FAO ParticipatoryComm FishLandings Full PDF

466
Participatory landing site

development for artisanal
fisheries livelihoods
Users' manual
ISSN 0429-9345
FAO
FISHERIES
TECHNICAL
PAPER
Cover photograph:
The fishing community of Moree, Ghana throngs the beach to buy fish from returning boats and to help unload and maintain nets.
Sustainable Fisheries Livelihoods Programme, GCP/INT/735/UK. FAO/23972/D. Minkoh
Participatory landing site

development for artisanal
Users manual
by
Karin M. Verstralen
Consultant Socio-economist
Noeky M. Lenselink
Rural Development Sociologist
Ricardo Ramirez
Consultant
Max Wilkie
Consultant
and
Jan P. Johnson
Fishery Industry Officer
Fishery Technology Service
FAO Fisheries Department
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS

Rome, 2004
FAO
FISHERIES
TECHNICAL
PAPER
466
The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information

product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part
of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the
legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities,
or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
ISBN 92-5-105181-X
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FAO 2004
Preparation of this document

The foundations for this manual were laid during a national training course
on landing site development in Guinea, organized by the Programme for the
Integrated Development of Artisanal Fisheries in West Africa (IDAF) in the
1990s. In order to make the course available to other countries in the region, the
training materials were put into a distance learning course format, focusing on the
use of participatory rural appraisal (PRA) techniques in the collection of landing
site information. After field-testing in Ghana in 2000, the materials underwent a
complete review, resulting in a greatly reduced version with a practical rather than
a theoretical focus.
During the second stage of developing the materials, the entire concept was
changed. The practical focus was enhanced by establishing specific outputs
for each unit, and the document was modified from a guided distance learning
course into a step-by-step, stand-alone manual. Existing units were improved
and adapted using insights from the sustainable livelihoods approach (SLA) and
experiences from the Sustainable Fisheries Livelihoods Programme (SFLP) and
other West African fieldwork. New units were added to respond to the need for
more guidance on information analysis, strategy formulation, project proposals
and the search for financial and technical partners. The revised manual follows the
entire formulation process for a landing site development strategy from the first
introductory meetings up to the moment of implementation in a simple, easy-tofollow style.
While the format and contents of these materials have evolved over time,
the basic principle of using participatory approaches and the landing site as the
starting point for catalysing development activities to improve the standard of
living of artisanal fisher families has remained constant.
Distribution:
FAO Members and associate members
FAO Fisheries Department
FAO Regional and Subregional Fisheries Officers
iv
Abstract
Participatory landing site development for artisanal fisheries livelihoods is a
practical guide for formulating a development strategy for coastal artisanal fisheries
in developing countries. It is intended for those responsible for implementing
projects and close enough to the field to work with landing site users. It guides
the reader on how to ensure the continuous support of landing site users, explains
where and at what stage to seek technical and financial support and indicates the
different types of information required by funding and technical agencies to be
able to finance and implement a project.
The manual is based on the authors experience with participatory rural
appraisal (PRA) and the sustainable livelihoods approach (SLA) at landing sites
and coastal fisheries communities in Benin, Cape Verde, Ghana, Guinea, GuineaBissau and other West African countries. The text uses examples from these
countries. The use of fisheries production chains, adapted from the agricultural
transect walk, is a new addition to the participatory toolbox.
In contrast to existing materials on participatory approaches in fisheries, this
manual:
centres around the improvement of livelihoods rather than management of
resources;
uses landing sites as an entry point, rather than communities;
presents the tools in a step-by-step format, for easy and simple application;
provides the user with a minimum of relevant participatory tools necessary
to formulate a project, rather than a vast array of possible tools;
applies the information collected through participatory analysis using the
SLA framework; and
gives guidelines for the development of a widely supported development
strategy and formulation of one or more projects to implement the strategy.
In this way, the manual helps project officers to use the information collected
more effectively, enabling them to be true intermediaries who are able to give
landing site users specific projects in return for the time and effort they invest in
participation.
Verstralen, K.M.; Lenselink, N.M.; Ramirez, R.; Wilkie, M.; Johnson, J.P.
Participatory landing site development for artisanal fisheries livelihoods.
Users manual.
FAO Fisheries Technical Paper. No. 466. Rome, FAO. 2004. 128p.
Contents
Preparation of this document
Abstract
Acknowledgements
Introduction
iii
iv
viii
Why use this manual?
Defining the main concepts: livelihood, landing sites, artisanal

fisheries, participation
Achieving the most from participatory approaches
How this manual is organized
MAKING NECESSARY PREPARATIONS

UNIT 1: Beginning the planning process
11
Introduction
13
Finding a suitable landing site
14
Creating a working group
15
Devising a work plan
16
Soliciting feedback from landing site users
17
Before going on to the next unit
19
COLLECTING DATA
UNIT 2: Painting a picture of the landing site and its users
21
Introduction
23
Taking a census of landing site users
24
Creating institutional diagrams
27
Drafting general landing site maps
29
Producing more detailed landing site maps
33
35
UNIT 3: Preparing fisheries production chains
37
Introduction
39
Fishing chain: charting the activities that make fishing possible
39
Fish marketing chain: charting the steps from fish handling to sale
45
People chain: charting facilities that serve human needs
46
49
vi
UNIT 4: Understanding the effects of changes over time
51
Introduction
53
Creating a historical time line
53
Producing a seasonal calendar
56
59
CONDUCTING A SITUATION ANALYSIS

UNIT 5: Bringing together all the elements
61
Introduction
63
Assessing internal strengths and weaknesses
63
Assessing external threats and opportunities
68
Conducting a causeeffect analysis
71
Prioritizing problems
74
77
DEVELOPING A STRATEGY
UNIT 6: Finding workable solutions
79
Introduction
81
Brainstorming for possible solutions
82
Conducting stakeholder analyses
83
Identifying partners
87
Formulating a strategy
91
92
UNIT 7: Creating a work plan
93
Introduction
95
Planning outputs and activities
95
Determining resources
98
Creating the implementation schedule
100
Planning monitoring and evaluation
103
106
TOWARDS IMPLEMENTATION
UNIT 8: The project proposal
107
Introduction
109
Creating the logical framework
109
Drafting the project description
113
vii
Putting together the annexes
115
Before going on to implementation
117
GLOSSARY
119
BIBLIOGRAPHY
127
viii
Acknowledgements
Jan Johnson (at the time, FAO Fisheries Industries Officer in West Africa)
originally conceived the idea of national training in Guinea using distance learning
courses based on PRA port profiles. Max Wilkie (consultant) was contracted to
put this idea on paper. The document produced was field-tested by Lionel Awity
and Samuel Quaatey (Ghana Department of Fisheries). The resulting document
was revised by consultants Ricardo Ramirez and, later, Karin Verstralen. When
Jan Johnson left the FAO Fisheries Department, Noeky Lenselink (FAO Fisheries
Industries Officer) further developed the document. Karin Verstralen rewrote it
and added to the existing materials, and Noeky Lenselink adapted the final draft.
The editing was done by Diana Willensky.
This manual was funded by and prepared within the framework of the FAO
programme Sustainable Development of Small-scale Fisheries (RP 233A2). More
specifically, it is an output of the development of participatory methods and tools.
Much of the manual was inspired by the authors and consultants experience with
numerous FAO projects in West Africa, specifically: the Sustainable Fisheries
Livelihoods Programme (SFLP), the Programme for the Integrated Development
of Artisanal Fisheries in West AFrica (IDAF), the Fisheries Development
Programme in Cape Verde, and the Natural Resource Conflict Management SubProgramme of the Livelihoods Support Programme (LSP).
The authors would like to thank Jeremy Turner, Chief of the Fishing
Technology Service, for his support throughout the final stages of the development
of the document. Very special thanks go to Tina Farmer (Technical Editor of the
FAO Fisheries Department) and Franoise Schatto (Publication Assistant) who, as
usual, played a crucial role in ensuring the smooth publication of the manual.
INTRODUCTION
Why use this manual?
Defining the main concepts: livelihood, landing sites, artisanal

fisheries and participation
Achieving the most from participatory approaches
How this manual is organized
Introduction
WHY USE THIS MANUAL?

How to use this manual
The purpose of this manual is to help you facilitate participatory development
planning at artisanal fisheries landing sites. Participatory development planning
and implementation of projects is a means for improving the livelihoods of the
people who work there. The manual takes you through the process of choosing a
landing site to work with, composing a working group, analysing the prevailing
situation, identifying a strategy for landing site development, developing selected
projects, and identifying the necessary inside and outside support and inputs for
implementing the projects.
Who should use this manual
This manual targets staff working at artisanal fisheries landing sites. It aims to
improve artisanal fishers conditions of work and living. This manual can be of use
to you if are the community development officer at community or district level, an
officer of the fisheries department responsible for activities in a district or region,
a non-governmental organization (NGO) facilitator or project coordinator, a
representative of a fishers organization, a financial service provider targeting
landing site users or an agent of the fish processing industry.
What you are expected to do and know
You are expected to take on the role of facilitator and technical adviser of the
landing site planning process. The first half of the manual explains how to help a
working group made up of landing site users to go through the planning process.
The last half shows how to create a landing site development strategy and project
proposals that can be discussed with landing site users as well as agencies that
could support the proposals.
It is assumed that you are familiar with facilitation skills, that is, enabling
different people and stakeholders to contribute to and benefit equally from
development processes. Previous experience in the use of the participatory
methods presented in this manual is not needed because they will be explained
step-by-step. Some of the basic principles of participatory information collection
and planning are explained later in this introduction. You do not need to be an
expert in artisanal fishing or in the management or maintenance of landing sites.
Such knowledge may help, but this manual is written in such a way that it is not
essential. It would be useful if you had some previous experience in using a logical
framework and in writing project proposals.
Participatory landing site development for artisanal fisheries livelihoods
Key terms
What does a facilitator do?
A facilitator provides an environment that is conducive to group processes such as
discussions and decision-making. Important qualities for a facilitator include
good listening skills, respect for all and the ability to give constructive feedback
and express empathy.
A facilitator ensures that all participants feel free to speak by using methods that
allow shy people to give their opinion and discourage dominant people from
taking over the entire process.
A facilitator ensures that the process is recorded, so that it is clear to everyone what
decisions were taken, why they were taken, and what the next steps are. One or
more group members may be asked to help in this task.
What does a technical adviser do?
As a technical adviser you will be expected to structure and monitor the participatory
development process.
A technical adviser points out when outside expertise may be required, where to find
that expertise or how to go about finding it.
A technical adviser records the results of the participatory development process and
turns them into project proposals.
Where to use the manual

This manual is based on artisanal marine fisheries in West Africa. Nevertheless, the
steps and tools in this manual can be used for other parts of the world and even
for inland fisheries. If you are working outside of West Africa, you may want to
look for examples from your own country or region and add them to the ones
given in the text.
This manual will encourage you to look beyond the physical boundaries of a
landing site when you consider the capabilities, assets and activities of landing site
users. This means that when you consider the type of problems landing site users
perceive, you may have to look into a wide range of issues, from natural resource
management to small-scale enterprise development, fish marketing and health
and/or housing. The manual allows you to be flexible and take a broad approach
so that you can adapt the focus of landing site development planning depending
on landing site users preoccupations, your position, the organization you work
for and its mandate.
DEFINING THE MAIN CONCEPTS: LIVELIHOOD, LANDING SITES,
ARTISANAL FISHERIES, PARTICIPATION
Improving livelihoods at landing sites
The overall aim of this manual is to improve the livelihoods of fishers and
their families by building on their strengths and removing the constraints to
development.
Introduction
Livelihood
A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets (including both material and social
resources) and activities required for a means of living. (Carney, 1998)
A landing site is a useful entry point for participatory development planning

in artisanal fisheries because it is the one geographical place where the majority
of stakeholders come together: from crew to boat owners, from money-lenders
to mechanics, from fish processors to consumers and from local sedentary to
migratory fishers. They may not all be there at the same time of the day or
season but at some point you are likely to find them there. Other stakeholders
not directly present at the landing site, but linked to artisanal fisheries, can be
found by following information leads from the landing site to other places. The
landing site is thus an effective and efficient starting point for you to improve the
livelihoods of a large variety and number of people.
Landing sites
A landing site covers a certain physical area; the infrastructure in place; technical,
financial and social services available; activities taking place and users deriving all
or part of their livelihood from its activities.
A landing site may range from a small settlement on a stretch of beach with
hardly any infrastructure and facilities to larger artisanal fisheries areas that are
part of bigger ports or harbours in or close to urban centres.
Artisanal fishing and artisanal fisheries
Artisanal fisheries
Artisanal fishing is an important economic activity in many countries. It employs
thousands of people, provides food to a large part of the population and
contributes significantly to foreign exchange earnings. While artisanal fishing
refers to an activity, artisanal fisheries refer to the sector.
A fishery, for the purpose of this manual, is a category of fishing operations (from
financing and fishing to processing and trading) that shares certain characteristics
and dynamics. For example, the fishers in a fishery all use similar gear, target the
same fish species, and fish during the same period of the year.
Artisanal fisheries generally use relatively low levels of technology and investment
both for fishing and for processing. It is also distinguished by its high levels of
labour input, which is often recruited through family relationships. Still, there
are large variations within and between countries, and there is no clear, universal
definition of artisanal.
Artisanal fisheries do not generate the economic and social benefits they are
capable of (IDAF, 1998) because of a number of constraints including poor
management, low levels of organization, a lack of financing, poor infrastructure
and severely limited technical assistance. Working and living conditions of people
based at artisanal fisheries landing sites are far below what they could and should
be. As a result, artisanal fisheries are less productive, and do not contribute as
much as they could to poverty alleviation, food security and health.
One of the main problems has been a lack of understanding of artisanal fisheries
and the issues at stake. Governments and donor agencies have generally failed to
effectively consult, collaborate or otherwise let landing site users participate in
their projects, either because they did not feel the need or because they did not
know how. Yet, the participation by landing site users is a key element in order to
have a positive and lasting effect in development planning. They are the primary
beneficiaries of landing site development, they know the prevailing situation best,
and they can often identify weaknesses or impracticalities in proposed solutions.
Nevertheless, expertise and stakeholder interests from individuals outside the
landing site are also needed in development planning, as the detailed assessments
to be made and decisions to be taken may fall outside the realm of experience and
knowledge of landing site users. When using this manual, you will have to actively
ensure the participation of both. The next section will explain how to do this.
Participation
Participation is the act of taking part in or having a share in an activity or event
(Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, 1978)
To summarize, these concepts form the basis for the approach used in this
manual:
improve the livelihoods of those who make all or part of their living from
fishing-related activities;
use the landing site as an entry point for improving working and living
conditions of stakeholders; and
employ participatory techniques for improved planning and more effective
implementation of development projects.
ACHIEVING THE MOST FROM PARTICIPATORY APPROACHES
Ensuring participation
One way of ensuring participation is by creating a working group made up of
representatives of landing site users. They will do the actual information collection,
analysis and planning, and are responsible for ensuring good communication
with the landing site user groups they represent. A second way to ensure inputs
from landing site users is to consult and interview them throughout the planning
process. Yet another technique is using regular feedback sessions to make sure
that everyone is aware of what is going on. This has the added advantage that
corrections, contradictions or doubts can be pointed out where relevant. When
Introduction
taken seriously, this generates a sense of ownership and commitment, which is

necessary for the successful implementation of the projects resulting from the
development planning process.
Using triangulation to ensure the quality of results
One of the key principles of participatory approaches is triangulation.
Triangulation
Triangulation refers to a way of examining issues and information from more than
one perspective. By considering the views of all major stakeholders involved in
landing site operations your analysis will be more complete and widely shared.
This facilitates the implementation of the resulting proposal and increases its
chance of success because the stakeholders understand and support the project.
The use of triangulation is important for:

the composition of the working group;
the exercises and techniques you are going to use; and
the different categories of landing site users you will approach or interview
as resource persons or informants in your exercise.
Using triangulation for the composition of your working group means that you
ensure that its members constitute representatives of various groups: landing site
users and outsiders, women and men, young and old, fishers and traders, and so
on. However, keep in mind that the working group itself needs to be rather small
(about four to five people); otherwise it will become unwieldy.
The triangulation of exercises and techniques refers to the cross-checking of
information collected from landing site users by applying a variety of methods for
gathering information. For example, observation may show something different
to what you have been told during an interview or transect walk, and a map may
illustrate that you have not understood information given by a key informant.
Make good notes of the results of different exercises, compare results at the end
of each exercise or day, and identify where the results coincide and where there is
conflicting or missing information. In the latter case, the working group may want
to go back and collect the information that is missing, or you may want to present
the informants with the conflicting information and ask for clarification.
The same goes for triangulation of your key informants. Make sure you speak
to a variety of landing site users, so that you do not end up with the views of only
one group. This will increase the validity of the results, the relevance of solutions
and the support and commitment from landing site users.
Optimal ignorance: collect only as much information as you need
Another key principle of participatory approaches is that of optimal ignorance.
Optimal ignorance
Optimal ignorance means getting only the information that is really needed and no
more.
The exercises and techniques in this manual have the potential of generating a
great deal of information and it is important that you agree on what is relevant for
your exercise. Keep your objectives clearly in mind so that you can make the best
use of the time available: not only your time, but also that of the working group
and of the resource people. Your authority to bring landing site users together
may be sufficient for an initial meeting, but their commitment to the process
depends on whether they see direct benefits and results.
HOW THIS MANUAL IS ORGANIZED
Stages in the planning process
The approach of this manual is action-oriented, allowing you to apply what you
learn immediately. It encourages you to initiate a planning process in five stages:
Making necessary preparations (Unit 1)
Collecting data (Units 24)
Painting a picture of the landing site and its users (Unit 2)
Preparing fisheries production chains (Unit 3)
Understanding the effects of changes over time (Unit 4)
Conducting a situation analysis (Unit 5)
Bringing together all the elements based on information collected in Stage 2
Developing a strategy (Units 67)
Finding workable solutions (Unit 6)
Creating a work plan (Unit 7)
Towards implementation (Unit 8)
Writing the project proposal
Layout of the units
Each unit has its own table of contents. The introduction to the unit explains
where that particular unit fits in the planning process and the exercises you will be
using. It also contains a box that explains key terms. These definitions are specific
Introduction
to the manual, and as such are not necessarily related to a dictionary or other
formal resource.
The rest of the unit is divided into sections by exercise (e.g. seasonal calendars).
Each exercise contains three main sections: an introduction, an explanation of who
should participate, and the steps to take to conduct the exercise. The exercises are
illustrated with examples and figures to give you an idea of possible results. These
are only examples; feel free to adapt them to your local reality and the issues raised
by the people you interview. Occasionally, notes are provided. They propose
variations on the exercise or point out where you may need to take special care.
The units end with a note summarizing what you should have achieved in the
unit and explaining how it fits in with the next unit.
Preparing each unit
It is best to read and study all eight units before starting. Then start again with
Unit 1, making sure that you are familiar with its contents, have planned the field
activities well in advance and have been in close collaboration with landing site
users. Only then should you begin your planning process. Before going into the
field, you should have a clear idea about how to proceed beyond Unit 1. This is
important because you will need to make appointments with landing site users for
your next visit and should brief your team members on what the working group is
going to do next and how. Do the same with regard to the units that follow.
Implementing the exercises
Each unit covers a number of exercises for information collection or analysis.
Each exercise explains all the steps in detail, so all you have to do is follow them.
You do not have to use all the exercises but you are advised to use at least one
from each unit, preferably more. For many of them, you can use any materials to
record your findings (drawing on the ground, using sticks or other items). You
will want to record the findings on a large piece of paper using markers, which will
be posted and used for discussions or a presentation of the results. You may also
find it useful to have a notebook or file with sheets of paper and pen or pencil on
which to record the outcome of the exercise. (Keep in mind that you may want to
give the final results to the landing site representatives at the end of the planning
process.)
Taking notes, summarizing and providing feedback
Throughout the planning process it is important to take good notes to capture the
results of the exercise, whether you are working with fisheries production chains,
calendars or other diagrams. Resource people may make comments or say things
during interviews that are difficult to draw. Record them and keep them with the
diagram so that you will remember them and take them into consideration.
At the end of each exercise and unit, you will no doubt have collected a
large amount of information, sometimes so much that it can be confusing. For
this reason, it is good practice to ask the working group to summarize the main
points after each exercise. You can do so by asking questions such as: Who are
10
the key players? Which stakeholders seem most vulnerable and harmed by certain
situations? What stands out as a strong positive point? Where are the main
problems? Are there bottlenecks? What interesting suggestions have been made?
Where do we have enough information? Where is important information missing?
Put your findings together on a few large sheets of paper. For the same reason and
using a similar technique, also summarize the exercises for each unit. In Units 5
and 6 you will build on these summaries to develop your landing site development
situational analysis and strategy.
The results of the exercise and the summaries will also be useful during
feedback sessions that you should organize at the end of each unit. Feedback
sessions help to keep stakeholders up-to-date on the planning process and give
you an indication of whether you have collected and interpreted the information
correctly.
11
MAKING NECESSARY PREPARATIONS

