Research Methods


In the field work for this research we combined rapid rural appraisal methods with more formal
individual farmer interviews. Where possible, we worked in teams of three people: an agricultural
scientist, a social scientist and a person skilled in communicating with farmers. We worked in
a total of 12 villages in four states of India's SAT; the villages varied by agroclimatic conditions
such as rainfall, soil type and slope.4

We began by transecting the fields, covering different aspects of the landscape. We spoke
casually with farmers whenever possible to learn about their perceptions of erosion and efforts to
control it. We then conducted open-ended group interviews to help formulate hypotheses about
the determinants of investment. Finally, we carried out detailed individual interviews to gather
data to test those hypotheses. During the course of this process we continually repeated steps to
cross-check our findings. The approach is summarized in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Field Research Methods


In all of the surveyed villages we observed three categories of fields in regard to SWC measures.
First, those where indigenous practices were implemented and maintained on a regular basis,
resulting in satisfactory conservation of soil and water resources. Second, those which were badly
neglected, resulting in severe erosion of soil. Third, those somewhere between the first two
categories. It is important to note that we easily could spot the neglected, eroded fields from a
distance, even while driving on the road. Fields protected by indigenous technologies, on the
other hand, could not be appreciated until we visited them individually.


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