in on-farm experimentation (Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation, Experimentation, Assessment,
• Recommendations)
• Characteristics of on-farm experiments
• Types of on-farm experiments (Diagnostic, Exploratory,
• Determinative, Verification, Demonstration)

• Survey technique
• Key informant survey
• Group Interviews
• Formal survey:
• sampling procedures
• questionnaire development
• questionnaire
• Data collection and analytical techniques
• Enumerator selection and training
• Participatory Rural Appraisal for problem identification
• Participation (types and methods)
• Participatory  Rural Appraisal methods
• mapping
• transect walking
• pairwise comparison
• matrix ranking seasonal diagramming

• Problem statements
• Problem Ranking

• Stage of experimentation
• Levels of treatments
• Management

• Statistical
• Economic Analysis (partial budgets and net benefit analysis)
• Farmer Assessment

STUDENT PRACTICALS

• Seven visits to a selected study area to carry but the following:
• informal survey
• interview and key-in7ormarrt
• formal   survey
• study of participatory-rural appraisal

• Write up surveys
• Write up on-farm research planning and designing on-farm experiments
• Calculations involving evaluation of on-farm experiments