Evans, cited reference, A were conscious effort to develop appropriate research methodology in developing countries is advocated to provide alternatives to conventional social science methods. It is incumbent upon the people asking questions to use elicitation techniques which are appropriate to the cultural context and tailored to the abilities and requirements of the local community. In this way, interactions between interested parties can be structured so that the initiative and answering questions rests with local people. Field trials at Oluwatedo,, Oyo State, Nigeria, adapted Ayo board to elicit farmers perceptions of weeds and pest. Ayo is the Yoruba version of a popular African game, which has its roots in the aged Egyptian game of men cannot Ayo board format was used and conjunction with repertory grid methodology to focus discussion on farming problems. Numerous scenarios can be devised using the format to generate genuine dialogue between farmers and outside research workers.
"Theatre can reveal to development workers both villagers' problems and their capacity to analyse such programs." Also: "the main obstacle to development is not ignorance or apathy but structural limits on villagers' access to resources, information and power."
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: C14018
Notes:
Pages 179-187 in S. R. Melkote and Sandhya Rao, Critical issues in communication: looking inward for answers. Sage Publications, New Delhi, India. 491 pages.