UNIT 1
Beginning the planning process
Introduction
13
14
15
16
Soliciting feedback from landing site users
17
19
Making necessary preparations Unit 1: Beginning the planning process
INTRODUCTION
This unit covers all the preparations required to begin the planning process. At
this stage, you will establish whom you will work with and what you will be
doing. You will also organize your work and develop a time frame.
Exercises
In this first part of the planning process you will:
select a landing site;
identify or create a working group;
develop a work plan; and
hold your first feedback meeting with landing site users.
Key terms
A feedback meeting is an opportunity to present preliminary or final results to
landing site users, community leaders and other key people. This helps to make
sure everyone is aware of recent activities and results. It is also a chance to correct
any false information and add any information that is missing.
A landing site user refers to people living and/or working at the landing site. These
are people involved in fishing or fishing-related activities, such as boat owners,
fishers, fish processors, fish traders, mechanics, food sellers and carpenters. For
the purpose of this manual, the term landing site user does not include members
of government, NGOs or other agencies, such as fisheries field staff, customs
officers or harbour police.
The working group is the body in charge of landing site development planning. It
consists of representatives from the many groups that influence the functioning of
a landing site. It may include people from landing site user groups, development
agencies, NGOs, government agencies, related projects, religious groups and
others. It can also include fisheries field staff, customs officers or harbour police.
A work plan is a table of activities in which you specify the time, date and tools you
are going to use in the planning process. It will give a clear idea of what is going to
happen to all those involved, including the working group, the landing site users
and yourself. It also indicates when an input is needed from a certain group of
people and when the planning process should finish.
13
14
FINDING A SUITABLE LANDING SITE

One of the basic requirements for devising a plan that will work is finding a landing
site whose users are receptive to development planning. If they are interested,
willing and able to collaborate, you have a much better chance of success.
Who should participate
You should talk to your superiors and colleagues as well as development and
government organizations that work in fishing communities. Also talk to
representatives of fishers at several landing sites.
Steps to take
1. When looking for a suitable landing site, you will probably have some
ideas based on landing sites you know. If you have limited experience with
participatory landing site development planning, you may prefer to start with
a relatively easy site. This is likely to be small, with user groups that you know
well, where you already collaborate with landing site and community leaders
or representatives and where people are economically and socially dynamic
and interested in contributing towards their own development. Make sure it
is a site that you can reach easily, as you will need to spend much time there.
You may have more than one landing site in mind.
2. Visit the landing site you are considering and explain your intentions to
community leaders, user groups and service providers. Be clear about
whether your organization will be financing the development plan and its
implementation. If it is not, be very clear about what you can offer. Even if
you have not identified the external resources required to implement the plan,
you may still be able to proceed. This manual includes a section on identifying
partners and financiers. One advantage of going through this type of planning
process is to strengthen the capacity of landing site user groups to express
their need for technical and financial assistance.
3. Give community leaders, landing site users and service providers the
opportunity to meet in private and consider your proposal. If necessary,
give additional explanation about the intended planning process, the inputs
required and the expected outcomes. If one landing site decides against
participating in the process, find another. Choose to work with the landing
site that is most receptive. Remember that this choice is mutually reinforcing:
you must choose each other or it will not work!
4. Once you decide on the landing site, you may need to arrange a more formal
meeting with representatives of user groups and development agencies or
government. This will ensure everyone is aware of the agreement and the next
steps to initiate the planning process. Also agree on how you will keep these
leaders updated on progress, and how often. Maintaining good relations with
community leaders is both a courtesy and an opportunity to ask for support.
CREATING A WORKING GROUP

Once a landing site has been chosen, you need to find a working group composed
of three to five people. You are looking for a small, enthusiastic and representative
group of people from the landing site to work closely with you and carry out the
exercises.
You should look for people who are trustworthy and respected in the eyes of a
variety of landing site users. The advice of government and development agencies
such as the Fisheries Department or NGOs could also be useful, but as advisers
rather than decision-makers.
Steps to take
1. Talk to representatives of landing site user groups, community leaders,
government and development agencies. Explain to them the particular role
of the working group: preparing and carrying out the exercises, conducting
interviews, arranging meetings with relevant user groups or outsiders, taking
notes and summarizing information. Let the representatives guide you by
either identifying an existing body or by suggesting names of people who
could be members of a new one. If you know the landing site users well and
have some of your own ideas, discuss them with these leaders. Draw up a list
of possible names.
2. Look at your list. Use the principle of triangulation explained in the
introduction to this manual to ensure you have representatives of the major
user groups (boat owners, fishermen, fish processors, fish traders, service
suppliers); women and men; and older and younger people. Remember
that you are looking for charismatic people with a vision on landing site
development and a strong belief in the need for landing site users to participate
in realizing this vision. Finally, keep in mind that it is very important that
landing site users recognize the working group and its members and trust it to
come up with something that will be in their interest.
3. Another possibility is to identify an existing group that could function as
a working group. You may need to reduce the number of members or add
people from groups that are not yet represented.
4. It is important to have only three to five people or it will become unmanageable.
Explain the planning process to the candidates. Clarify what they are being
asked to do and how long it will take. Then ask about their availability. Be
clear about how they can benefit: they will learn tools and techniques for
identifying constraints and devising solutions for their landing site, including
where to find support to implement the solutions.
5. Once you have the consent of the leaders and the people involved, decide
on the list of members. You may wish to record this in a notebook used
exclusively for this planning process. Also keep a list of people who may not
be part of the working group but could function as temporary members or
15
16
advisers for certain exercises. (This could include students and retirees.) Write
down their names, at what stage they could be involved, and what they would
like to do. Remember to refer to this list during the exercises; otherwise they
may be disappointed.
6. Call a meeting of the working group, in which you explain the planning
process in general terms. You will need to discuss the different exercises
you will use, the people and user groups you will talk to, and the expected
outcomes. Explain the role and functions of the working group. You may wish
to give certain tasks to each member or agree to rotate the tasks, for example
the role of Chairperson. It would be helpful if some people in the group could
read and write, as they will be able to take notes. Non-literate members may
wish to make drawings or sketches where required.
7. Clarify your own role in the planning process. One of your roles is to act as
the working groups technical adviser. You will brief them on the process as a
whole and take them through the different steps of the manual. Also explain
your other role, as a facilitator, ensuring that everyone participates and that
the group can make joint decisions.
8. Establish some working rules. For example, agree that everybodys contribution
is valuable and that everyone will listen to each other and respect each other.
Make more rules as the group feels necessary. Write the rules in the notebook
so you can refer back to them if necessary. Discuss and clarify any questions,
and make changes where necessary. Make sure everyone is comfortable with
their roles and the working rules. Make an appointment for the first meeting,
which will focus on devising a work plan for the planning process.
DEVISING A WORK PLAN
By establishing a work plan, you and the working group are clear on the steps
ahead. You know which strategy you are going to follow, when you will do which
exercises, which outputs you are expected to achieve, and how much time it will
take. The work plan also indicates if other people need to be involved and when.
You will devise this plan together with the working group. You may wish to
discuss it with community leaders and user group representatives to ensure it
poses no problems.
Steps to take
1. Meet with the working group and give them an overview of the process you
are going to follow. The main stages will concern information collection
(Units 24), situation analysis (Unit 5), strategy development (Units 67) and
developing a project proposal (Unit 8). Then explain the different exercises at
each stage, and indicate which you think are the most useful. You do not need
to do every one; remember the principle of optimal ignorance!
2. Give a time estimate for each of the exercises or stages. Roughly speaking,
each exercise is likely to take half a day, plus two hours preparation time and
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
four hours for processing the information. That is, about one to one and a half
days per exercise.
Discuss how much time the members of the working group have available
in the coming months. Consider fishing seasons, intensive agricultural work,
rainy or dry seasons, and festivities or other occasions that will affect the
available time of working group participants. Ask them what time of day
would be most convenient for meeting. If you cannot find a time suitable for
all members you may wish to include someone from your list of temporary
members.
Go through a similar exercise of availability and time constraints for landing
site users. It is no use setting up interviews when people are harvesting an
important cash crop or involved in a community ceremony. On the other
hand, observing work during peak activities (for example using fisheries
production chains) may be useful to identify constraints. The members of the
working group should be able to suggest suitable times for different landing
site users.
Decide on the exercises you will do and when to carry them out. Note the
kind of information you need, who can provide it, and when that person will
be available. Remember to plan feedback meetings with landing site users.
Write all this information in your work plan.
Consider the work plan and decide whether you will need extra meetings as
a working group. Include any extra meetings in the time plan. This rough
time frame will serve as a guide as you implement the process; you may wish
to adapt it from time to time. Make sure working group members know
they have the freedom to add or replace topics and design new tools when
required.
Agree on a place to meet with the working group. It would be preferable to
have a place where you can keep materials from the planning process so you
do not have to carry them with you. It should be easily accessible, either at the
landing site or in the community. Make sure that you have permission to use
the building or area and explain how often you will be there. Be aware that
other groups may use the same space.
Ensure that everything needed for the exercise will be available. Decide who
will bring which materials (you, user groups, community leaders or others).
You may need pens, notebooks, markers, large sheets of paper, tape and other
items.
On a large sheet of paper, draw up your work plan, including the people you
want to interview. On another, write down the arrangements, in terms of place
and materials. You will present these to the landing site user groups during the
first feedback meeting (see the next exercise in this unit).
SOLICITING FEEDBACK FROM LANDING SITE USERS

Now that the working group is in place and you have a general work plan, you
need to call a first feedback meeting with landing site users. The purpose of this
meeting is to:
17
18
introduce the working group;

inform landing site users about the planning process, the expected outputs,
the timing for carrying out different exercises and the inputs they need to
provide; and
ensure their support and participation.
In addition to yourself and the working group, you may want to invite community
leaders and representatives. Most importantly, you should get as many landing
site users as possible to take part in the meeting. Note that some users may not
be full-time fishers or may not deal directly with fish at all (e.g. mechanics or
food traders); they should still be included as their activities are essential to the
functioning of the landing site. You may also want to invite representatives from
organizations active at the landing site to attend as observers. They could be from
the Fisheries Department or other government agencies, private service providers,
NGOs or related projects.
Steps to take
1. Before the meeting, help the working group to prepare the agenda. Plan
for the meeting to last two to three hours, not longer. Arrange the venue.
Clarify who will open the meeting and who will take care of any other
formalities customary in the area. Inform the relevant community leaders and
representatives. Arrange who will be the chair, who will take notes, and who
will present which part of the meeting (see below).
2. Announce the meeting some time in advance and be sure to spread the word.
Be clear about who is invited, what the meeting is about, when it will take
place and how long it is expected to last.
3. Officially open the meeting and welcome everyone in a way consistent with
local custom. The Chairperson of the working group should introduce you,
the working group and any volunteers.
4. Continue the meeting by informing landing site users about the objective
of the meeting and the planning process as a whole. As the facilitator, you
can explain what will be expected from them and what outputs they should
expect. You can also explain the steps that will be taken once the plan is
ready, particularly with respect to the search for external resources required
to implement the plan. (Alternatively, you may wish to do this together with
one or more members of the working group.)
5. Next, the working group can explain the work plan that was devised during
their first meeting. Ask for feedback from user groups: have any important
groups or people been left out? Is the time frame realistic? Address any
concerns that arise. Emphasize that the landing site users will be kept up-todate via regular user group meetings. They may also want to be notified in
other ways. Keep notes on any suggestions and if possible, carry them out.
6. Finally, thank everyone for his or her time and inputs. Remind landing site
users about the nature and timing of the next activities. As you will see in the
next unit, the next activity will be taking a census of landing site users. Make
any necessary appointments. Close the meeting.
Note
You can use this basic structure for other feedback meetings later on in the
planning process.
BEFORE GOING ON TO THE NEXT UNIT
Having completed the activities in this unit, everything is now in place to start
collecting information about the current situation at the landing site. This will
include landing site users (Unit 2), production chains (Unit 3) and changes over
time (Unit 4).
You may have already collected a large amount of information. Meet with the
working group and go over the information together to get a feel for: the different
user groups and their distinctive interests, the types of issues and the main layout
of the landing site. You may already have questions or may have identified areas
where you lack information or want more quantitative or qualitative data. Write
these thoughts in the notebook or on a large sheet of paper so you can incorporate
them into the exercises in the next units.
For each of the following units, meet with the working group to prepare the
next exercise. Make sure everyone is clear on what to do, how to do it and when
it needs to take place. You should also plan whom you will want to meet with
and what you will need to ask. Divide the roles and responsibilities among the
members of the working group. Meet after each exercise to review the results and
compare them with other information you have collected and the vision statement.
If you see discrepancies, ask for clarifications. But be careful not to go into more
detail than necessary or you will be swamped with information!
You will collect a great deal of information in Units 24, and you may start
feeling overwhelmed. Remember that you will bring together all the information
in a more consistent way in Unit 5.
19
21
COLLECTING DATA
UNIT 2
Painting a picture of the landing site and its users
Introduction
23
Taking a census of landing site users
24
Creating institutional diagrams
27
Drafting general landing site maps
29
Producing more detailed landing site maps
33
35
Collecting data Unit 2: Painting a picture of the landing site and its users
INTRODUCTION
Now that the working arrangements are clear and the landing site users have
given the green light to go ahead, you can start on the next stage of your planning
process: collecting information using participatory tools based on PRA. Landing
site users generally enjoy these exercises, as they get a new perspective on their
workplace.
This is the first of three units that deal with data collection. It concentrates on
identifying the stakeholders at the landing site, and understanding how they are
organized and how the area is laid out.
Exercises
You will learn how to do the following:
take a census of the landing site using a participatory approach;
create institutional diagrams (sometimes referred to as Venn diagrams); and
draft a variety of maps.
Key terms
An institutional diagram is a practical tool that helps you to identify the organizations,
leaders and other individuals or groups that influence the landing site. It also
clarifies the interests of these individuals or groups and the possibilities for
collaboration. This information will be extremely useful in the design and
implementation of a landing site development plan.
A stakeholder refers to a person, a group of people, or an organization that has the
ability to directly or indirectly affect the success of a project and that has an
interest in the projects outcome. Stakeholders include landing site users as well
as members of government or other agencies.
A participatory landing site census is a tool that helps you to count the number
of people using a landing site, the distribution of landing site users among
user groups and the number and type of fishing and processing units. It uses a
participatory approach involving landing site users and representatives.
Participatory mapping is a way to guide landing site users to draw maps reflecting
available resources, land use planning and social structure. The aim is to
encourage landing site users to think systematically about their problems and
possible solutions, and to help external facilitators to understand those problems
and to analyse options for addressing them.
23
24
TAKING A CENSUS OF LANDING SITE USERS

A participatory landing site census gives you an idea of the number of people
using the landing site, the distribution of landing site users among user groups and
the number of fishing and fish processing units. These data will be important for
the next units because it will give you an idea of the scale of the various problems
and thus help you to propose appropriate solutions.
This exercise requires you to collect information away from the landing site. With
the help of the working group, you will be gathering information where landing
site users live: in villages, neighbourhoods or other residential areas. Ask the
working group to fix appointments with the head of the village, or in the case of
a large town, the head of the neighbourhood. That person should be familiar with
all the families in the area and their occupations.
Steps to take
1. Agree on a time and place for your appointments.
2. For each appointment ask your contact person the following questions:
How many households are there in your area?
What is their nationality or area of origin?
How many active fishers are there per category (equipment owners, gear
owners, crew members)?
How many non-active fishers are there per category (boat owners, net
menders)?
How many people own fishing units? What type are they? Are they
motorized?
How many women are active in fishing or fishing-related activities
(processing, selling)?
How many service providers are there? What service do they offer
(carpenters, mechanics, credits, sale of gear and equipment, etc.)?
Reminder: Some people may consider themselves as belonging to more than
one category, e.g. selling and processing fish, as well as giving loans for fishing;
be careful not to double-count.
3. An easy way to note the information is to use tables similar to the ones
presented in the example below (Tables 1 and 2). Modify these tables to
suit your needs. Finish with one area before continuing the exercise with
another. At the end, you can summarize the data from different areas in one
comprehensive table.
Note
Use the principle of triangulation to analyse the outcome of your census. Compare
the data you have collected with other sources, such as statistics collected by the
fisheries department, the health clinic or city council.
You may find differences between your sources. This may have several
explanations. You may have conducted your survey in the fishing season while
65
20
|||| ||||
||||
||||
|||| ||||
|||| ||||
|||| ||||
||
32
Ghana
Benin
Source: Gbaguidi & Verstralen 1998
Total
Number
Category
13
|||| ||||
|||
Togo
Units per nationality
30
|||| |||| ||||

||||
|||| ||||
gear
owners
203
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
173
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
|||
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
crew
members
16
|||| |||| |||| |
boat owners
29
13
|||| ||||
|||
menders
Non-active fishers
with engine
17
||||
||||
||||
||
17
...
with engine
||||
hook and
line
12
||||
||
without engine
purse seine
without engine
11
||||
||||
|
gillnet
Fishing units per gear type
with engine
Active fishers
17
||||
|
without engine
Format used in participatory census of fishers, Benin
with engine
||
other
||||
||
without engine
TABLE 1
25
23
|||| |||| |||| |||| |||
Dried fish
53
|||| |||| |||| |||| ||||

|||| |||| |||| |||| ||||
|||
Self-employed
Smoked fish
Source: Gbaguidi & Verstralen 1998
42
|||| |||| |||| |||| ||||

|||| |||| |||| ||
Fresh fish
Format used in participatory census of fish mongers, Benin
TABLE 2
118
Total
22
|||| |||| |||| |||| ||
Fresh fish
38
|||| |||| |||| |||| ||||

