show weevil-contaminated grain that has been
 stored for some time in a jar;
 *compare the volume of contaminated and
 uncontaminated grain;
 compare the weight of contaminated and
 uncontaminated grain;
 work out the financial savings that could be made by
 having, say, 20 bags of good maize rather than only
 16 bags of weevil-infested maize;
 encourage them to attend an on-farm demonstration
 on post harvest management run by Extension staff.
To be able to respond in this manner to such a brainstorming
session, you must do some preparation. Anticipate the discussion
points. Anticipate likely workable suggestions. Have in your "bag
of tricks" such items as jars of contaminated and uncontaminated
maize. Use the flipchart again to summarize any conclusions.
On the question of expense, perhaps, you would need to take more
of a lead: because of the technical aspects of the subject. You could
explain the difference between the costs of the new crib and the
improved basket; show how costs could be reduced by a farmer
using his own materials and labour; demonstrate the expected
financial savings which would themselves offset the costs even in
the first years of making any improvements; discuss the possibili-
ties of loans for structural work-and emphasize that some of the
key recommendations of the project are about management prac-
tices which involve little or no costs.
These two problem solving and decision making techniques provide
a number of advantages for a group leader:
 they help him to structure a discussion session;
 they ensure that the discussion is focused and
 progressive;
 they ensure the participation of the group members;
 numerous aspects of a particular problem can be
 explored without the participants losing track of the
 discussion;
 the emphasis is on problem solving rather than
 simply problem airing;