notes on educational disciplines  

CHAPTER THREE

RESERACH METHODOLOGY

3.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter describes the methods, techniques and tools used to collect and analyse data. It also brings out the sample as well as the study population. The main method of collecting data in this study is the qualitative method of research. The qualitative techniques included:  Group discussions, observation, interviews, and documents review.

3.2 TECHNIQUES AND MEHTODS

3.2.1 FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION

In order to obtain in-depth data on the viability and sustainability of mixed farming system, a semi-structured discussion characterised by homogenous group of ten persons known as Focus Group Discussion was organised. Two focus groups were organised for smallholders’ farmers in each of the village chosen for this study. One Focus Group for men and the other for women. The main idea behind organising separate group discussions for men and women is due to gender considerations and for fear that the responses of the women might be influenced by the presence of the men and vice versa.

3.2.2 INTERVIEW

This is a direct survey technique which consists of face-to-face discussion between the researcher and the informant. In this study, a formal and informal interview with selected informants is employed.

Informal interviews here included chats with friends or relations and other people in opportune circumstances, for instance, during meetings, evening discussions or during a walk. This gives the researcher the opportunity to sample people’s opinion, attitudes, feelings about farming in general and the methods of cultivation.

Formal interviews were conducted with the help of an interview guide. Informants included men and women, young and old people as well as the literate and the non-literate people. Key informants were people who were doing farming either for direct subsistence or for marketing. The questions were open-ended, designed to give the informant(s) the possibility to express his/her self freely and for the researcher to probe into some of the answers where possible. This technique is meant to enable the informants to give in-depth information and their experiences on farming and the methods used as well as how much their community/family depended on mixed farming.

A cassette recorder is used during group discussion and interview sessions. This is for the purpose of accuracy in recording. Listening and writing could be very difficult and boring as a result necessitating inaccuracy in the information jotted down. In order to have some visual aspects of the subject under study photos are also taken to best explain what is written.

3.2.3. DOCUMENTARY TECHNIQUES

The use of documents constituted one of the techniques of data collection.  Documents on sustainability, mixed farming, and farming as a whole, method of research in agriculture were consulted. Some also provided personal and individual accounts and experiences of farming in Cameroon and North West province in particular.

3.2.4 OBSERVATION

This permits the researcher to collect data and also establish relation with a new society. Observation could be participant or non-participant. In this research, we used the two mentioned types of observations

Participant observation took place in the farms. The researcher took off time to work in the farms with some of the farmers.  Generally, hanging out was used as a technique under participant observation. It was covert in nature in order to avoid disturbing people going about their activities. This gave us in-depth information on what could not be collected through interview and group discussion.

Non-participant observation, was done off the farm. This observation was aimed at affirming the information we received during interviews and group discussions as to what concerns the distance covered between the farm and the household, the types of crops cultivated and the adjustment made by farmers to suit the changing conditions.

3.3 POPULATION UNDER STUDY AND SAMPLING

This research was based on smallholders’ farmers in the Tubah Sub-Division, Cameroon. Among the five villages mentioned earlier, we chose two to work with. This was on the basis of geographic accessibility. We picked a sample for interview by ascertaining the different quarters in each village and selecting two or three households from each quarter, thus trying to get a random and diverse sample.

Concerning group discussions, we chose participants on the basis of availability and willingness. In all, four focus group discussions were organised, two from each village, two hundred and fifty individual interviews were carried out.

3.4. DATA ANALYSIS

The main approach used here was content analysis of the data collected. This process involved making comparisons, bringing out differences and similarities between relevant and salient items abstracted from documents.

Information recorded during interview and group discussion was transcribed and arranged according to the respective groups of persons interviewed. A colour reference form was drawn up in order to guide us mark the information according to the ideas. The synthesis was further regrouped according to similar ideas and then the content analysed manually to obtain the final results. Data from observation was also used to compare and confirm or reject certain points obtained during interviews and group discussions.

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