Participatory needs assessment for capacity building in extension (Pacific Islands)

Start up activities in the Pacific were delayed by the cancellation of events scheduled for Fiji in November 2006 and Tonga later in the same month. The cancellation of these events seriously disrupted planning and created additional costs for bringing together participants for training in selected locations in the Pacific. Despite these setbacks, training activities were rescheduled and have been conducted in alternative locations, taking advantage of alternative opportunities for gathering participants together. Training and participatory needs assessments have been conducted in Palau, Fiji, Vanuatu and Cook Islands, engaging participants from nine Pacific Island countries in total. A variety of government extension staff, from agriculture, forestry and quarantine services were involved. NGOs, schools, youth agencies and farmers also participated in the training and needs assessments. The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) provided participants for training and excellent in-country support for these activities.

Participants in the training activities have increased their understanding of participatory methods for extension and research, practised these methods, developed action plans to pursue the needs assessment in their own countries and contributed much information concerning the needs for capacity building in mainstreaming participatory extension methods. The first round of training has been used as the opportunity to collect data for a 'big picture' needs analysis, allowing that the major needs will surface in the intensive activities of the workshop, despite the limited pool of participants.

Although there are many staff with a sound understanding of participatory methods working in the Pacific Islands, there are also many persons involved who have only limited understanding of the methods and the guiding concepts. Those with least understanding are often those with the direct tasks of dealing with the community and engaging with stakeholders. This is the level of greatest need for capacity building in participatory methods.

The research team has thus far established common areas of need for capacity building with the workshop participants. These needs can be categorised as individual, organisational and institutional. At an individual level, one of the major constraints facing any change for improvement is motivational. Government and NGO staff in many of the countries faced serious issues with motivation to change. The provision of formal qualifications was one motivating factor raised by many staff, in terms of raising their capacity. However, this change must itself be linked to promotional opportunities or due rewards within the organisation for any behavioural change to result. Hence, the individual, organisational and the institutional needs for capacity building are intertwined. Institutional needs for capacity building are illustrated by factors like the need for systems of accountability; organisational needs are those such as for developing a culture of accountability; and individual needs for training may be learning to use the tools to provide accountability. Unless these needs are met in a broad package that addresses all levels of need, the individual investments are all too often wasted.

The survey instruments for individual and organisational needs for capacity building are ready for distribution to those countries that have participated in training (Palau, FSM, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu). The instruments have been piloted in the Cook Islands. These surveys are designed for use with a facilitator and are intended to generate a wider data set for needs analysis, to stimulate activity in each of the participating countries and practise individuals in the application of participatory methods.

'We have identified what needs to be done, what we now need is action.'
Farmer, Rarotonga, June 2007