|||| |||| |||
Dried fish
48
|||| |||| |||| |||| ||||

|||| |||| |||| ||||
|||
Assistants
Smoked fish
108
Total
26
official sources did theirs in the non-fishing season when there were fewer fishers
and boats. It is up to you and the working group to evaluate the results and find
explanations for the variations. This process is likely to give you more insight into
the landing site and its activities.
CREATING INSTITUTIONAL DIAGRAMS
Creating institutional diagrams help you identify the different stakeholders at
a landing site. It also helps you understand their tasks and responsibilities, the
importance of those roles and the relations they have among each other. This
exercise encourages landing site users to assess the role of different stakeholders,
including themselves, in landing site development.
Used in combination with the landing site census, an institutional diagram
will give you insight into which landing site user groups are well-organized and
represented, who are the leaders in the community, and so on. This will be vital
when you make your landing site development plan in Units 57, because it will
give you an idea of which groups or leaders are most suited to working with
certain landing site users.
It is useful to include a broad range of landing site users in order to capture as
many views as possible. You may want to divide them into small groups (five to
eight people) so that everyone has a chance to contribute. Smaller groups also
make it easier for you and the working group to manage the discussion. At the end
of the exercise, the groups can present their findings to each other.
Steps to take
1. You can either divide landing site users into groups based on occupation,
gender or age, or you can opt for mixed groups. Discuss with your working
group which arrangement would generate the most information. For example,
if you think women and/or young people would not actively participate in the
company of elder men, separate them.
2. Explain to each of the groups the concept of an institutional diagram, how to
prepare one and its purpose. Make sure someone from each group takes notes.
Each group also needs to have its own facilitator, preferably someone from the
working group.
3. Ask participants to identify and list all categories of stakeholders, including
landing site users and members of local organizations, private sector service
suppliers, government agencies and NGOs. Try to estimate the number of
people involved. Write the categories in large letters on cards (or ask the
landing site users to do so).
4. Clarify the roles and activities of the stakeholders and the resource base
available to each one. Be aware that disagreement about who is a stakeholder
may arise. This often reflects the use of different criteria. A fish processor
located away from the landing site may not be considered a stakeholder, even
though some fishers may depend on that person. You will probably need to
27
Institutional diagram of
an inland fishing village
in Wendo Tcham, GuineaBissau
Source: SFLP, June 2001
FIGURE 1
28
include some users operating beyond the geographical border of the landing
site.
5. Ask participants to discuss the role and importance of different categories of
stakeholders in landing site development. Have the landing site users explain
what important and development mean to them and ask them about
their criteria. You are trying to determine which stakeholders have made a
difference, or brought about change. As a variation on this exercise, you may
also ask who has power or influence on the landing site. Have the landing
site users discuss what power and influence mean to them, and what it is
about these individuals that makes them so influential.
6. In order to visualize the results of the previous point, place paper circles of
different sizes on a table or on the floor. (You should cut them out beforehand.)
Ask landing site users to place the cards with the most important stakeholders
on the largest circles, less important or powerful ones on the medium-sized
circles, and the least important on the smallest circles.
7. As a next step, ask which stakeholders work together; and ask in what way,
how frequently and how closely. For those that work together, place the
circles in such a way that they overlap. You may draw thicker or thinner lines
between circles to suggest the level of collaboration.
8. Repeat the above steps as you discuss other stakeholders. Discuss as many
categories as possible, and in each case ask participants to place them in
relation to one other. There will probably be considerable discussion and
repositioning as the task continues.
9. By the end of the session each group should have a diagram of institutional
relationships at the landing site (see Figure 1). Have the groups present their
diagrams to the other participants. Facilitate a discussion on similarities and
differences.
10. Use glue or a stapler to preserve the diagrams for future reference. Thank the
landing site users for their time and input. Explain how this information will
be used for the next steps of the planning process.
Figure 1 shows an example from Wendo Tcham, Guinea-Bissau. Wendo Tcham
is a small inland fishing village in the eastern part of the country. The diagram
shows the organizations within the village, as well as links with government
organizations and traders outside the village.
Note
It may be useful to use the principle of triangulation to check your results. Talk
to leaders of some of the identified groups, or to anyone else who knows the
community, such as nurses, doctors and teachers. Show them the results of the
diagram. Ask if there are any groups missing or whether they would like to add
anything about the interactions between the groups.
DRAFTING GENERAL LANDING SITE MAPS
Now that you have determined the number and type of stakeholders, you need to
find out where exactly their activities take place. You also need to determine the
29
Source: SFLP,
June 2001
Landing site and

village map in
Cai, GuineaBissau
FIGURE 2
30
location of fisheries infrastructure, facilities, services and resources. This is the first
step to understanding related problems and opportunities. Participatory mapping
will help you collect this type of information and identify the dimension and scope
of certain issues. This exercise explains how to draft a general landing site map.
The next one shows you how to produce more detailed maps.
Representatives from the major groups of landing site users should draft these
maps. You and the working group will facilitate this exercise.
Steps to take
1. Review available data and observations. Agree with the working group on
what types of information you want to include in the map. It could include
houses, places of worship, shops, storage facilities, fishing gear repair areas,
fish smoking areas, fish markets, fuel distributors, ice plants, banks or savings
and credit associations.
2. If you do not have a detailed map of the site, use a larger-scale map to delineate
the boundaries, walking along the perimeter of the landing site with the
landing site users so you can agree on the boundaries.
3. Divide the landing site users into small groups of between five and eight
people. Introduce the concept of maps, mapping and its purpose to each
group. The groups can be composed of representatives from different user
groups, or each user group can do their own map. Figure 2 shows an example
of a general landing site map.
4. It is important to realize that maps can illustrate both a true spatial
representation of the landing site as well as the one perceived by landing site
users. While formal maps may accurately chart a landing sites geography, maps
drawn by landing site users are meant to emphasize parts of the landing site
they perceive as most important or most accessible. In this regard, distances
between more accessible and popular locations may appear shorter on landing
site users maps than on official maps.
5. Based on this exercise you may decide to organize additional sessions for
landing site users to prepare more detailed or activity-specific maps (see the
next exercise.) Maps can be drawn on the ground, on the floor or on paper;
just make sure you preserve them!
Note
To triangulate, check your map against official maps. You will find different
types of information on each and the scales will be different, but that does not
matter. The objective is to discover additional information or insights, which you
may then confirm with landing site user groups, officials, extension workers or
others working at the landing site. Remember, you are trying to paint the clearest
possible picture of the landing site and its users.
31
Source: SFLP, June 2001
Fishing grounds map, Cai,

Guinea-Bissau
FIGURE 3
32
PRODUCING MORE DETAILED LANDING SITE MAPS

Once you have completed your general landing site map, you may realize that you
need more information on certain parts. A detailed landing site map can be a useful
tool. You may do this exercise as a follow-up to the general landing site map, or
return to it after you have done some of the exercises in the other units. The maps
suggested below include:
fishing grounds maps;
boat anchorage and navigation maps;
fish processing and marketing maps; and
service provision maps.
Use your imagination to determine which issue or activity you want to focus
on in your map. When looking for solutions to problems, encourage landing
site users to consider the support of outside agencies and community leaders, in
addition to what they themselves can do.
The landing site users themselves should draw these detailed maps because they
are closely involved in that aspect of the landing site. As before, you and your
working group will facilitate this exercise.
Map 1: Fishing grounds
These maps indicate all fishing grounds exploited by fishers operating either fulltime or part-time from the landing site. For example, if cast-net fishers fish within
the anchorage, this should be included as a fishing ground. And if some landing
site users glean shellfish from intertidal basins, these areas should be included as
well. Fishers (both women and men) are in the best position to draw these maps.
Make sure different types of fishing are represented in your group(s).
1. Ask the fishers to list the different types of fishing practices and the different
species they fish.
2. Have the fishers draw a map of the different fishing grounds, identifying the
location for each type of fishing. Figure 3 gives an example. If different vessels
or gears exploit the same fishing ground, the map should reflect this.
3. If different types of fishing are practised during different times of the year, this
should be indicated on the map(s). Alternatively, a map can be drawn for each
season.
4. Initiate a discussion on problems and conflicts. Who normally solves these
problems and how? Which issues are not yet resolved? How might they be
resolved in future? What would need to happen?
Map 2: Boat anchorage and navigation
Such maps identify boat anchorage, approach channels, breakwaters and local
dangers to navigation.
1. This type of mapping requires input from fishers, skippers and boat owners of
different types of fishing units.
2. Ask them to list the types of fishing units at the landing site.
33
34
3. For each type, ask them to draw a map identifying its anchoring locations.
4. Then ask them to identify approach channels, breakwaters, local dangers to
navigation and any other relevant feature.
5. Initiate a discussion on problems and conflicts. Who normally solves these
problems? Who is responsible for different aspects of the conflicts? If no one
currently hold the responsibility for a particular issue, ask the landing site
users to agree on who would be the most likely person of them to take it on.
Does that person have the relevant resources and skills? How this could be
done?
Map 3: Fish processing and marketing
1. These maps give you details about the fish processing and marketing network
for fish and fish products. They may represent a much larger area than other
maps. Such a network may start at the landing site, move to a processing site
and market away from the landing site, and then expand to regional markets
and markets overseas. You will have to decide how large a network to include
in your exercise.
2. The best people to draw a map like this are buyers, processors, sellers and/or
transporters. Often these stakeholders are women. Make sure you cover both
small- and large-scale enterprises.
3. Ask them to list the different categories of landing site users involved in
buying, processing, selling and transporting fish. You may wish to differentiate
between fish processors and fresh fish traders, large-scale fish traders and
small-scale fish traders, fish buyers based at the landing and those coming
from outside, etc.
4. Ask them to map activities of each category and the resources involved.
5. You may want to ask them to indicate the type of transportation used, the
estimated distance, the travel time and the cost of transport to and from
markets.
6. Indicate any seasonal differences in activities.
7. Initiate a discussion on what functions well. Where do problems or conflicts
arise, what causes them, who solves them and how? If a user group does not
have the support of management, lead a discussion on what could be done to
resolve the problem. What would need to be done and who might be able to
do it?
Map 4: Services
1. This map indicates the services and inputs available at the landing site. This
could include fuel, credits and loans, fishing inputs, mechanics and boat
builders services, cold stores, or even drivers of trucks that transport fish to
markets. Depending on your focus, you may also include extension services
and information, freshwater provision, toilets, restaurants and so on; include
whatever is most useful to your landing site.
2. You will need a wide variety of landing site users for this exercise. If the
group becomes very large, divide it into smaller groups according to economic
activity. The groups can report back to each other at the end of the mapping
exercise.
3. Ask them to make a list of all the services they use at the landing site. Ask them
what exactly that service encompasses. Then ask them to map those activities
and the resources used. Also ask them for other relevant information, such as
costs, periods of shortage, or services that they feel are missing.
4. Indicate any seasonal differences in needs for services.
5. Initiate a discussion on what functions well. Where do problems or gaps
occur? What causes them and how can they be solved? If no solution currently
exists, lead a discussion on what could be done to fill the gaps, who might be
able to do that, and what encouragement they could provide.
You and the working group now have an overview of the stakeholders, the layout
of the landing site and its activities. You probably have a good idea of the main
problems too. In Unit 3, you will go from this general picture into the specific
parts of the landing site. You will obtain more precise information on the strengths
and challenges facing the landing site.
35
37
UNIT 3
Preparing fisheries production chains
Introduction
39
Fishing chain: charting the activities that make fishing possible 39

Fish marketing chain: charting the steps from fish handling
to sale
44
People chain: charting facilities that serve human needs
46
49
Collecting data Unit 3: Preparing fisheries production chains
INTRODUCTION
Now that you have taken an inventory of stakeholders (both user groups and
organizations) and have a spatial overview of the landing site area, you are no
doubt developing an idea of the main problems. In this unit, you will follow
activities from start to finish; understanding how different factors affect the
smooth functioning of the landing site. These factors include chains of activities
involving infrastructure, equipment, services, inputs, outputs, stakeholders and
their interests, which together make up the backbone of a landing site and without
which fishing and its related activities could not continue.
Exercises
These exercises will help you to create three types of diagnostic tools, collectively
referred to as fisheries production chains. This is a way of charting the sequence
of activities required to catch and market fish, from preparing to fish to fishing
itself, to conserving and marketing. In a matrix form, you draw up various
aspects of these activities and of the problems encountered. They will add details
to your research and help you to refine your understanding of the landing site
and interaction among stakeholders, human activities, the physical environment,
available services and resulting outputs.
You will learn to prepare three types of fisheries production chains:
the fishing chain, which follows fishing units from the land to the water and
back to land;
the fish marketing chain, which follows the landed fish through the various
stages from quay-side to the consumer; and
the people chain, which follows people around the landing site while they
conduct non-fishing related activities such as eating, washing, cleaning, and
so on.
FISHING CHAIN: CHARTING THE ACTIVITIES THAT MAKE FISHING

POSSIBLE
The purpose of this exercise is to conduct an investigation that will add detail
to your understanding of the sequence of activities at the landing site. You will
follow fishing units from land to water, and back to land again. Along the way
you will:
make an inventory of everything that is required to enable fishing to take
place (landing site users, other stakeholders, infrastructure, equipment,
inputs, resulting outputs); and
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40
Key terms
Fisheries production chains are produced by systematically following various activities
related to fishing from beginning to end, from the preparation of fishing boats to
the marketing of fish. An inventory is obtained by walking with landing site users
as they go about their activities and along the way observing, asking questions,
listening, discussing, identifying different zones and technologies, identifying
problems, solutions and opportunities. All this is recorded and organized into
a matrix.
A fishing chain focuses on the chain of activities constituting fishing, including the
preparation of fishing boats, repairs and maintenance of equipment, replacement
of equipment, crew recruitment, mobilisation of capital (fuel, bait, ice, food
and drinking-water); embarkation; fish capture; on-board fish conservation;
debarkation; fish landing and selling to fish processors; income distribution and
equipment storage.
A fish marketing chain focuses on the activities that occur from the time that the
fish has been landed and sold to fish processors, right up to its sale to consumers.
It constitutes fish handling, conservation and marketing, buying fish upon
landing, lending money, buying ice and ice boxes; cleaning fish; transporting
fish; conserving fish through smoking, drying, salting or deep freezing; fish
storage; and marketing fresh and conserved fish to consumers in local, regional
or international markets.
The people chain focuses on the support system available with regard to personal care
of people working or visiting the landing site. Facilities may include transport;
shelter; food and drinking-water; sanitation, waste disposal, communication
facilities and security.
identify problems and conflicts, as well as potential solutions and

opportunities.
The results of your investigation will be reported in the form of a matrix (see
Table 3).
You and your team will walk the chain, that is, accompany each activity in
the fishing sequence from preparing to fish to landing the catch to cleaning
the boats. You will observe and interview landing site users and other relevant
stakeholders encountered along the way. You could ask representatives from key
groups to temporarily join the working group for this activity.
Make sure you consider all major stakeholders involved in each of the activities
constituting this chain. They may include owners of fishing equipment; skippers
and crew members; suppliers of fishing gear, fuel, ice and drinking-water; formal
and informal providers of financial services; boat constructors; carpenters involved
in the construction of insulated containers; mechanics; net menders; operators
of slipways, hauling devises and storage facilities. Field staff from the Fisheries
Department, NGOs or other agencies playing a part in these particular activities

should also be included.
Some of the stakeholders relevant to the activity may not be present while the
activity is taking place. Make a note of them and make sure to contact them for a
short interview.
Steps to take
1. List the major types of fishing units operating from the landing site. If possible,
prepare a chain for each. In order to save time, you may want to split up into
groups or even pairs.
2. Physically follow one type of fishing unit as it goes through a full cycle of
activity as it is serviced and supplied in preparation for a new fishing trip
and when it arrives back to port, unloads fish, anchors and gets hauled out for
repairs. Review the definition of fishing chain in the Key terms box earlier
in this unit to and make sure you have addressed all the activities.
3. Based on your observations and interview, list the major activities constituting
the chain. Note that this chain is unique to a particular fishing unit and a
particular season.
4. Once you have checked to make sure no major activities are missing, use your
findings to prepare a matrix for the fishing chain. You may use the example of
Table 3. Using your list as a guide, fill in the activities in the top row.
5. Now note the categories of information required for each step of the process
and fill them in along the left column. These could include:
stakeholders involved;
infrastructure and major equipment used;
inputs required;
resulting outputs;
problems noted; and
potential solutions and opportunities.
6. You may be able to fill in most of the matrix just using your notes and your
memory. Still, it is likely to be incomplete, or you may need clarifications.
7. Take the incomplete matrix and physically walk the chain again, interviewing
stakeholders along the way. Fill in the gaps while you are doing this, and ask
for clarifications.
8. In the course of completing the matrix you may have identified problems
affecting the whole chain and not just one or two activities. Although it may
not be clear where to place them in your matrix, you should not forget about
them! Instead, list them on a separate sheet of paper.
Note
This exercise can be useful in gaining more information about particular issues
important to the fishers livelihoods. It could be an issue that arose during the
exercises in previous units, or one in which your organization has a particular
expertise. Examples include environmental or resource management, safety at sea,
or the relationships between fishing and other income-earning activities.
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Problems
Outputs
Inputs
Infrastructure, services and

natural resources
Actors
Activities
Example of a fishing chain
TABLE 3
Lack of attractive financial

services
High working capital

requirements
Secure supply of fish to

pre-financiers upon return
Fishing unit ready to go

out
Skills/experience
Money, Time/labour
Drinking water
Equipment, Food
Fuel, Ice, Bait, Crew
Financial services
Gear repair/maintenance
Ice supply
Fuel supply
Other service suppliers
Pre-financiers of fishing
trips (fish traders)
Crew members
Fishing unit owner(s)
Preparation of fishing units
Abrasion of canoes against

concrete wharf
Temporary mooring
Easy loading
Time/labour
Concrete wharf
Crew
Canoe owners
Landing site authorities
Loading
Rock is not high enough in

case of strong winds
Canoes safe in anchorage
Safe embarkation
Wave force broken
Skills/experience
Natural rock ridge
Crew
Embarkation
Accidents in bad weather
Use of dynamite or DDT
Accidents with trawlers
Old equipment
Declining fish stocks
Whole fish for sale
Skills/experience
Time/labour
Fishing equipment and

materials
Fisheries resources
Trawlers
Crew
Fishing
Cost of container and ice
Good quality fish for sale
Ice
Insulated containers
Carpenters
Ice supply
Fish traders
Crew
Fish conservation on board
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Crew
Debarkation
Problems
Outputs
Inputs
Rock is not high enough in

case of strong winds
Canoes safe in anchorage
Safe debarkation
Wave force broken
Experience
Infrastructure, services and

