Browsing by Author "Ojanen, Meri"

This thesis is a Rapid Rural Analysis (RRA) of the farmers’ perceptions of potato production in Nicaragua. The thesis data was collected during the summer of 2011 in the main potato production areas of Nicaragua (Matagalpa, Jinotega and Estelí) through structured interviews. The structured interviews gave consideration to the five different capitals of the Sustainable Rural Livelihood- approach (SRL). These five capitals (social capital, natural capital, human capital, financial capital and physical capital) were incorporated in the study in order to achieve the multidisciplinarity of the RRA- methodology. The thesis data, consisting of 63 individual interviews, was compacted and analysed utilizing cross tabulation. A further statistical analysis was then conducted with Cramer’s V allowing a more detailed view of the dependencies between variables (detected in the cross tabulation). The main finding of this study is that the situation of the potato producers cannot be determined by the size of the production, as has been previously suggested. The size of the farm does not determine yield levels nor perceived financial incentive for production. This study gives a more complex view of potato producers and production in Nicaragua. This study suggests an alternative approach to developmental program planning for the potato production sector in Nicaragua; the production environmental zones. Utilizing the production environmental zones as a basis for planning takes the project to a more practically suitable level that considers the existing variance in yields and access to extension. The main conclusion of this study is that sector development of potato production in Nicaragua is complex. Inclusion of the project beneficiaries in the planning processes may significantly improve development programme planning, outcomes and resilience in time. A development programme, like the one implemented by FAO (United Nations Food- and Agriculture Organization) in Nicaragua, with an overly simplified view of the sector, may lead to severe misjudgements and potentially even cause harm.