19 Nov Designing relevant farmer agricultural and financial recording tools

Posted at 03:12h in Agriculture, ALL CASE STUDIES, Ethnographic Research, Industry, Research Methodology by
Client / Company: Non-Profit Foundation
Industry: Agriculture
Research Method: Ethnographic Research

Objectives and Methodology

Almost a decade after launching their agricultural entrepreneurship program, this Non-Profit Foundation sought to understand its economic impact on agricultural practices and financial planning. Curiosity was tasked to design and test a financial recording tool that will help partner farmers build the necessary skills in becoming entrepreneurs and sustain operational success. They engaged farmers, their wives, coop leaders, and record-keepers in a series of focus groups, interviews and artifact analysis in order to arrive at a design concept that would be comprehensive, feasible, and relevant.

 Record Keeping Activities

Farmers record farming activities and expenses in a calendar and a notebook. The former provides a high-level view of farming activities where the schedule is noted. The latter is an elementary notebook containing a more detailed description of farming inputs and expenses as well as household expenses.  However, record-keeping disrupts agility and concentration of farmers on onion planting. As such, the wives help out in record-keeping, especially when they are familiar with farming activities. It is worth noting that record-keeping is done mostly to sustain relationship with stakeholders. It is also affected by demographic characteristics, as well as farming background of the farmer 

Measuring Impact

The recording tool is just one aspect of measuring impact. This can also be measured through assets and possessions obtained by the farmers after joining the program. To correctly measure impact, language has to be harmonized between the foundation and the farmers. 

Recommendations

There are 2 design considerations: Recording System and Recording Tool Aesthetics. Recording System involves process, setting, frequency, and DRI while Aesthetics involves information design and layout. Both were taken into account in the design of the record-keeping tools.