Natural rock ridge
natural resources
Actors
continued
Abrasion of canoes against

concrete wharf
Temporary mooring
Easy unloading
Maintenance of mooring
line attachments
Cleaning of work platform
Concrete wharf
Crew
Canoe owners
Unloading
Fishers lack market

information
Damaged or bad fish
Fish supply to traders
Income out of fishing
Market information
Working capital to buy fish
Basins
Baskets
Roads/transport for traders

to get there
Sheds
Fish traders from outside
Local fish traders
Pre-financiers of fishing
trips
Crew members
Owners of fishing
equipment
Sale of fresh fish
Lack of financial services
Cash requirements
Spare parts are difficult

to find
Discharged engine oil
Technically and
economically sound fishing
equipment and material
Skills/experience
Time/labour
Tools
Spare parts
Money
Slipways and hauling

devises
Sheds
Engine repair services
Canoe repairs services
Operators of slipways and

hauling devises
Net menders
Carpenters
Mechanics
Owners of canoes, engines

and nets
Repair and maintenance
Not enough storage rooms

for all
Equipment protected
against theft and bad
weather conditions
Guard
Money to pay rent
Security
Storage sheds
Landing site authority
Owners of canoes, engines

and nets
Storage of equipment

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Problems
Outputs
Inputs
Infra-structure
& services
Actors
Activities
Fisheries industries
Customers
Water
Ice
Plastic bags
Time/labour
Water, Tables
Knives, Buckets
Fish boxes,
Gloves and aprons
Fresh water not

available during
dry season
Fish offal
Cleaned fish
Flies
Muddy floors in
sales area
Fresh fish sales

interspersed with
unloading of
canoes
Damaged or bad
fish
Income out of
fresh fish
Leaned fresh fish
Whole fresh fish
Time/labour
Transport for
customers
Water supply
Insulated boxes
High requirements in
terms of investment
and working capital
Fresh fish transported

for sale at inland and
regional markets
Fresh fish transported

for sale to fisheries
industries (export)
Market information
Time/labour
Fuel
Insulated van
Loading/unloading
area
Parking area
Road
Fresh fish traders
Fresh fish traders
Sales area
Transport and
marketing of fresh fish
Retailing fresh fish

locally
Tables
Cement floor
Water supply
Sheltered shed
Fish traders
Cleaning fish
Example of a fish marketing chain
TABLE 4
Flies
Smoke in eyes
Firewood supply
Ashes
Broken fish
Smoked fish
Smoke
Knowledge /
experience
Time/labour
Salt
Firewood
Cleaned fresh fish
Fresh fish supply
Firewood supply
Smoking ovens
Sheltered smoking
area
Customers
Fish smokers
Suppliers of fresh
fish
Smoking fish
Stalls block
easy access to
quay
Muddy floors
in sales area
Flies
Broken fish
Income out of
fish smoking
Time/labour
Plastic bags
Smoked fish
Transport for
customers to
get there
Tables/booths
Sales area
Customers
Fish smokers
Selling smoked
fish locally
Breakage of fish
Use of insecticides
Insect infestation
Broken fish
Better smoked fish

price
Fish ready for

transportation
Knowledge /
experience
Time/labour
Paper for layering
Storage baskets
Security
Storage sheds
Landing site
authority
Fish smokers
Packaging / storage of
smoked fish
High requirements in
terms of investment
and working capital
Fish transported for

sale at inland or
regional markets
Market information
Time/labour
Fuel
Truck/vehicle
Loading and
unloading area
Parking area
Road
traders
Transporters/
Transport and
marketing of smoked
fish
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Also be aware of minor fishing activities and consider doing a fishing chain
for them, too. In many West African countries, women, children and the elderly
engage in seasonal, small-scale fishing, for subsistence or income-generation (e.g.
fishing for shrimp in shallow waters). These groups can be especially vulnerable
to a variety of problems, yet receive little support in solving them. Often these
activities play a very important role in their economic well-being and that of
their families.
Be sensitive to gender issues. Do not assume that it is always the men who do
the fishing and own or run equipment and infrastructure. In many West African
countries, women have an important role in financing fishing activities. They may
be owners and decision-makers, even if they do not fish themselves.
Be aware that fisheries activities differ by season. You may want to do more
than one matrix for each type of fishing unit one for each season.
FISH MARKETING CHAIN: CHARTING THE STEPS FROM FISH HANDLING
TO SALE
This exercise helps you to draw a detailed picture of the support mechanisms
available to the chain involving fish handling, conservation and marketing. You will
follow the fish from the waters edge to the consumer. The aim of this chain is:
to make an inventory of everything that is required to enable fish processing
and marketing to take place (landing site users and other stakeholders,
infrastructure, equipment, inputs, outputs); and
to identify problems and conflicts as well as potential solutions and
opportunities.
As before, the results of your investigation will be reported in the form of a
matrix or process chain (see Table 4).
You and your team will walk the chain, following each of the activities along
the route of fish handling, conservation and marketing. You can either casually
interview stakeholders encountered along the way or make an appointment to
meet at an agreed time. Major stakeholders may include local fish traders; fish
traders from outside; artisanal fish processors; (semi-) industrial fish processors;
suppliers of ice and firewood; and operators of cold stores.
The activities you will cover in this chain includes buying fish upon landing;
cleaning fish; transporting fish; conserving fish through smoking, drying, salting
or deep freezing; fish storage; transportation from the landing site to markets; and
marketing fresh and conserved fish in local, regional or international markets. At
each step you will examine the stakeholders, infrastructure, equipment, inputs,
outputs, problems and opportunities.
Steps to take
1. List the major categories of fish landed at the landing site. Do the same for the
types of markets: subsistence, local, national or international. You will need to
prepare a series of chains, one for each category of fish or type of marketing.
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46
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
As before, divide the working group into small groups or pairs, each following
a category of fish.
Follow the physical path of one major category of fish through all the stages of
handling, conservation, transport and marketing. Based on your observations
and interviews, list the major activities constituting this chain. Use the
descriptions in this unit, including the key terms box to make sure you have
not forgotten any activities.
Once you are sure no major activities are missing, use your findings to prepare
a fish marketing chain, putting each activity in a separate section along the top
row. See Table 4 as an example.
In the left-hand column, note the categories of information required for each
step along the process matrix:
infrastructure and major equipment involved;
inputs required;
resulting outputs;
problems noted; and
From your notes and your memory, fill in as much as you can of the matrix.
Then, take the incomplete matrix, and physically walk the chain again,
interviewing stakeholders along the way or meeting up with them separately
for an interview. Fill in the gaps and get clarifications where needed.
As in the fishing chain matrix, note any overriding problems that do not fit
into a certain category, so you do not forget them.
Note
Issues that may require your attention in this chain include the environment,
health and hygiene hazards (for both fishmongers and consumers), and genderrelated issues such as childcare, literacy and innumeracy. Fish marketing is also
a seasonal activity. For some it may be a casual activity that they undertake only
when they have enough money to do so. Identify which of these groups your
organization will want to target. Note how the other chains impact on it.
PEOPLE CHAIN: CHARTING FACILITIES THAT SERVE HUMAN NEEDS
This chain adds detail to your understanding of the facilities and services available
to people working at or visiting the landing site in terms of general human needs.
The chain can include transport to and from the landing site; availability of food
and drinking-water; sanitation and toilet facilities; shelter from sun or rain; waste
disposal; safety and security; information and communication facilities, and
general landing site management. Your inventory will consider landing site users,
infrastructure and major equipment used, inputs required, resulting outputs,
problems and conflicts, and opportunities and potential solutions.

You and the working group will make the chain walks. You can interview landing
site users and other stakeholders encountered along the way. Service providers
you may encounter include petty traders and sellers of prepared food; telephone
operators; drivers of taxis, mini-buses, bicycles or other modes of transportation;
suppliers of fresh drinking-water; suppliers of toilet and bathing facilities; shelters
or meeting places; security guards; individuals collecting and processing waste;
port authorities or other management bodies; extension workers; providers of
first aid and other safety and health standards; and possibly any nearby schools
and clinics. If possible, include some of the key stakeholders in your groups when
carrying out this exercise.
Steps to take
1. Identify major categories of people using the landing site, for example owners
of fishing equipment; crewmembers; fish processors; fish traders; and service
providers such as carpenters, mechanics and shopkeepers. Divide your team
into small groups to follow one category each.
2. Follow the physical path of one category at a time, for instance, a crewmember
arriving from a fishing trip. Discover the infrastructure he uses for his own
support: piers, pathways, freshwater to drink and to wash, sanitary facilities,
food and transport, as well as where he buys twine to mend his nets, where he
mends his nets or relaxes, where he deposits his savings or where he makes a
phone call.
3. Follow the path of other landing site users who come to the landing site from
a landward direction, such as fish processors, fish traders, moneylenders,
customers, children and officials. Discover what infrastructure they use.
Be gender- and age-sensitive in selecting the categories of people you will
follow.
4. Based on your observations and interviews, list the major elements of peoples
support systems. Use your findings to prepare support chains for at least three
people, noting the principal activities along the top row. See Table 5 for an
example.
5. In the left-hand column, note the categories of information required for each
step along the process matrix:
infrastructure and major equipment involved;
inputs required;
resulting outputs;
problems noted; and
6. Fill in the matrix as much as possible. Take the incomplete matrix and physically
walk the chain again, filling in gaps or making clarifications along the way by
observing and talking to people. Complete the matrix, noting separately any
important issues that do not fit into any one particular category.
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Landing site
management and
administration
Misunderstanding
between government
officers and
local landing site
management
committee
Carrying waste
to containers
Pickup / disposal
of container
contents
Disposal of
waste materials
Limited trash
container
capacity
Dumping of
trash besides full
containers
No place for
discharged oil
Sandy beach
Time/labour
Fishing
equipment
carried by hand
to storage
lockers
Fish carried by
hand to sales
areas
Impossible to
use wheeled
carts for heavy
loads
Actors
Infrastructure
and services
Inputs
Outputs
Problems
City trash
containers
Time/labour
Police
Customs
Fisheries Department
Landing site
management
committee
All landing site users
Offices for police,
customs, fisheries
department and
security brigade
Office for landing site
manager
Landing site
authorities
Fishermen
Fish traders
Fish smokers
Customers
Service suppliers
Landing site
authorities
Fishermen
Fish traders
Suppliers of
other services
Waste disposal
Path from the

sea to storage
sheds and sales
areas
Activities
Example of a people chain
TABLE 5
None
Two latrines
for the whole
landing site
Landing site
authorities
All landing
site users
Sanitary
facilities
No
freshwater
available for
landing site
users
Lack of
latrines
Parts of the
landing site
have turned
into public
toilets
Landing site
users do
not refresh
Dirty latrines
themselves
that no one
during the
likes to use
day
Drinking
water for sale
None
None
Landing site
authorities
All landing
site users
Washing and
drinking water
facilities (f/m)
Communication
facilities
Difficulty
to find
teachers
Children
are safe
Parents can
focus on
work
Teacher
Daily fee
Sheltered
shed
Nursery
school
teacher
Limited
first aid
in case of
accidents
No health
post
Police
not well
trained in
first aid
Lacking of
first aid
materials
Radio contact with

nearby landing sites
and most boats is
impossible
Absence of
commercial
telephone facility
for personal /
business use
Irregular electricity
supply
First aid
materials
Skilled
people
First aid
kit at
police
office
Landing
site
authority
Police
All
landing
site users
Health/
first
aid
Emergency/ official
phone connections
VHF connection
with nearby boats
Communication
equipment
Electricity
Operators
VHF Marine
radio (at fishing
cooperative office)
Telephone (at
police post)
Landing site
Fish
authority
traders and
All landing site
processors
users
Child
care/
Nursery
Drainage is a
problem
In rainy season
landing site is
difficult to access
because of muddy
road
In rainy season
footpath is too
muddy for carts
People and goods

move between
landing site and
town
Money for public

transport
Time / labour
Foot path to the

landing site
Dirt road
between landing
site and town
Landing site
authorities
All landing site
users
Transport from
the landing site
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Note
People support chains may not directly involve fishing activities but still be
extremely important in terms of peoples livelihoods, their income, their safety
and their health. Remember that the chains may differ markedly by season. For
instance, downpours during the rainy season impede transportation and make
accessibility to a landing site or to markets extremely difficult.
Now that you have gathered so much information from these fishing chains, it
is time to summarize the main points: the areas with the greatest problems, the
strengths, the gaps, etc. Note this information on the maps you made earlier by
putting a red circle around an area where there are problems. Also note which
stakeholders seem to be key in either creating the problems or offering possible
solutions.
Present the results of your findings to the landing site users or their
representatives in a feedback meeting. This is a chance to keep them updated on
the outcomes of the exercises. If you involved key stakeholders or representatives
in the exercise, ask them to present the results. Exhibit the matrices and explain
what the information means and how you obtained it. Summarize your findings by
pointing out the main issues, where things seem to be going well and where there
appear to be bottlenecks. Ask for feedback, such as whether important activities
are missing, mistakes were made or different opinions exist on a certain topic.
Adjust your matrix accordingly. Explain the next steps to the landing site users
and when they will occur. Thank them for their continued input and support.
The next unit examines the effects of time on the landing site and its activities.
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UNIT 4
Understanding the effects of changes over time
Introduction
53
Creating a historical time line
53
Producing a seasonal calendar
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59
Collecting data Unit 4: Understanding the effects of changes over time
INTRODUCTION
In the previous units, you collected a wealth of information that provided you
with a sort of snapshot still pictures of the landing site at a certain point in
time or along a fisheries production chain. This unit introduces the element of
time, so that you get a moving video of the changes and dynamics that affect the
landing site and its users. It is the last unit related to collecting information.
The two exercises in this unit will help you discover: What were the main
events that have influenced the landing site and its users? What are the results
of these changes on the landing site activities in general and on the livelihoods
of different stakeholder groups? Did these events affect some more than others?
What elements have helped stakeholders deal with the change or variation? What
made it difficult for them to adapt? What are the implications for the future, both
immediate and longer term?
Exercises
You will examine changes and variations that affect the landing site by creating:
a historical time line; and
seasonal calendars.
Key terms
A historical time line refers to a list of key events in the history of a landing site that
helps identify past, current and future trends, events, problems and achievements
over time.
A seasonal calendar refers to a matrix attempting to establish regular cycles or
patterns of activities at a landing site over a 12-month period.
CREATING A HISTORICAL TIME LINE

A historical time line helps you to understand which events and trends landing
site users consider important in the history of their landing site, as well as
those that may affect them now and into the future. It should go back as many
generations as possible, depending on what landing site users can recall and how
much relevance they have on issues under consideration by you and the working
group. You also need to understand how they reacted to these events because their
heritage of experience and knowledge influences present attitudes and behaviour.
This exercise can uncover opportunities or barriers to proposed activities in the
planning process.
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54

Collect information about the past from elders, long-time residents, and leaders
of church groups, self-help groups, political units or local administration. Include
both women and men and people from different age groups. (This exercise
suggests starting with elder people and then repeating it with other age groups.) If
any of the above groups are large in number, break them up into smaller groups
and compare responses later on.
Steps to take
1. Before starting, have on hand large sheets of paper and pens, or a black board
to write down what is being discussed. Ask one of the group members to do
this. Another option is to write each event on a separate card. The advantage
of using cards is that they can be moved and reordered as group members
remember other events and new cards are added. The cards are particularly
useful for organizing crowded parts of a time line.
2. Organize one or more groups of three to five participants, preferably elder
people who have operated at the landing site for many years and are interested
in sharing their knowledge and experience with you. Groups are preferred to
individual interviews with key informants because they encourage dialogue,
which may spur people to remember past events.
3. Explain why you are interested in knowing about important events or
developments in the past. Rather than defining what is important to them, ask
elders to identify events that shaped and influenced individual and community
activities at the landing site. Consider opening the discussion with questions
such as:
When did the first settlers come to this area?
What kind of people were the founding residents?
What is the first important event in your community that you can
remember?
Has there been significant migration into or out of your community?
What projects or (local) organizations have impacted the landing site, and
how? Who initiated them?
Has the role of government changed over time in terms of in landing site
development?
Have there been serious flooding, epidemics, famines, or other disasters?
What are some of the best things your community has done? Who were the
important leaders?
What have been the happiest times? What were more difficult periods?
Why were they so good or bad?
4. If you have difficulty establishing dates for particular events, try to relate
them to known events such as the First World War, Second World War,
independence, national elections, etc.
5. Once the events are agreed upon, discuss the following:
What were the effects of the events on different user groups and the
community or landing site as a whole?
What did people do to cope with the event or adjust to the change?
Can the impact of the event or change still be seen at the landing site
today;
Have particular events or problems increased or decreased? Why? What
does this lead to? How is it likely to continue?
6. Write the results on a large piece of paper. Discuss with the group what these
things could mean for the implementation of projects resulting from the
landing site development planning process.
Tables 6 and 7 show time lines developed by landing site users in Mateba,
Cameroon and Boulbinet fishing port, Guinea.
Note
Repeat the same exercise with groups of middle-aged and young people. Change
the tense of the questions from the past to the present and future. Summarize the
results. Ask the groups to present their results to each other in a feedback meeting
using the large sheets of paper, and generate a discussion.
TABLE 6
A historical time line, Mateba village, Cameroon

Date
1900
Events at Mateba, Cameroon
Arrival of first settler, Mr Ekweyong, from Nigeria.

Establishment of banana plantation by the Germans.
1914
Arrival of second settler, Mr Essien, a retired British soldier, from Nigeria.
1961
Catholic mission takes over school built by the Germans. National Independence.
1965
First big fire destroys the wooden houses of Mateba.
1972
First Apostolic Church built.
1974
Government takes over primary school from the Catholic mission.
197475
A road and public transport is introduced.
1975
End of barter trade.
1976
Building of the present market and introduction of modern trade.
1977
Road comes into Mateba.
197879
First engine boat, first motor saw for firewood.
1981
Rubber plantation established (to replace banana plantation).
1982
Full Gospel Church established.
1986
Second big fire destroying most of the houses: as a result corrugated iron sheets are
introduced as roofs.
1988
Establishment of fishery post.
1989
Big (legal) raid by Cameroonian authorities to control taxes and immigration.

Mass exodus because of new regularization of foreigners.
1993
Big (legal) raid by Cameroonian authorities to control gasoline and outboard engines.
Last incident: a resident dies after clashes with patrolling gendarmes.
Establishment of temporary army post to put an end to the illegal raids.
1994
Mass exodus because of the Nigerian/Cameroonian border problem.
Source: Demunck & DETMAC Associates, 1994
55
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TABLE 7
The story told by time, Boulbinet port in Conakry, Guinea

Date
Events at Boulbinet port, Conakry
< 1840
Boulbinet was called Kaloum or Paris kond bunyi.
1840
Arrival of first occupant, Bakary Bolobinet, a Baga (ethnic group).
191418
Islanders of Kassa, Fotoba, and room are the first to use the landing site for different
commercial purposes, using small, non-motorized boats.
1930
Arrival of the Senegalese (Wolofs) with their big artisanal canoes (boti).
193537
Firewood unloaded by people from Kaback island.
1936
Construction of a large storage building for fish, which was sold at 810 FCFA per kg.
1937
The first Port Chiefs named, according to the type of fishery.
193945
Commandant Bardeay (Mayor of Conakry) supplied fishermen with fishing supplies,

reimbursable in kind.
1941
Arrival of Madame Ponty, French army officer at Boulbinet, with her small boat
specialized in shark fishing. At the end of the year she improved port infrastructure
partly by building the old wharf.
1945
The administrators and the population supplied with fish thank the Mayor for his
organizational efforts.
(national independence)
< 1977
Beautiful Peronne Beach was right next to the fishing port.
1977
Peronne Beach destroyed in order to build the palace for the Organization of
African Unity meeting.
1982
Demolition of the big fish storage and sales depot in order to build a fuel station and a
small traffic circle and transport parking area.
1982
Existence of a Canadian fisheries project (which dealt with outboard motor repair, for
example).
1989
Partial occupation of the landing site by women fish merchants, fish smokers, and
construction of shelters for their smoking ovens.
Source: Seny Camara et al., 1992
PRODUCING A SEASONAL CALENDAR

Another time-related tool is the seasonal calendar. It identifies patterns and cycles
of activity that occur at the landing site on a regular basis and helps determine
whether a normal year has common periods of excessive problems or opportunities.
This is a detailed and comprehensive task, but not necessarily complicated. A
seasonal calendar compares landing site activities, month-by-month, taking into
account major occupational groups and differences based on age and gender. It
helps present large quantities of diverse information in a common time frame.
Landing site users groups should collect this information. Make sure to include
data about all major categories of landing site users, including men and women,
old and young, insiders and outsiders. You can make different types of calendars
according to type of seasonality you want to discuss (see examples below).
Steps to take
1. Organize one or more small groups (four to eight members) with one or two
of the working group members guiding each group discussion. The number
2.
3.
4.
5.
5.
7.
8.
and composition of groups depends on the topics that you want to discuss.
For example, the impact of the phases of the moon on fish capture can best
be discussed with fishermen, while seasonality in fish processing and trade is
probably best explained by fish processors and traders.
Explain the purpose of the exercise. Introduce topics you think are relevant
but also encourage landing site users to add their own.
Display a single-page chart with a common time scale on the horizontal axis
so that people can scan up and down to see the conditions for a specific month
or time period. Set up a sequence of months across the bottom of the page (see
examples below). While most will start with January, there may be reasons to
start with the start of the fishing season or some other event.
Stimulate discussion by asking some of the following questions:
Weather: When is the dry season? What is the driest month? When is the
wet season? What is the wettest month?
Fishing: What is the fishing season for different types of gear and/or fish?
When do migrant fishers arrive? When do they leave? Why?
Other income-generating activities: How else can you earn money? How
else do you provide for your family? When are the slowest and busiest
times for landing site users? Why?
Religious, social and other important activities: When do important
festivals occur? How do they impact on fishing and other activities?
Sickness and health: When are diseases common? When do children tend
to fall sick? What causes the sickness?
Income, expenditure and debt: When do you earn the most/least? When do
you spend the most/least? How do you deal with periods of low income?
Who or what can you rely on for support in these periods?
Write the answers to these questions on the chart so that everyone can see. In
order not to clutter the chart you may want to collect information on each
topic on a separate calendar and integrate them later. Let people add details or
bring up new aspects as the discussion evolves.
Make a summary of the results. Identify:
the seasons, with problems and opportunities for each;
the availability of time and labour according to different user groups;
variations in cash flow per user group;
times of vulnerability in terms of diseases and food shortage; and
the potential capacity for new activities.
Based on the above, look at the implications for possible future project
activities:
when would stakeholders have time and enough income to work on
possible project activities?
When is the most convenient time for certain activities (e.g. attending a
training course when little fishing is going on, or during the fishing season
so experiments can be done)?
Have the groups present the results of these discussions to each other.
See Tables 8 and 9 for some examples of seasonal calendars.
57
58
TABLE 8
Seasonal calendar of womens group, Cai, Guinea-Bissau

Womens activities (Cai)
Dry season
Smoking fish
Rainy season
Transplanting rice
Monda
Vigiar (bicia)
Collection of keibur / suta
Transportation of products
Cutting wood (chebue)
Kapoti mpampam
Harvesting of cashew nuts
Umpimi fishing
Collecting molluscs
Sale of fish
Commercializing other products
Earnings
Dry season
Rainy season
Dry season
Rainy season
High
Middle
Low
Spending
High
Middle
Low
Source: SFLP, May 2001
TABLE 9
Seasonal calendars for crayfish production and malaria/cholera occurrence

Catches
CRAY FISH CATCH
High
Low
Month
season
Big dry
Small dry
Big rainy
Small rainy
Disease occurance
(malaria and cholera)
Occurrence
High
Low
Month
season
Big dry
A
Small dry
Source: Demunch & DETMAC Associates, 1994
J
Big rainy
O
Small rainy

Bring together the outcomes of the historical timelines and seasonal calendars in
a summary. Highlight the main points. Present the results to the user groups in a
feedback meeting.
This is the last unit to deal with collecting information. In the next two units,
you will synthesize and analyse the information you have collected.
59
61
CONDUCTING A SITUATION ANALYSIS

UNIT 5
Bringing together all the elements
Introduction
63
63
Assessing external threats and opportunities
68
Conducting a causeeffect analysis
71
74
77
Conducting a situation analysis Unit 5: Bringing together all the elements
INTRODUCTION
You are now ready to move on to the next stage of development planning:
synthesising and analysing the information you have collected. You will create
an overview of the problems and opportunities at the landing site and focus your
area of work.
This unit is based on the approach used by Conservation International
(Kristensen & Rader, 2001), combined with the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach
framework (Carney, 1998) and the FAO/Regional Community Forestry Training
Centre training package on community-based forest resource conflict management
(FAO, 2002).
Exercises
You have now collected what is probably an overwhelming amount of information
about the landing site, its user groups, its activities, inputs, outputs, problems and
opportunities. In this exercise, you will synthesize and analyse the current state
of affairs at the landing site using a situation analysis. This technique uses the
following tools:
assessing internal strengths and weaknesses;
assessing external threats and opportunities;
conducting a causeeffect analysis; and
prioritizing problems through pair-wise ranking or ranking by voting.
In applying each tool, you and the working group will need to decide who and
what to focus on and what to leave out.
You will need a fixed place to work. Turn one of the walls into a planning board
to organize your thoughts and to visualise the progress being made. Make sure this
wall is available for the duration of this planning process so that you can leave the
information on the wall and continue to expand it.
ASSESSING INTERNAL STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
You are going to analyse the information you have so that it will serve as a basis
for further planning by the working group. The analysis will give you an overview
of the landing site, its strengths, its weaknesses, and its problems. You will analyse
and summarize the internal aspects of the landing site, namely the stakeholders
and their assets or resources (natural, physical, financial, human and social).
You will be working with the working group. Where information is missing, you
will have to depend upon their input. At the end of the unit, you check the results
at a feedback meeting with landing site users.
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64
Key terms
An alternative is one of a number of possible solutions that could be used to reduce
one, some, or all of the problems in achieving the result you want.
Assets (financial, human, natural, physical, social) are characteristics, possessions, or
rights of access or use that help people to secure their livelihoods and react to
unexpected events and setbacks.
In a causeeffect analysis, you determine the factors that lead to the existence of a
certain problem (its causes), as well as the situations that the problem gives rise
to (its effects).
A constraint is an event, situation or condition that prevents a particular problem
from being solved or a livelihood aim from being achieved. A constraint is beyond
the control of the stakeholders.
An opportunity is a current or future event, situation or condition that will help
reduce or eliminate a particular problem. An opportunity is external to the
control of the stakeholders.
Pair-wise ranking is a method of prioritizing options by comparing pairs of
alternatives, adding up the number of times each is selected, and arranging them
sequential order.
For the purpose of the last units of the manual, problems are defined very specifically
as things that prevent you from attaining the results that you wish to achieve. This
means that difficulties not related to the results you wish to achieve will not be
considered from this point on.
A problem tree is a systematic analysis of the interrelations between problems,
represented in a drawing or schema. As each problem gives rise to other problems,
the drawing branches out, so that the result looks like a tree.
Ranking by voting or buying is a way to prioritize alternatives by voting. In the
case of buying, every participant receives three to five stones (or other tokens) to
buy the alternatives they prefer.
A situation analysis is an analysis of stakeholders, problems, strengths and weaknesses,
threats and opportunities, in order to get a comprehensive understanding of the
current state of affairs at the selected landing site.
Social characteristics describe stakeholders according to criteria such as gender, age,
ethnic background, religion, roles played in the community, employment or level
of income.
Strengths are the characteristics and assets that people possess or have access to in
order to overcome difficulties or to help them achieve their livelihood aims.
Threats are possible future events, situations or conditions beyond the control of
stakeholders, which could undermine or destroy the achievements, aims and
livelihood outcomes that stakeholders are working to achieve.
Weaknesses refer to certain characteristics in people, such as having few or no assets,
which make it more complicated or impossible to achieve their livelihood aims.
Steps to take
1. This is the time to organize all the information you have collected so far and
make sure it is complete. Start by making sure it is separated correctly into
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
the different exercises (census, institutional diagrams, maps, chains, history,

and calendars). Include notes taken. Check to make sure diagrams, maps and
matrices are clear and complete, and decide whether they need to be combined
or reorganized.
If you do not have all the information necessary to complete the matrix below,
do not worry; concentrate on using the information you have. You will be
presenting the results to the landing site users, and they will be able to fill you
in on anything that is missing.
Summarize the main stakeholders at the landing site on one sheet of paper.
Take a look at the information from the landing site census including the
matrix of the numbers of landing site users, the amount of fishing equipment
and materials and the number of processing units. Go through the fisheries
production chains to see if any stakeholder groups are identified but do not
appear in the census.
Wherever possible, add a description of social characteristics of the
stakeholders. Social characteristics include roles, employment, gender, age,
ethnic background, religion or income level. Describe the characteristics that
make people in one group similar to another and those that distinguish one
group from another.
You may find that you end up with subgroups of stakeholders. For example,
among the fish processors, certain women using a particular processing
method will be from a certain ethnic group. Or you may have fish processors
and traders as a stakeholder group, but you may need to distinguish between
more or less prosperous groups.
Take note of the details, making sure not to step out of the bounds of
cultural acceptability. Be as specific as possible; the more clearly you define
the stakeholder groups, the easier it will be to formulate their needs and the
project objectives later on.
Based on the information you now see before you, decide on four priority
stakeholder groups to focus on in the next units. These are the groups for
which you will develop projects. You and/or the working group may be able
to address additional groups in a second round of strategy development later
on.
Prepare a large table with five columns and ten rows. Leave one column blank
at the moment; you will be filling this in with certain aspects of your choosing.
At the top of the other four, write the name of the stakeholder groups you
have chosen to work with. Label the rows as in Table 10.
In the first row, describe the social characteristics of the group; in the next row
include the number of people. In the following row, write the activities that
each of the four stakeholder groups undertake for their livelihoods, that is: to
earn a living, maintain their family and social relations, and any communityrelated activities. Refer to the seasonal calendars and fisheries productions
chains as your main sources of information.
Now turn to the resource maps, the seasonal calendars and the fishing chain.
From these exercises, summarize the natural resources (or assets) that the four
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66
TABLE 10
Example for plotting strengths and weaknesses

Stakeholder
A Fish mongers
(retail)
B Divers
Characteristics
Women of all ages
Young men
between 18 and 35
Men between 18
and 45
Men over 45 or 50
years
Number of
people involved
40
12
26
17
Activities
Sale of low-value
fish on the streets
and in the rural
areas (on foot)
Diving for lobster

and high value
species
Handline fishing
Handline fishing
from shore
Sale of other
goods when fish
not available
C - Fishers
D Retired fishers
Playing dominos
with friends
Drinking with
friends
Mending nets
Sometimes
subsistence
farming
Natural assets
None directly
Lobster and fish

species
Fish species
Some fish
Physical assets
Plastic containers,
knives
Snorkel and fins
Boats (rented)
One-room huts
Sometimes diving
equipment
Lines and hooks
High income from

fishing
House
Irregular income
from sale of fish
Low literacy and

numeracy
Primary school
education
Primary school
education
Experience as
fishers
Often single
mothers
Physically healthy
Physically healthy
Some regular
clients
Hotels as major
clients
Fisher cooperatives
Old fishing friends
Personal
relationship with
fisher / supplier
of fish
Friendships with
other divers
Wives and female

relatives sell the
fish caught
Sometimes family
and support
Clients for
mending nets
Flexible income
generating
activities
Limited costs
of diving, high
income from
collection and sale
of lobster and
other high value
species
Organization in
cooperatives
Detailed
knowledge of the
fishing grounds,
the community
and its history
Risk of disability
and death
due to nondecompression
when resurfacing
from a dive
Accidents at sea
and on the shore
One-room huts
Financial assets
Some jewellery
Income on daily
basis
Human assets
Social assets
Strengths
Weaknesses /
Problems
Low income
Arrests as sale of
goods on street is
prohibited
Children uncared
for when the
mother is working
Often victims of
violence by male
companions
Overfishing
of lobster and
other high value
species in the
zones around the
community
Drunkenness
Literate
Long fishing
experience
No alternative
income earning
Drunkenness
Isolation
Poor physical
health
8.
9.
10.
11.
groups use throughout the year. This can include anything from fields, forests
and trees, to river water, fish, and wild animals. Write these in the next row.
Wherever possible, indicate:
which of the groups use the natural resources; and
which groups own them, can give someone permission to use them, or
receive compensation for their use.
Next, look at the physical assets that the groups use at the landing site:
infrastructure;
equipment; and
tools.
Write this in the next row. You will find most of the information you need
from the fisheries production chains, where you asked for inputs. Wherever
possible, add who are the user groups, who owns the assets and who manages
them. If you have any information on non-fisheries related activities from the
seasonal calendar, include this also.
The following row will show the financial assets of the stakeholders
including:
sources of income;
sources of credit;
forms of savings; and
expenditures.
You can find or deduce most of this information from the fisheries production
chains and the seasonal calendars. Include all forms of savings and credit,
whether from an agricultural development bank, or from a local savings and
credit group. Remember that in some places, jewellery or livestock may serve
as a kind of savings account. For income and expenditures, include both
fisheries and non-fisheries activities, as one may influence the other.
The seventh row concerns human assets, consisting of stakeholders training,
skills and knowledge. Although you have not specifically asked about this,
you can infer much of this information from:
the activities people carry out; and
the specific tasks they do within a certain activity.
Look for evidence for each in the fisheries production transects, the seasonal
calendars, and perhaps the population census. Put the results into the table.
The last group of assets you need to summarize in the table are social assets.
Social assets are relationships, social groups, professional groups and support
mechanisms that the stakeholder groups are a part of, contribute to, and
depend on in times of need. Involvement in these groups may influence
decision-making regarding access to resources or distribution of benefits
between stakeholders. They may include anything from a village fisheries
council to a youth group, a cooperative, a village festival committee or a
funeral group. Use the institutional diagrams you made as your main source
of information. Write the name and type of group, its main activities, and its
costs and benefits to members.
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68
12. The last two rows should show the strengths and weaknesses that each
stakeholder group encounters in securing or improving their livelihoods
and/or the landing site. Strengths are assets stakeholders can use to secure and
improve their livelihoods (as you described in step 2). Weaknesses are assets
that may be lacking or problems, events or situations that prevent people from
improving their livelihoods. Look for information in the assets table you just
made. If necessary, also refer to the seasonal calendar and fisheries production
chains.
13. As a last step for this exercise, you use the table you have just made to choose
three problems to focus on. It is most useful to choose a common problem
or a group of similar problems that several of the stakeholders face. Eliminate
doubles. If two ideas are very similar it may be possible to rewrite them into
a single idea. (Alternatively, if the group agrees, you may wish to focus on a
single stakeholder group, possibly turning to others later on. The risk is that
other stakeholder groups will loose interest in the process.) In the example
from Table 10, you might end up with just two problems: low income earning
for retired fishers and fishmongers and safety problems for divers and fishers.
Before making the choice, clarify which types of problems your agency can
deal with, and which ones will require the collaboration of partners. Select at
least one problem which falls into your organizations mandate.
ASSESSING EXTERNAL THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES
This exercise is similar to the previous one, except that it focuses on the external
environment that influences events and stakeholders at the landing site, yet is
generally beyond the stakeholders control. The purpose is to summarize the
trends, shocks and seasonal variations that impact the four stakeholder groups in
addressing the three problems you have identified in the previous exercise. This
will help you analyse threats and opportunities to landing site development, with
the ultimate aim of improving livelihoods.
You will be working with the working group again. At the end of this exercise,
invite all the landing site users to a feedback meeting (step 8) in order to keep them
up-to-date and to receive their insights and approval.
Steps to take
1. You will be using the results from the institutional diagrams, the historical
timeline, and the seasonal calendar, so make sure you have them on hand.
Using the institutional diagram(s), make a short list of agencies or institutes
that have the greatest impact on the landing site and the four user groups in
relation to the three problems that you chose in the previous step. From this
list, highlight the four organizations (the Fisheries Department and other
government agencies, NGOs and private service providers, projects) as well
as the project or activity that has had this impact.
2. Use the historical time line to summarize important sudden events that
affected the three landing site problems over the past ten years or so. These
may include anything from droughts and floods to changes in the value of
money, political unrest and so on. Again, choose the four most important ones
that have affected the four user groups.
3. Now go back to the historical time line and list more gradual changes and
trends over the same time period that have affected the three problems. They
may include:
population and composition of landing site users;
changes in the number and type of fishing units, the catches, processing
techniques, quantity and quality of sales;
variations in natural resources, and/or other resources (assets); and
changes in policy, or other aspects.
Then highlight up to four of the most important gradual changes and trends
that have most influenced the four stakeholder groups you have chosen to
work with.
4. Now it is time to look at seasonal variations that occur every year and that
influence the three problems. Take a look at the seasonal calendars, and any
notes you took, and summarize:
times of the year when income and food are plentiful, and when there is a
shortage;
times of the year when labour and other inputs are plentiful, and when
there is a shortage,
times of the year when people are healthiest and when they are more
susceptible to illness, drought or hunger;
any other relevant aspects.
Highlight the four most influential trends for the four stakeholders.
5. Make a table with four rows and five columns and head the columns as shown
in Table 11. Put the highlighted information into the table. You now have a
summary of the 16 main things that have influenced the three problems of the
four user groups at the landing site.
6. Based on the summary table you just made, you are now going to analyse the
opportunities and threats that these three groups face with respect to the three
problems. Make a table with four rows and five columns. At the top of the
columns insert the following headings:
stakeholder group;
project events;
effects on stakeholder groups;
stakeholders ways of coping; and
final result (see Table 12).
7. Now fill in the empty spaces. In the first column, fill in the three stakeholder
groups. In the second, fill in the 16 things from the table from step 5 (agencies
projects, sudden events, trends or seasonal changes that have affected the user
groups). In the third column, note the effects of trends, events or agencies
activities on each of the three stakeholder groups for the three problems. In
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70
TABLE 11
Overview of projects, events, trends, and seasonal occurrences

Stakeholder
group
Agency project
Sudden event
Trends and gradual

changes
Seasonal occurrences
Fish mongers
(retail)
NGOs literacy
and numeracy
programme for
fishmongers has
improved the
management of
their businesses
and increased their
income
Devaluation of the
FCFA drastically
reduced income
Widespread use of
local and national
radio leads to
greater awareness
of prices of fish and
best markets, as
well as information
on hygiene
Malaria and other

fevers in the wet
season lead to
irregularity of
income
Divers
None to date
Legislation
concerning official
approval of diving
gear improves
quality of gear sold
and less accidents
Increased
availability and
use of diving gear
due to opening of
national economy
to international
markets
Winds and rough

waters make
income earning
more difficult in the
rainy season
Fishers
Japanese project
that provided
fishers with new
boats and fishing
gear, including life
jackets
Storm in 1999 in
which many fishers
drowned led to
the setting up of a
village sea safety
and emergency
committee
Creation of national
and local fishers
cooperatives makes
life jackets more
easily available
Seasonal storms
make fishing
dangerous
TABLE 12
Opportunities and threats and their impact on stakeholders

Stakeholder
group
Project, event, trend,

seasonal
occurrence
Effects on the
stakeholder groups
Stakeholders ways
of coping
Final result
Fish mongers
(retail)
NGOs literacy
and numeracy
programme for
fishmongers
Devaluation of the
FCFA
Widespread use of
local and national
radio
Malaria and other
fevers in the wet
season
Improved the
management of
their businesses
and increased their
income.
Drastically reduced
income
Greater awareness
best markets
Irregularity of
income
Making simple
business budgets,
with income and
spending
Add other products
to their array of
products to sell
Moving into other
markets further
away
Collaboration with
female family
members to take
over in times of
illness
More work than

before with more
products to sell, but
greater flexibility
and less drastic
changes in income
Divers
Legislation
concerning official
approval of diving
gear
Opening of
national economy
to international
markets
Increased prices of
officially approved
diving gear
Increased
availability of diving
gear and use rather
than free diving
Buying of
unapproved and
low quality or
second hand gear
Increased use of
diving gear rather
than free diving
Better gear
available for diving
leads more young
men to dive, but a
lack of awareness
of formal diving
procedures leads to
accidents
Fishers
Etc.
Etc.
Etc.
Etc.
the fourth column, record how the user groups reacted to opportunities and
threats; that is, which resources (human, social, physical, financial and natural)
they used, and how, in order to deal with the opportunities and threats.
Include agencies or groups that could or do help out in difficult periods and
which ones landing site users turn to when wishing to exploit opportunities.
In the last column write the result of the reactions of the user groups and the
support or lack of support from the institutions, in terms of what improved
what worsened and what had no effect at all. The final result should look
something like Table 12.
21. Organize a feedback meeting in which you present the results of the internal
situation from the previous exercise and the external situation from this
exercise. Invite stakeholder representatives, representatives from the agencies,
resource persons or experts as required. Provide an overview of:
the four user groups you chose and why;
their three main problems you chose to work with and why;
the user groups internal strengths and weaknesses for dealing with the
problems; and
the external opportunities and threats that influence the problems, and
how they affect the four groups.
Take time to answer any questions and to discuss the results within the
working group. You may need to clarify or add information but dont delve
too far into details. You will analyse the problems in greater detail in the next
step, which will make it easier to decide on how to tackle them.
CONDUCTING A CAUSEEFFECT ANALYSIS
Problems rarely occur in isolation. This exercise will help find other problems at
the landing site that are linked to the three main problems you have chosen. Once
you understand these links and influences, it will be easier to see where the causes
lie. That will help you in the next unit when you prioritize and choose which
problems to tackle in the landing site development strategy, and how.
Work with the working group and any resource people related to the three
problems you have chosen. For example, if the problem is related to health, you
may wish to include health workers or traditional healers.
Steps to take
1. Make sure you have the information from your feedback session on the four
user groups, their three problems, the internal opportunities and constraints
that affect how they deal with those problems, and the external opportunities
and threats that influence them. Make a list of related problems and arrange
them in groups, as shown in Figure 4.
2. One by one, think through why the three main problems occur. Each
problem may have more than one explanation. For example, people become
ill because fish are cleaned on a dirty beach, the drinking-water at the landing
site is contaminated, they live in unhealthy conditions or they cannot afford
nutritious food. Be inspired by the analysis of internal and external constraints
from the previous two exercises. Write them all down. Then look for the causes
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FIGURE 4
Posting problems on the planning board
for each. (For instance the drinking-water at the landing site is contaminated
because the water pipe from the municipal pipeline is broken and an open
water source is being used to drink from instead.) Develop this exercise as
much as you can. Make a problem tree for each main problem. An example of
a problem tree is given in Figure 5.
3. You cannot tackle all the components listed in the three problem trees, so you
must focus on what can reasonably be achieved. To do so, step back and take
a look at the problem trees. Identify which components can be tackled by
you, by the working group, by your agency, or by other agencies; circle them
with a coloured pen. Be realistic and practical. Systematically go through each
problem tree. Choose up to five components per tree, including at least one
that your agency can deal with, one that is relatively easy to solve, and one that
is a bit harder.
4. For each of the three problems, use the problem tree and the rest of your
analysis to decide:
what are its causes; and
what are its effects.
Use one card to list all the causes and one card to list all the effects. Post the
causes on the left of the problem cards and the effects on the right (Figure 6).
You may want to use cards of two different colours to list the causes and the
FIGURE 5
Example of a problem tree
effects. (If you are having problems distinguishing causes from effects and
problems, have a look at the note below.)
5. Go through the cards again and try to improve the wording. Be very specific
as to what you mean: why it is a problem (i.e. how it prevents stakeholders
from ensuring certain needs or requirements for their livelihoods); when it
occurs; how it occurs; who is affected by it and how; and who can or might be
able to influence it. These details will help you choose the problem to tackle
and give you valuable information on how to tackle it.
Note
When analysing problems you may find it difficult to distinguish between causes
and effects. In fact, something that is a cause of one problem may actually be an
effect of another. You may also find that some of the things previously listed as
problems are actually causes or effects. Indeed problems, causes and effects are
related to one another.
Consider a simple rule of thumb: Problems are always related directly to the
target groups, their livelihoods and the main categories of problems you initially
chose. Causes are all the things that contribute to a specific problem at a certain
point in time. Effects are the immediate effects of the problems.
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FIGURE 6
Adding causes and effects to the planning board

PRIORITIZING PROBLEMS
Having the support of landing site users in pursuing your strategy is key. Your
intervention is likely to work best if the choice of projects is in line with their
interests. This exercise gives landing site users a chance to prioritize problems, and
their main components, based on the results of your analysis up until now.
Call a meeting with a broad range of landing site users. Invite the intervening
agencies and projects. Choose a convenient time and location so that many can
participate. The working group should be in charge. Assist them in preparing their
presentation. Three techniques will be used: pair-wise ranking, voting and buying.
If you use voting, you can work in a big group. Otherwise, it is best to work in
subgroups (one for each of the four user groups).
Steps to take
1. Explain to everyone that the working group has completed its initial analysis.
You now want to ask their help in prioritizing the problems and components
to focus on in your development strategy (from those identified in the
previous exercises). Suggest they choose manageable problems, at least one of
which falls under your organizations mandate. If these are solved, then you
can always move on to more complicated problems.
2. Present your results and give landing site users the opportunity to ask
questions. Once everything is clear, it is time to find out landing site users
opinions on which problem to tackle first. The best way is through consensus.
However, if the group is really large, this may be difficult. Below are three
techniques that can help: pair-wise ranking, voting and buying.
3. Table 13 is an example of pair-wise ranking. The problems are listed at the top
and left side of the matrix. Each open box represents a paired comparison of
the alternatives listed. For each comparison, ask landing site users which of
the problems is more pressing. You can do this by asking them to write their
answer on a piece of paper. The pieces of paper are then collected and counted.
Record how many times preference is given to each of the options. When the
matrix is completed, add up the number of times each option is selected and
arrange them in the appropriate order.
4. Voting can be done by raising hands or confidentially with ballots. Based on
the list of problems you made in the previous exercises, ask landing site users
to write the three problems or components they prefer to see tackled, in order
of priority. Review each and ask landing site users to raise their hands if they
chose it as their first choice, then ask how many chose it their second choice
and then third choice. Repeat this for each. Write the results in a table similar
to Table 14.
5. In the case of buying, every landing site user at the meeting receives three to
five stones (or other tokens) to buy the preferred problem to tackle. By
putting the stones in envelopes or boxes representing the different alternatives,
landing site users decide to buy several different alternatives or to put all
tokens towards one alternative.
6. Declare the outcome of the ranking, voting or buying. Discuss it with the
whole group. See whether any compromises can be made, or whether you
75
Pair-wise
ranking
TABLE 13
Improve
sanitation
and
hygiene
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TABLE 14
Ranking by voting
Number of votes
Alternatives
First
Second
Third
Total
Management of
artisanal fisheries
resources
10
50
60
Safety at sea
75
25
20
120
Enterprise
development
30
60
15
105
Environmental
education
Social
development
initiative
15
30
25
70
Improve
sanitation and
hygiene
15
15
30
can reach consensus on the three main problems to address. Again, consensus
means that all actively support the outcome; it is a strong mechanism for
gaining support for your development strategy.
7. Once a decision has been made, explain that the next step is for the working
group to identify possible solutions. Thank the participants for their time and
input, and assure them that you will keep them up-to-date on progress.
You have now reorganized and analysed your information according to certain
categories. You have also focused on certain problems to address in the strategy.
The outputs of this unit will be used to create the project proposals in Unit 8,
namely:
a situation description and background information on the landing site;
a justification for the intervention;
the target groups that require support; and
a needs analysis for the interventions you propose.
In the next unit you will identify and chose solutions.
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DEVELOPING A STRATEGY
UNIT 6
Finding workable solutions
Introduction
81
Brainstorming for possible solutions
82
Conducting stakeholder analyses
83
Identifying partners
87
Formulating a strategy
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Developing a strategy Unit 6: Finding workable solutions
INTRODUCTION
You are now ready to work towards solutions to the problems you have
identified. In Unit 6 you will develop a general strategy; in Unit 7 you will fill in
the details.
The units in this stage are based on the approach used by Conservation
International (Kristensen and Rader, 2001), combined with the Sustainable
Livelihoods Approach framework (Carney, 1998), the FAO/Regional Community
Forestry Training Centre training package on community-based forest resource
conflict management (FAO, 2002) and the International Fund for Agricultural
Developments guide for project monitoring and evaluation (2002).
Exercises
In this unit you will identify the most effective solutions and then ensure the
necessary support from stakeholders and partners. These exercises will help to:
brainstorm for possible solutions;
conduct stakeholder analyses;
identify partners; and
formulate strategies.
Key terms
A brainstorming session is a process whereby a group or individual proposes as many
solutions as possible without judging whether they make sense or not, noting them
down as they appear. Once they are all on paper, the ideas need to be scrutinized,
assessed, combined or expanded until they become workable solutions.
Partner analysis is the systematic assessment of stakeholders, community
organizations, government bodies, NGOs and other development organizations
that are likely to be interested in contributing to the implementation of a
particular project.
A strategy is a way to resolve a particular problem, with a specification of the details
of how you will achieve that goal. It is based on the process of assessing the pros
and cons of various alternatives and choosing one or a limited number of them
that will best serve you.
Stakeholder analysis consists of examining the underlying needs of stakeholders
with respect to a particular problem, their influence with respect to a particular
solution, and their power to aid or prevent the solution from being achieved.
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Your role is especially important in this unit. You probably know better than
landing site users, who could be possible partners and where to seek financial
support. It is also easier for you to consult colleagues, make phone calls or search
on the Internet. This does not mean that you have to do all this by yourself. Once
you have identified and contacted sources of technical and financial support,
encourage landing site users to join you.
BRAINSTORMING FOR POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
In this exercise, you will make a list of all possible solutions for the three problems
you chose to address in the previous unit. You will then discuss them in more
detail to identify the most useful aspects and prioritise them in importance and
practicality.
You and the working group will be working together as usual, but you can also
invite stakeholder representatives and resource persons. The greater the varieties
of points of view, the more likely it is you will come up with interesting and useful
solutions.
Steps to take
1. You can either work together on one of the problems or divide the participants
into smaller groups of about eight people, with each group discussing one of the
three problems. Show participants the results of the problem analysis, and write
the problem you are going to examine at the top of a new sheet of paper.
2. Brainstorm any solutions that the group can think of, making sure someone
records all the ideas on the sheet of paper. Encourage participants to say
whatever comes to mind. There are no right or wrong answers. They can even
be silly or funny. Go around the group listening to each persons ideas, or just
let everyone call them out. If the group goes silent, press them for more ideas,
especially from people who have been quiet.
3. When you are done, read the results aloud. With the help of the participants,
group the results into categories. Where necessary, ask for clarification of
terms. Hold a discussion for each category so that everyone is clear on what
each idea means. Delete repetitions. Combine ideas if it looks reasonable to do
so. Even unpractical ideas may have useful aspects.
4. From this final list, remove any ideas that are unrealistic (perhaps because
they are too expensive, would take too long, etc.) to create a series of possible
solutions. Put the result of these steps into a table, as shown in Table 15.
5. Repeat steps 2 to 4 for the other problems or, if you have worked in groups,
let the three groups report to each other. Some problems may have more than
one solution, while some may have only one. Some solutions may also apply
to more than one problem; so add them on to the relevant list.
6. For each possible issue, add a list of stakeholders that are involved in the
problem and the possible solutions (see Table 16). They may or may not be
based at the landing site. This will help you in the next exercise.
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TABLE 15
Analysis of possible solutions

Stakeholder
group
Project, event, trend,

seasonal
occurrence
Effects on the
stakeholder groups
Fish
mongers
(retail)
NGOs literacy
and numeracy
programme for fish
mongers
Improved
management of
their businesses
and increased their
income
Devaluation of the
FCFA
Widespread use of
local and national
radio
Malaria and other
fevers during the
wet season
Divers
Legislation
concerning official
approval of diving
gear
Opening of
national economy
to international
markets
Fishers
Etc.
Stakeholders ways
of coping
Making simple
business budgets,
with income and
spending
Drastically reduced
income
Add other products

to their array of
products to sell
Greater awareness
best markets
Moving into other

markets further
away
Irregularity of
income
Collaboration with
female family
members to take
over in times of
illness
Increased prices of
officially approved
diving gear
Buying of
unapproved and
low quality or
second hand gear
Increased
availability of diving
gear and use rather
than free diving
Increased use of
diving gear rather
than free diving
Possible solutions
Further training in
micro-enterprise
development
Practical training
in making cottage
products
Doing some market
research
Creation of credits
and savings
groups to deal
with variations in
monetary needs
Training to
recognise safe gear
Training in basic
diving safety
Etc.
Note
You may find that each analysis you add to the planning wall changes the overall
picture. The solution assessment may tempt you to conclude that some problems
are nearly impossible to eliminate. Make sure you keep an open mind and are
flexible in the analysis. You can, and should, make changes to the picture whenever
it seems necessary. This is normal and nothing to worry about! This process is
flexible.
CONDUCTING STAKEHOLDER ANALYSES
The next major step is to assess whether the stakeholders relate to the possible
solutions positively or negatively. By doing so, you will be in a better position
to decide which solutions are more realistic to carry out. You will again need to
evaluate the problems you identified earlier, keeping in mind the components,
causes, the effects and the stakeholder needs.
In addition to the working group, you should include representatives from
all stakeholders who influence the three problems and their solutions. The
institutional diagram and/or list of stakeholders are a good starting point. Do not
forget to include your own agency! The representatives should have the authority
to decide whether their group will support certain solutions or not. In a sense, this
exercise is a preliminary round to deciding on the final activities to be handled in
your project.
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TABLE 16
Adding stakeholders to the list of possible solutions

issue
Problems
Opportunities
Stakeholders involved
Dept. of fisheries
Canoe owners
Accidents at sea
Illegal fishing
Safety at sea
Lack of insurance
Lack of safety measures
on board
Self improvement
Media coverage
Partnership with NGO for
micro-insurance
Coast guard
Industrial fishing
companies
Current project and donor
agency
NGO
Media
Enterprise
development
Low income from fish

processing and trade
Poverty reduction policies
Unemployment
Improve technical
knowledge and skills
Illegal fish trade

Lack of financial services
Improve enterprise
management skills
Poor technical and

enterprise management
skills
Partnership with
microfinance institutions
Overfishing
Environmental
education
Illegal fishing
Poor sanitation and
hygiene
Uncontrolled population
growth
Poor health conditions
Social
development
initiative
Malnutrition
Poor relations between
original settlers and
migrants
Improve
sanitation and
hygiene
Infant mortality and

morbidity
Poor social infrastructure
Poor sanitation and
hygiene
Other entrepreneurs
Financial service provider
Donor agency
Current project
Min. of trade and
industries
NGO and donor agency
Partnership with NGO
Fishers and migrants
Traditional knowledge
Dept of fisheries
International donor funds
Min. of environment and

natural resources
NGO
Partnership with industrial

fishing companies
fish processing companies
Policies for poverty
reduction
Illiteracy
Pollution / environmental
degradation
Fish processors and traders
Donor agency
Industrial fishing
companies
Industrial fish processing
companies
Government
Fishers
Self improvement
fishing companies
Government

fish processing companies
Donor agency
Government desire to
improve welfare
Media
Fishers and migrants
Media coverage
Steps to take
1. Look at the result of the previous exercise and the list of stakeholders whose
support you need to reach your solution. (You can add stakeholders later on if
you forget any.) Consider each stakeholders position on each problem: what
are their underlying stakes or needs? Use your institutional diagrams and fish
production transects to help you. Conduct this analysis from the point of
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TABLE 17
Analysis of stakeholders in relation to a particular problem and its solutions

Problem
Stakeholder
Primary interest
Required change
Department of fisheries
and environment
Sustainable exploitation
of fisheries resources in
compliance with law
Strengthen law
enforcement capacity /
Stop corruption
Coast guard
Order and peace in coastal

zone
Strengthen capacity to act
Fishers families
Maintaining safe access

to fisheries resources as
the traditional source of
livelihood
Strengthen capacity to be
heard and listened to
NGOs
Sustainable artisanal
Strengthen capacity to act

and influence
Supply of fish
Understand link between

illegal fishing, declining
fisheries resources and
the sustainability of their
income / Stop buying
illegal fish
Migrants
Income from illegal fish

trade
Understand link
between illegal fishing
and declining fisheries
resources and income /
Acquire source of income
compatible with their own
and fishers livelihoods
Industrial fishing
companies
Profit from extracting fish
Assume responsible
approach to fisheries
resource extraction
Corrupt government
officers
Financial and political gain
Assume responsible
approach
Fish traders
Illegal fishing
view of the problem and the solution, not the stakeholder, as the stakeholders
stance may change for each situation.
Say, for example, your problem is safety at sea and the stakeholder you
are considering is a trawler company intruding the 200-mile zone, thereby
putting into danger artisanal fishers and their equipment and materials. The
underlying need of both the trawler company and the artisanal fisherman is to
gain easy access to fisheries resources. Still, both stakeholders have an interest
in avoiding collisions because of damages, injuries and loss of catches that
might occur. Have a look at the example in Table 17. Discuss what is at stake
for everyone concerned.
2. Note the above in table format, starting with the issue and the stakeholders
involved. In another column, write down what each stakeholder would have
to change for the solution to come about. See Table 17 for an example.
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TABLE 18
Power and interest ranking of stakeholders

Problem
Stakeholder
Primary interest
Illegal
fishing
Department of
fisheries and
environment
Sustainable exploitation
of fisheries resources in
compliance with law
Coast guard
Required change
Power
Interest
Strengthen law
enforcement capacity /
Stop corruption
+3
Order and peace in

coastal zone
Strengthen capacity to
act
+3
Fishers
families
Maintaining safe access

to fisheries resources as
the traditional source of
livelihood
participate and be heard
+4
NGOs
Sustainable artisanal
act and influence
+4
Fish traders
Supply of fish
Understand link between

illegal fishing, declining
fisheries resources and
income sustainability /
Stop buying illegal fish
+1
3. Add a column to the table and assign a weight to indicate the level of interest
of each stakeholder in a particular solution (Table 18). This will give some
indication of whether the stakeholder is motivated to work towards that
solution. You could use the following scale:
Level of interest:
4 = high
3 = medium to high
2 = medium to low
1 = low
4. Add one last column to the table for the final stage of stakeholder assessment:
the ranking of power each stakeholder holds to affect the changes that
you want. Remember that access to resources significantly influences a
stakeholders power to affect desired changes. A stakeholder with easy access
to resources controls and influences much and appreciates to a lesser degree.
With limited resources, a stakeholder mostly appreciates, influences a bit, and
controls very little.
Allot a ranking for each stakeholder in relation to each particular solution
(also illustrated in Table 18). Following a World Bank methodology, the
ranking is based on the following scale of 3 to 1:
3 = control. Control means that the stakeholder can directly affect the
solution.
2 = influence. Influence means that the stakeholder can make someone else
make the desired changes.
1 = appreciation. Appreciation means that someone other than the
stakeholder can and will affect the desired change and all the stakeholder
can do is sit back and wait for it to happen.
Your planning board should more or less look like Table 18 by now.
5. Compare the outcomes of steps 2, 3 and 4 for each solution: what is at stake,
what is the level of interest, and what is the power ranking for making changes
happen. By going through them systematically, you can identify where is the
strongest opposition, and where is the most agreement. Remember that the
best solutions tend to come from powerful stakeholders in combination with
a high positive interest to see desired change happen. For solutions that have
a high degree of disagreement, you and the participants will have to decide
whether to discard the solution, or convene another meeting between the
relevant stakeholders to come to other solutions. You may need another
brainstorming session or the help of other stakeholders. Or you may decide
to try out one or more solutions on a small scale. Try to have between five and
ten good solutions that the majority of stakeholder can agree on.
Note
When facilitating this exercise, remember to emphasise that the stakeholders and
their representatives most probably have interests that lead them to be for or
against a particular intervention but it does not mean they are for or against you
or the working group. It is possible to build a coalition of stakeholders who do not
necessarily all agree with each other in general but who all have an interest in seeing
a particular problem reduced for their own reasons. For example, a developing
project may be supported by a fishing community interested in sustaining its
livelihood, a donor that wants to test participatory planning approaches, a fishing
industry interested in a regular supply of fish and a government that wants to
increase foreign exchange earnings.
IDENTIFYING PARTNERS
This exercise concerns the last analysis: which partner agencies can support the
landing site users in realizing their project.
Part of this exercise can be done with the working group. The other part of this
exercise requires you to contact stakeholders or visit agencies. Two or three
representatives of the working group should do this work together with you. You
can use the institutional diagram or resource people to help you identify potential
partners. Also ask colleagues for suggestions.
Steps to take
1. Start with the landing site users and their organizations (refer back to the
institutional diagram). Talk to them, either in a group or individually, and
go through the solutions with them one by one. What can they do to help
achieve each solution? Can they provide a place to meet? Can they collect
money or building materials? Can they provide labour or meals to workers?
Be inventive and encouraging, but also realistic as to what they can contribute.
The more they can do, the more it will be their project.
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2. Start by analysing your own agency. Analyse each of the solutions from the
perspective of your own organization.
If your agency cannot supply any of the above solutions, can it play another
role? Or is its role over once the project is formulated and you no longer
facilitate the working group? Think generally as well as specifically. In general
terms, you can think of four possible roles your organization can play:
A catalyst initiates a reaction. A catalyst organization might provide
money to another organization, which actually does the work.
A facilitator (a bit similar to your function as group facilitator) brings
people together and provides an environment that is conducive to
successful implementation. It might provide access to people, money,
equipment, materials or information, but not actually do the work.
An implementing agency actually does the work. It buys the equipment,
hires the staff, pays for and oversees activities.
A monitoring agency has a vested interest in seeing an intervention
succeed, but is probably not the best organization to catalyse, facilitate or
implement the work. This organization just monitors the activities to make
sure that it stays on track. Facilitators and implementers also monitor their
activities, but a monitoring organization does not necessarily facilitate or
implement.
Would your organization be willing and able to finance part of a proposed
solution? Could you provide technical inputs, transport, training materials or
the use of an office or other space? Write down the results of this analysis on
a piece of paper. As you complete this exercise you may find that more and
more potential partners come to mind; add them to your list (Table 19).
3. Now that you have the landing site users inputs as well as your own see
what kinds of support are still missing (e.g. technical knowledge, materials,
funding). You will need to find others to contribute these things. You do
not need to cover every detail, as you will still have to confirm the agencies
support but make sure there are no gaping holes.
4. Look at the institutional diagram and talk to landing site users, resource
people and colleagues to come up with a list of potential agencies. Do not
limit yourself to agencies concerned with fisheries. Agencies focusing on
health and sanitation, enterprise development or environmental issues may
be worthwhile contacting as well. Rely on your knowledge and experience
(maybe you have worked with some of them before?), as well as colleagues,
and partner agencies you have contacted for technical support.
5. Consider the list of potentially interested agencies. If more than one is
appropriate for the same role, for example for education and training, you do
not need to meet them all.
6. Once you have a list of potential investors, you should contact them for
an appointment. Make sure you talk to the right person. Some of these
organizations are very big and have many departments according to their
areas of intervention. On the technical aspects, you should:
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TABLE 19
Analysis of alternatives from the point of view of your organization

Issue
Management of
artisanal fisheries
resources
Improve
sanitation and
hygiene
Possible role
Strengths of our
organization
Weakness of our
organization
Implementing
Strong capacity
to develop
community-based
natural resources
management
Not in position to
design or enforce
national law
1-2 years as
catalyst and
then monitor
Our health initiative

program could
provide part of the
funding
Inadequate
expertise and
technical knowledge
in sanitation
Other partners to
consider
Department of
fisheries
Ministry of the
environment and
natural resources
NGOs with
experience in
sanitation issues
Donor agency
Department of
fisheries
Enterprise
development
No expertise
in enterprise
development
Ministry of trade
and industry
Financial service
provider
Current project
brief them on your project ideas;

explain how their expertise and mandate fits with your ideas;
assess their interest and capacity to collaborate; and
ask them about their current projects and possible sources of funding.
With respect to funding, you should:
cover alternatives in terms of funding;
gauge their interest and capacity to fund your idea;
understand their conditions for funding and the length of the procedure;
and
provide them with the project preparation guidelines so they can see how
they can benefit from assisting you.
Prepare a table before you go to the interviews so you can fill in this information
as the interview progresses. This will make it much easier for you to compare
and select whom to work with later on. Also add strengths, weaknesses and
other possible partners, as you did for your own organization.
7. You may also need the support of other organizations, which, although not
directly involved in the implementation of your solutions, could significantly
influence the outcome of your projects. Harbour authorities, for example,
should be briefed as well as the Director of Fisheries and local government
officials. If fisheries laws and regulations are involved, for example, you
should include the Department of Fisheries. If education and training is being
addressed, you may need the support of government agencies or NGOs.
8. Finally, for each issue or set of problems, choose who you want to work with
and which roles each organization will take on. Notify these agencies of your
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wish to work with them. Explain what you would like them to do and what
your role would be. As your work progresses in the next units, you will come
to more precise agreements.
Note
Below are some guidelines for seeking financial support. The most common
sources of funding are:
Bilateral donor agencies
Multilateral development agencies
Charitable organizations
Private companies
Bilateral donor agencies represent the governments of mostly western countries.
They have an agreement with the countrys government for collaboration in
particular areas, such as agriculture, education or public infrastructure. Bilateral
donor agencies usually have offices in the capital of the country as part of their
respective embassies or high commissions. Examples are the Danish International
Development Agency (DANIDA), United States Agency for International
Development (USAID), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA),
Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and Canadian
International Development Agency (CIDA).
Multilateral development agencies represent a large number of governments
from all over the world. Most of them will have offices in the capital. Examples
are the World Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Labour
Organization (ILO) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
Charitable organizations may have resources available for development
purposes. Furthermore, pivate companies may be interested in sponsoring social
projects or local development to improve their image or to foster goodwill with
local communities.
Donor agencies can channel their money through official (government) channels
or through private channels. Traditionally bilateral and multilateral donor agencies
channel their resources through government agencies, while private sources of
funding tend to work through NGOs. However, this tradition is changing and
you will need to find out from individual sources the exact mechanism of their
funding.
A funding agency may be able to help you in various ways. It may have
resources available to finance new projects. It may also be able to support you
through a current project that provides the services you are looking for. You may
be able to speak to the project manager appointed by the agency implementing
the project. Nonetheless, it is probably best to start by contacting the funding
agency.
FORMULATING A STRATEGY
Congratulations! It is now time to make a choice and formulate your strategy.
The working group and the stakeholder representatives should agree on a small
group to finalize your strategy, consisting of about five leaders.
Steps to take
1. Call a meeting to examine whether your search has succeeded in:
finding effective solutions to address landing site problems;
combining possible solutions to achieve impact;
assessing landing site users needs and priorities;
obtaining technical support; and
identifying possible sources of funding.
2. Based on these points, choose which solutions to work on. The group will
have to decide whether to tackle one or more problems at a time and how
many possible solutions to consider for each. It is essential to keep the number
of solutions down to a reasonable size, preferably between three and five, or
your project will become too large to handle.
3. Double-check the chosen solutions by doing a quick costbenefit analysis
of the value of the different alternatives. A solution that addresses many
problems at the same time might give you better value for money. What is the
potential of each of your alternatives with regard to long-term impact? What
are the possibilities for scaling up or replication? Could a project continue if
resources dried up?
4. Based on the above, the group should choose the best and most logical set
of alternatives to become the projects for your strategy. A strategy implies a
choice and you will need to be able to explain that choice in order to convince
others to collaborate with you or to assist you. All the assessments you have
done so far represent the reasoning behind the choices that you are about to
make. Write it down as follows:
We aim to achieve (objective/purpose)
We will mitigate (problems)
We will capitalize on (opportunities)
We will work with (partners)
We will do this by implementing (solutions/projects)
We have chosen not to (rejected solutions)
Fill in the blanks and you will see your strategy!
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You have now formulated a strategy. This is a description of what you are aiming
to achieve and by what means. Present the strategy to the landing site users and
request their comments and feedback. Use the results to improve your strategy.
The strategy is not quite finished. You now need to elaborate on the details to
answer the questions who, what, where, when and how. This is your focus for the
next unit.
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UNIT 7
Creating a work plan
Introduction
95
Planning outputs and activities
95
Determining resources
98
Creating the implementation schedule
100
Planning monitoring and evaluation
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Developing a strategy Unit 7: Creating a work plan
INTRODUCTION
In this second part of the strategy development stage you will be specifying the
time, staff, knowledge and other resources required to implement your chosen
solutions. It requires careful thinking, but if done well, will make it easier to write
the project proposal in the next unit (Unit 8) and implement the project.
Exercises
In this unit you will be doing the following analyses:
planning outputs and activities;
determining resources;
creating the implementation schedule; and
planning monitoring and evaluation.
PLANNING OUTPUTS AND ACTIVITIES
From Unit 6 you have a basic strategy, consisting of an objective (also called a
purpose), one or two problems and a few solutions for each. In this exercise, you
are going to determine the outputs you need to achieve to reach these solutions,
and what activities will enable you to attain those outputs.
Work with the working group, the leaders that formulated the strategy and the
project partners you identified in the last unit.
Steps to take
1. First, you need to determine the outputs that you are going to achieve with
your solutions. To do so, put the strategy up on the wall. Determine what
needs to change for each solution to occur: do stakeholders need to change
their behaviour, and if so, how? Do they need information, new knowledge,
different skills, different equipment or infrastructure? Make a list.
For example, to increase the professional safety and health of crew members
you could give crew more information to prevent accidents, propose a
breakwater to calm the waters in the harbour and provide an insurance scheme
to cover accidents.
2. Refine the list in order to come up with a list of outputs. Outputs describe
exactly what you are going to do. They are project results or deliverables,
things that you are planning to produce in order to achieve your purpose.
Formulate them as if they had already been achieved, using a verb in the past
tense. This forces you to think of practical, attainable things. For example,
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Key terms
Activities are actions or a series of tasks undertaken to achieve the outputs planned.
Baseline data are information that is collected at the start of the project. By collecting
this information again during the project or at its end, you can measure a change,
preferably due to the project interventions.
The budget is the total of cost required to complete an entire project, broken down
by category of resources and by output. A periodic budget is one covering a part
of the project period, usually one month for short projects and three to four
months for longer projects.
The duration of an activity refers to the amount of time required to complete it if a
person worked full time, e.g. four working days.
An implementation schedule is a table that specifies when, and over what time period
an activity will be implemented, thereby showing the sequence in which events
should take place within a projects total time frame.
Indicators provide concrete proof that you have achieved what you said you would.
Indicators need to be precise, measurable and realistic.
Monitoring and evaluation (sometimes called M&E) refers to the systematic
assessment of how well you have progressed towards the project goal or general
objective. Evaluation events are periodic and ask fundamental questions about
the overall progress and direction of the project. Project monitoring supports
evaluation by providing information generated on a continuous basis.
Outputs are results or deliverables which you are planning to produce as a result
of implementing the activities, and which will lead to the achievement of your
projects purpose or specific objective(s).
Performance questions are queries that help you define the monitoring and evaluation
plan. They are based on the outputs of a project and on the four objectives of
monitoring and evaluation: evaluating and monitoring, implementation, learning
and impact measurement.
Resources are any types of inputs required to implement a project.
Tasks are the smallest unit in the planning of a project, consisting of things that need
to be done to implement an activity.
The time period refers to the stretch of time over which an activity is implemented.
This will tend to be longer than the duration; an activity may be completed over a
two-week period but require only four working days of time within that period.
if your purpose is to increase fishers professional safety and health, your

outputs might include:
increased knowledge about safety measures on board and prevented
accidents for crew, skippers and boat owners;
established a community search and rescue team;
constructed a breakwater at the harbour entrance; and
reactivated a medical insurance scheme for fishers.
Make the list as long as you can without worrying about whether the outputs
are realistic to achieve; you will do that in the next step. For each solution,
write a list of outputs.
3. Decide on a list of three to five criteria in order to decide which outputs you
can realistically achieve. You will probably want to consider aspects such as:
project cost, how long it will take to implement, how many and which people
would benefit and how effective or long-lasting the benefits would be. For
each solution, make a column for each of the criteria next to the list of outputs.
Go through the list quite quickly and for each output assign a value for the
three to five criteria:
for negative, e.g. the project will take very long,
0 for neutral, e.g. the timing is not a problem,
+ for positive, e.g. this output will give fast results.
If you find the output has a number of factors, breakdown the output further.
You may need to reformulate an output into two or three different options
and apply the criteria to each.
4. Once you have your list, eliminate any outputs that are unrealistically
expensive, take too long, do not have any noticeable effects, and so on.
Continue doing this until you have between three and five outputs per
solution; these are the outputs you will actually work on. Assign letters to the
outputs to identify them.
5. Read through each output, and add details including whom you want to work
with, such as the stakeholder or user groups and numbers of people. This will
make it easier to know what you want to achieve and, later on, to know when
you have achieved it. For instance, in the example above on safety, you could
write:
A. increased knowledge about safety measures on board and how to
prevent accidents for crew, skippers and boat owners; and
B. reactivated medical insurance scheme for 70 fishers.
You should end up with three to five outputs for each of the two to
threesolutions.
6. Achieving each of the outputs requires a particular set of activities. For
example, if your output is A. Trained 200 fish processors in improved
technical skills for fish smoking, your activities might include:
A1 develop a training curriculum;
A2 train 10 trainers;
A3 train 200 processors; and
A4 provide on-the-job follow-up services for the first six months after the
training.
Develop a list of activities, just enough to outline how you will produce your
outputs and to provide the basis for a separate, more detailed work plan.
Number the activities (A1 to A4 in the example above) so that it is clear which
activity relates to which output.
7. Refine the activities list by formulating them as simply and clearly as possible.
Start each activity with a verb. Avoid using the word and because it tends to
clump together more than one activity. This will make implementation much
easier. For example: the output reactivated medical insurance scheme for 70
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fishers might include conducting a study, writing a draft proposal, reviewing

the draft, implementing the proposed scheme and providing follow-up
services. Make each of these a separate activity:
B1 conduct a study;
B2 write a draft proposal;
B3 review the draft;
B4 implement the proposed scheme; and
B5 provide follow-up services for six months.
Try not to exceed six to seven activities per output. If there are more, you
probably need to reformulate the output into something more specific.
Alternatively, you could go through the same process as you did for choosing
the outputs, that is: define the criteria for a selection of activities, give each a
value, and then choose the best options.
8. As the final step of this exercise, look at the problems, solutions, outputs and
activities next to each other, and double-check whether the solutions you have
come up with effectively solve the problem. You can do this by forming a
causal sentence with If , then . For example:
If we give carpenters a training course on the construction of insulated fish
boxes (activity), then the construction of insulated fish boxes will improve
(output).
If the construction of insulated fish boxes is improved (output), then fishers
and traders will be in a position to conserve their fish better (solution).
If fishers and fish traders conserve their fish better (solution), then postharvest losses will decrease (objective).
Should the Ifthen check lead to illogical statements, you have to either
reformulate the first part of the sentence, or the second, or discard it and come
up with a more realistic statement.
DETERMINING RESOURCES
You have defined the activities you are going to undertake. Now you are going
to determine what inputs are required to implement each of them, in terms of
equipment, expertise, travel, location, time and money.
Do this exercise with the same group as for defining the outputs and activities,
namely the working group, the selected stakeholder leaders, and the partners.
Make separate groups made of different actors all involved in the same issue,
whether it is safety and health, fish processing or construction of cold storage
boxes. They should work together on the activities of their expertise.
Steps to take
To define your inputs you have to subdivide each activity further into very
specific tasks. Again, use a verb to write down the tasks. Use numbers to identify
each task as part of a specific activity and output. An example: for output X
increased knowledge about safety measures on board and prevented accidents

for crew, skippers and boat owners, your first activity is X1 develop a training
curriculum. This activity can be broken down into the following tasks:
X1.1 identify a consultant to develop a training curriculum;
X1.2 draw up the terms of reference;
X1.3 select and recruit the consultant;
X1.4 conduct a training needs assessment; and
X1.5 draft a training curriculum based on the training needs assessment.
Your activities and tasks must be subdivided only to the extent needed to be
able to realistically estimate required resources and time. Write them down on
a piece of paper, leaving five columns to the right.
9. Put a title in each of the five columns to indicate the type of input you are
likely to need e.g.: equipment and other inputs, expert knowledge, travel,
location, physical labour. If you have other titles you usually work with, feel
free to use them. Fill in what you need for each task (do not forget things like
paper, photocopies and so on!). Think of:
what you need,
who you need, and
where you need it.
10. Take a new piece of paper and put it up on the wall next to the list of tasks and
the five columns. Add two more columns. In the first, write Duration, in the
second Cost. In the Duration column, write:
how much time you would need to do the task if you could do it full
time.
For example, it may take four full days to identify a consultant by going
through rosters, contacting colleagues to get suggestions and to approach
possible consultants. In reality, those four days may be spread out over the
period of a month, but do not worry about that for the moment.
11. Finally, fill in the Cost column: how much money you need. Calculate how
much things will cost, writing down both the unit cost (e.g one consultant for
one month), then the total cost (if you need the consultant for three months,
then put in the unit cost times three to get the total). Include everything,
from the cost of buying equipment and transportation to a daily subsistence
allowance or the use of space for meetings and trainings.
It is important to define unit costs as precisely as possible. Prices for
seemingly simple items may differ significantly. This is true for photocopiers,
accommodations, seminar rooms, but also for technical experts depending
on their individual experience, level of knowledge and country of origin. Do
some research to compare prices.
12. At this stage it tends to become difficult for the subgroup to see if anything is
missing. Pair up the subgroups and have them explain their task and resource
planning to each other. Have them pretend they actually have to carry out
a task now, mentally going through the motions to see whether they have
forgotten anything. Make any final adjustments to the resources schedule.
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TABLE 20
Basic layout of a budget

Project 1
Output 1
Output 2
Output 3
Total
Civil works
Vehicles,
equipment,
materials
Studies, research,
demonstrations
Contracts
Technical assistance
Staff training
Fishers training
Salaries and
benefits
Operations and
maintenance
Miscellaneous
Total
13. The final stage of the planning process is creating the budget: the total amount
of money required for completion of all tasks listed in the implementation
schedule. It will indicate how much it will cost to implement your project
and who will contribute what. A budget ensures the completion of activities
within the budgetary constraints and the timeframe and allows you to estimate
the financial consequences in the event that activities change.
Refer to the costs you calculated in step 11 above. You are now going to
group costs according to type for the entire project. For example, all travel
costs should be grouped together in one category, all costs for consultants in
another, all equipment in yet another. Budgets vary greatly in their structure
and headlines and most funding agencies have their own format. Make sure
you discuss this step with someone from the funding agency. Table 20 gives an
example of a project budget.
14. Expenses for a project should also be defined according to the source of
financing. The total share that each partner agency will contribute must be
very clear. Make agreements with and between partners on who will contribute
what type of support to each project activity, and calculate the share based on
your budget. Once the shares are agreed, write them down in a simple table
for everyone to see, so that there will be no disagreements later on.
CREATING THE IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE
In this exercise you are going to make an implementation schedule, indicating
every task with its start and completion time, who is going to do the work and
who will be responsible for making sure it is done. (The difference between
the latter two is indicated below.) You will also indicate critical points that can
jeopardise the activity, the output, or even the solution.
Use the same the subgroups as the previous exercise.
Steps to take
1. In the previous exercise, you determined the duration of a task, that is, the
time it takes to do the task if you were doing it full time. In step 1 of this
exercise, you have to determine the period of time over which the task will be
carried out. For example, the task of identifying a consultant was estimated to
take four days of full-time work (duration). In actual fact those four days may
be spread out over a three-week period. The period depends on many factors.
The main one is probably that the person responsible for a given task is likely
to have other responsibilities within or outside your project. Examples of
other influencing factors are:
how long it takes to actually make contact with people who may be in
meetings, or out on field work, or away on leave the first few times you
call them;
the availability of the consultants (they may be finishing another contract);
and
the time required for discussion, revision and approval of proposals.
Be realistic in the planning of the period required to complete activities and
tasks, and add in extra time for unexpected delays.
2. Consider what would be the logical sequence and of the inputs, tasks, activities
and outputs and whether they are dependent on one another. You will need
to:
decide when you need the various inputs and outputs.
Define which task/activity/output:
depends upon the ending of another (you cannot conduct a training needs
assessment before selecting and recruiting a consultant); or
can be done in parallel (drawing up terms of reference and identifying
potential consultants can be done in the same period).
3. Based on the period, logical sequence and interdependency of tasks/activities/
outputs, make an implementation schedule, including start and end dates. An
implementation schedule can have many forms. Table 21 gives an example.
4. Based on the implementation schedule, you will need to do develop periodic
budgets. This is required for cash flow planning and is in essence a more
detailed budget showing the inputs required, the cost per unit and the total
costs for each activity over a short period of time. It is generally most useful to
consider one-month periods, or in the case of a project with a longer duration,
a three-month period (or quarter). Use the implementation schedule and the
overall budget that you prepared under the previous exercise to serve as a basis
for the periodic budgets.
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Activity C.8
Activity C.7
Activity C.6
Activity C.5
Activity C.4
Activity C.3
Activity C.2
Activity C.1
Output C
Activity B.5
Activity B.4
Activity B.3
Activity B.2
Activity B.1
Output B
Activity A.6
Activity A.5
Activity A.4
Activity A.3
Activity A.2
Activity A.1
Quarter
Output A
Year 1
Project
Basic layout of an implementation schedule
TABLE 21
Year 2
4
Year 3
4
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5. Identify any critical points that is, points where there is a high level of
interdependency between activities, or where something has to happen before
a certain date or time (e.g. before the start of the rainy season, or coinciding
with the availability of a key consultant or expert). This will help you to
monitor your progress during the implementation and be clear on deadlines.
The periodic budget will help you to determine critical points.
6. Add two more aspects to the implementation schedule:
who will carry out the task, activity or output; and
who is responsible for the task, activity or output.
What is the difference between the two? A landing site user group may send
20 of their members to carry out some cleaning work, but their leader is
responsible for making sure that 20 members are chosen, are aware of the date,
hour and place they are expected to be at, what work they will be expected
to do there, for how long. Again, this makes it a lot clearer when it comes to
implementation of who you should speak to in order to get things done.
7. Once the implementation schedule is ready, organize a feedback meeting
with landing site users. Make sure that those responsible for certain tasks are
very clear on what they are responsible for, what that responsibility involves,
and most importantly, that they agree to take on that responsibility. Make it
clear who is overseeing the project, so they can contact this supervisor in case
unexpected problems arise.
PLANNING MONITORING AND EVALUATION
In this exercise, you will define indicators for monitoring and evaluating the
progress of your project so that you can ensure that you are working in accordance
with the implementation schedule, or if necessary, can respond to changing
circumstances. It also allows for objective and transparent reporting to funding
agencies and other parties. The International Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD, 2002) has created a useful guide for project monitoring and evaluation. In
this exercise it has been adapted to achieve the following:
Facilitate the implementation of monitoring and evaluation activities so that
you know what information you want to gather, when and where throughout
the project.
Ensure effective operations so that you can plan, organize and check staff
inputs, equipment, partner contracts, financial resources, annual work plans
and communications to implement activities effectively and efficiently.
Create a learning environment so that you can inspire and help those involved
with the project to reflect critically on progress, to learn from mistakes and
to generate ideas for making improvements.
Guide the projects impact so that you can understand to what extent you are
achieving the goals and objectives of your project, how well you are allocating
the available resources and guiding relationships between stakeholders, in
order to maximize its impact.
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TABLE 22
Basic layout of a monitoring and evaluation plan

Outputs
Performance
questions
Information
needs and
indicators
Baseline
information
requirements
Methods
for data
gathering,
frequency,
responsibility
Format
for data
gathering
Analysis,
reporting,
feedback
Output A
Output B
Output C
Output D
Source: IFAD, 2002

Continue working with the subgroups from the previous exercises. It would be
best if at least one or two people per working group had some experience making
monitoring and evaluation plans.
Steps to take
1. For an idea of the type of information required for this exercise, see the layout
of a monitoring and evaluation plan in Table 22 below. It gives you an idea
of the type of information required. In this exercise, we will go through each
column one at a time.
2. Go through your outputs and activities, and for each, identify performance
questions based on the four purposes of the monitoring and evaluation plan.
Examples of performance questions are:
Evaluation and monitoring activities: What data do I need to prove that I
have achieved output A or activity B1? When do I need to complete that
data? Where can I find it?
Implementation: Have I implemented output A or activity B1 with the
inputs indicated and in the sequence planned? Did I spend more or less
time or money than planned? Do I have to make adjustments in my work
plan?
Learning: What went well during the implementation? What could have
been improved? Would I do this differently the next time around, and if
so, how?
Impact: Are the project goals being achieved? Are the target groups needs
being satisfied? If so, is that due to our project activities or to other factors?
If not, why not? Am I not implementing the project as planned, are any
activities missing, has the situation changed, or are there other reasons?
How can I improve the project impact?
3. You are likely to have come up with a large and complex list of questions. To
reduce the list, match up ones that are the same, and eliminate ones that are
too vague. Choose a limited number of them, concentrating on those that are
most pertinent and, when answered, will provide most of the information you
need.
4. Information indicators are data that will help you answer your performance
questions. Indicators can be anything from health statistics or catch
information to training reports or contracts. Some indicators will be clearer
than others, and some will be direct indicators where others will be indirect.
For example:
What data will tell you that you have finished your training curriculum
development? (Have the training curriculum in front of you.)
Are the needs of the target group being satisfied? (If they are participating
with enthusiasm and coming up with good ideas, then they probably are.
Be selective in choosing your indicators, concentrating on a few that will give
you much information. Make sure you choose ones that accurately represent
the situation and give you the information you need.
5. Baseline data in the third column should be collected at the start of the
project so that you can compare information in order to be able to answer
your performance questions. For example, if you want to improve health or
income, you want to know what the situation is before the project starts, and
then how it evolves as the project progresses. Check to see if baseline data
already exist elsewhere, or whether another organization is already collecting
similar information. It could save you the time and effort to do so and avoids
the stakeholders being bothered twice for the same information.
6. Once you have agreed on the information that is needed and the indicators
that will be used, you need to decide which sources or methods you are going
to use for data gathering. A source is where or from when you will obtain your
information. This could include documents that regularly publish statistics,
key persons or institutes and visible results. Choose a few sources that are
accessible, keeping in mind that in some cases, funds will be required to access
the resources.
7. Methods describe how you will obtain information from your source.
Methods can be qualitative, quantitative, more or less participatory and more
or less resource-intensive. They can include accessing databases, doing surveys
and interviews, group evaluations or workshops. Each will provide data of
varying degrees of accuracy and reliability. Your choice of methods depends
on balancing these different factors. Do not include everything; focus.
8. Decide on the format, analysis, reporting, and feedback for the data gathered.
Clarifying the format will help you focus on which information you need
and how you will use it for the four purposes of doing the monitoring and
evaluation, checking the implementation, learning from the experience and
assessing whether you are achieving the projects objective.
Format. For each source and method, consider whether you need to develop
forms to record data, databases for collating and storing information and
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so on. What format is most accessible or easy to use? Whose responsibility

will it be?
Analysis. Depending on the source, method and format, decide how you
will analyse the data and what result that analysis will provide.
Reporting. Decide how you are going to report the results of the monitoring
and evaluation. Will it be through a document, in a meeting, in a workshop
or other event? Who will you be reporting to? The landing site users, the
funders, the implementing organizations? When will you report it and
where?
Feedback. Once the above three points are clear, decide what you will
do with the results of the monitoring and evaluation exercises. You are
looking for recommendations on how to improve the project, based on the
experiences up to that point. If you receive helpful suggestions, implement
them accordingly.
9. The monitoring and evaluation plan is now ready. Check it for consistency
using Ifthen sentences as you did earlier.
10. Add an output in the project implementation schedule, which you might term
output 0. Project successfully implemented and completed. Establish the
purpose and scope of the monitoring and evaluation plan in the overall project
plan. Include the activities and tasks required to implement the monitoring and
evaluation plan. Decide whether the project needs to train staff, implementing
partners or community members who will be involved in the monitoring
and evaluation techniques. Agree on who will carry out different tasks, and
who is responsible for them. Organize external monitoring and evaluation or
research expertise if needed. And finally, ensure everyone has sufficient time,
financial resources and equipment to perform the tasks.
You may wish to organize a feedback meeting with landing site users at this
point. Be sure also to organize one with the likely project partner agencies. This is
advantageous because it is easier to change things now than once you have written
the project proposal. Writing the proposal is what you will be doing in the next,
and last unit of this manual.
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TOWARDS IMPLEMENTATION
UNIT 8
The project proposal
Introduction
109
Creating the logical framework
109
Drafting the project description
113
Putting together the annexes
115
Before going on to implementation
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Towards implementation Unit 8: The project proposal
INTRODUCTION
This is the last stage of the planning process and of this manual. It is time to write
up your plan as a project proposal, which is a formal document that you will submit
to partner agencies. The partner agencies generally need to approve it internally.
Once it is reviewed and approved, it will become the project document and it will
serve as the basis for implementing the landing site development strategy.
Exercises
Although each agency has its own guidelines for project proposals, this unit
gives you an indication of the type of information required. If you have different
projects, you may need to develop a proposal for each one separately. Check with
the funding agency and implementing partners. In this unit you will find:
a guide to creating a logical framework;
guidelines on how to draft a project description; and
putting together the details in the annexes.
CREATING THE LOGICAL FRAMEWORK
A logical framework or logframe is prepared in the form of a table. It outlines the
bare essentials of the project in a fixed format.
During implementation the logframe allows you to monitor progress and make
adjustments where necessary. Many implementing and funding agencies require a
project proposal to contain a logframe. The logframe contains:
the project purpose, objectives, outputs and activities;
the indicators for monitoring and evaluating the project; and
the assumptions that underlie the project.
It is preferable to do this exercise together with the funding agencies and
implementing partners. As the inputs into the logframe were already prepared in
the previous units, the working group need not be involved, unless it really wishes
to be. If they do not participate, be sure to discuss the end result with them.
Steps to take
1. Take four large sheets of paper and place one underneath the other. Each
represents a row in the logframe table. Label the rows as follows: goal (or
general objective), purpose (or specific objective), outputs and activities. These
four rows represent a hierarchy of objectives. Reasoning from the bottom to
the top, the activities produce outputs, the outputs achieve the purpose and the
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Key terms
An assumption: An event that must take place or a condition that must exist for
a project to succeed, but over which the project management has little or no
control.
Impact: Changes that the project may bring about or in the target group, either in
terms of the purpose or the goal.
The intervention area is the geographical location (in this case the landing site and or
nearby fishing communities) where the project will take place.
Logical framework or logframe. A development tool that helps you to systematically
think through the structure of your project and to consider how the tasks lead to
certain activities and outputs, the project purpose and its goal, assumptions and
risks, the specifying indicators and the means of verification. A Logframe helps to
summarize and communicate to others exactly what you are trying to do.
A means of verification is an articulation of exactly which sources and methods
internal or external evaluators should use to find proof of project results and
indicators.
Project financing is the specification of the partners and stakeholders and the amount
of money each contributes to the project. The sum of these contributions add up
to the total project budget or cost.
A project proposal describes and summarises the entire project in detail. This
document, required by most agencies, helps funding agencies to assess the proposal
and take a responsible funding decision. At the same time such a document serves
as a guide for project implementation. Apart from background information on
the proposed project, it stipulates what the project intends to achieve and how it
will be done. It also sets a time frame for activities and stipulates how to check
whether you are on the right track and how to know whether you have achieved
your objectives.
The project goal or general objective is a wider development purpose to which a
project aims to contribute but will not be achieved by the project alone. It is the
result of the change in behaviour brought about by a whole series of projects and
programmes.
The project purpose or specific objective is the ultimate change in behaviour and
conditions that you seek to achieve by implementing a project. The project
purpose is the result of the sum of the various project outputs.
A risk refers to the possibility that an assumption will not hold.
The target population is the specific landing site user groups whose livelihoods are
to be improved as a result of the projects implementation.
purpose achieves the goal. Throughout the logframe exercise, it is important

to continue using the causal language you have learned to make sure you have
not made a mistake: if these activities are conducted, then this output will be
achieved and if this output is achieved, then the purpose will be met.
2. Now put four large sheets of paper above the four rows to create four
columns. Label them: narrative summary, objectively verifiable indicators,
means of verification and assumptions and risks. A narrative summary refers
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to a brief description, usually one sentence, describing the goal, purpose,

outputs and actvities of your project. Objectively verifiable indicators are
targets that prove whether you have achieved what you said you would in the
first column. The third column details what sources will prove whether you
have met your targets. The last column articulates assumptions you have made
or risks that may affect the success of your project. Table 23 below presents
the basic layout of a logframe.
3. Start filling in the table. Formulate the project goal and purpose using the
landing site strategy at the end of Unit 6. The purpose is the change of
behaviour that you seek by implementing your project. It is the reason for the
project and the situation you hope to see at the end of it. It states the change
in behaviour you hope to achieve.
4. Once you have determined the project purpose you continue by articulating
the goal, the greater reason for your project. A goal refers to a long-term
TABLE 23
Basic layout of a logframe

Narrative
summary
Goal
Purpose
Outputs
Activities
Objectively verifiable
indicators
Means of verification
Assumptions and risks
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5.
6.
7.
8.
(five or ten years) change that the project aims to contribute towards, but
that is beyond the project horizon. Although a project will make a significant
contribution to achieving a goal it is unlikely that it will be able to achieve it
alone. Examples of project goals are: sustainable use of fisheries resources,
or reduced the number of accidents at sea.
Obtaining the exact formulation for the goal and purpose can be a timeconsuming exercise. Yet it is important to fully agree. There are serious issues
of accountability involved because as the manager of the project you will be
responsible for turning the purpose and goal into reality. So look back at steps
3 and 4 and make sure you are satisfied with the result, and capable of taking
on the responsibility of turning the purpose and goal into reality.
Now that you know what change in behaviour you are seeking (the purpose)
and why you want to change (goal), look at Unit 7, Planning outputs and
activities, and fill in the outputs and activities in the appropriate place. As
a reminder, outputs are project results or deliverables, things that you are
planning to produce in order to achieve your purpose. Achieving each of these
outputs requires a particular set of activities. Use numbers to indicate each, so
you can see which activities go with which outputs, and in which order they
come.
Having finalized the first column of the logframe, it is easiest to continue with
assumptions and risks in the fourth column. Assumptions and risk represent
the environment in which the project operates. Assumptions are those events
and conditions that must exist if a project is to succeed, but over which you
have little or no control. A risk refers to the possibility that an assumption
will not hold. Including assumptions and risks in your logframe will help
the project manager to monitor the external environment and to make sure it
remains favourable.
Go back to your results from Unit 5, Assessing external threats and
opportunities, to see whether these may affect your project. Put each one
next to the activity, output, purpose or goal it will affect. Try and assess both
the chances that these conditions will change, and if there is a change, how
large the impact will be on your project.
Once again, check the information in the table using causal sentences. The
narrative summary in the first column presents the necessary conditions for
success, but they ensure success only if the assumptions with regard to the
project environment hold true and risks are controlled. So for example:
if these activities are completed and these assumptions hold true, then the
outputs will be achieved, or
if this purpose is achieved and these assumptions hold true, then the goal
will be met.
If assumptions are not likely to hold, and risks are huge, you might have to
consider changing the design of your project or adding another project to
your portfolio to mitigate assumptions and risk. In extreme cases, you may
even have to decide to abandon the project.
9. Continue filling in the table, moving on to the second column: indicators.

Indicators are the concrete proof that you have achieved what you said you
would. For example, if your purpose is to encourage fishers to use more
sustainable fishing practices, your indicators are the ways you can prove that
fishers are really using those practices. Impact indicators refer to the indicators
for the project purpose and goal. They show whether the project has affected
the intended change. Performance indicators prove that you have delivered
the expected outputs. At the level of activities, indicators are really the inputs
required to conduct an activity. They are generally expressed as the budget,
equipment and staff needed to conduct the activities that in turn will achieve
the outputs. You will find the indicators in the monitoring and evaluation plan
that you made in Unit 7.
10. The third column in Table 23 is the means of verification, that is, it describes
where you are going to find the proof of your indicators. The first three
boxes concerning goal, purpose and output level indicate where to find the
information needed to measure success (for example project progress reports,
baseline studies, project impact assessments, mid-term evaluation reports
and sources of statistical information or government offices). The proof of
having implemented your activities consists of approved budgets, invoices for
equipment and services purchased and contracts with implementing partners
and staff. This box is usually completed after completing a projects budget.
You will find the input for the means of verification in the monitoring and
evaluation plan (where you have described the sources, methods and formats
in which you will provide the indicators).
11. As with the other columns, use causal sentences to check that what you have
put in columns 2 and 3 makes sense. Indicators must be precise, independent,
measurable and realistic:
Indicators should be specific and describe the corresponding output,
purpose and goal as precisely and meaningfully as possible in terms of
target group, quality, quantity, time and location.
Indicators need to be independent from each other and relevant to only
the output, purpose or goal that they are designed to prove not to their
causes or effects. One single indicator cannot be used for two different
outputs, nor for different rows: it is impossible to have an indicator that
proves both the project purpose and the project goal.
You must choose indicators that can be measured; otherwise your project
becomes impossible to evaluate.
And lastly, indicators should be realistically achievable and measurable at
reasonable cost and effort. If the verification is impossible or too costly an
indicator needs to be replaced by another.
DRAFTING THE PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Where the logframe gives the bare essentials of the project in table form, the
project description adds depth. It gives an explanation, the underlying justification,
reasoning and vision of the project. It is written in prose, as if you are telling
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the story of the plan, in a succinct and clear way. Your target audience are the
stakeholders from the landing site and the implementing or funding agencies. The
project description goes in front of the logframe in the project proposal.
This is a joint effort by you, the funding agency and the implementing partners.
The working group need not be involved, though it could send a representative. In
either case, the working group should be informed regularly of progress.
Steps to take
1. The first section of your proposal should give the funding agency and
implementing partners the context of the proposed activities. This section is
often called Background. It includes:
the name of the landing site, its geographical location and the distance to
urban centres;
historical background and social, economic and political trends;
numbers and categories of people and use of the landing site;
infrastructure and facilities available;
relative importance of the landing site in terms of artisanal fish production,
processing and marketing; and
why it was selected and participatory process you have initiated.
You can find this information in the situation analysis you did in Unit 5,
specifically in the first two exercises: Assessing internal strengths and
weaknesses and Assessing external threats and opportunities. You can
complete the background description, where this is useful, by adding maps,
data and statistics you collected for Units 1 and 2.
2. The next section is the Justification. In this section, you are providing
evidence of:
the main problems, their scale and importance, the causes and effects on
the needs of the target group, and the reasons why it is important that the
problems you chose are dealt with;
the strengths and opportunities that you can build on (including activities
that are already going on or have been completed at the landing site);
how the project you propose builds on what has already been done there,
or how it addresses an important issue that no one has dealt with yet;
the capacity of your organization to address these issues; and
why the agency should support the project and how.
You can find most of the information for the first two bullet points in Unit
5, specifically in the sections Conducting a causeeffect analysis and
Prioritizing problems. Unit 6 should contain the necessary information for
the rest of the bullet points.
3. Create another section and call it something like Project strategy and expected
outcomes, which explains the partner agencies what future situation you are
aiming to achieve, and how you intend to do it. Describe your development
strategy (see the section Formulating a strategy near the end of Unit 6),
followed by:
the overall developmental goal that the project will contribute to;
the projects direct objectives and target groups; and
the activities and expected outputs that should lead to the achievement of
the direct objective.
You should literally copy the formulation of the above bullet points from the
logframe in the previous section, in order to avoid confusion and contradiction
within the document. Refer to the logframe and the detailed work-plan, which
you will put in the annexes of the project proposal document.
4. The fourth section, Resources and partnerships tells the reader which agency
(including his or her own) will do what and how much it will cost. Give the
total cost of the project, the time it will take to complete, and how the funds
and activities are to be distributed over time. Explain from the sources of
funding for the project, how the partners and stakeholders will participate
in the project, and how the responsibilities will be divided. Make sure to
explain:
How the landing site users will support the project;
What your own agency will contribute,
What the implementing partners and funding agencies will contribute.
Find the necessary information in Unit 6 Conducting stakeholder analyses
and Identifying partners and, where necessary, go to Unit 7 to find the
necessary information.
5. As the final part of the project description, insert the reporting and evaluation
plan and mechanisms and label them appropriately. Make a list of the
workshops, reports and other monitoring and information events and their
expected dates. Partner agencies may request that you insert certain conditions:
for example, that they will only finance the second part of the project once
they have received and approved the report of the first part.
6. Finally, edit the project description. Make sure that the description is clear, to
the point, contains no contradictions and no errors. Maintain a level of detail
that clearly describes the project but does not lose itself in tangents. Potential
project partners are much more likely to support a project they understand.
Illustrate with short examples and facts where necessary, but for detailed
descriptions refer to the annexes. You will be developing them in the next
section!
PUTTING TOGETHER THE ANNEXES
The annexes of the project proposal show the details of the project plan. It gives
specific information that would be confusing to put in the project description, but
that is essential for the project manager to be able to implement the project. You
will have referred to the annexes in the appropriate places of the project description.
The annexes may constitute half or more of the entire project proposal and will go
right after the logframe.
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As with the previous two exercises, this is a joint effort by you, the funding agency
and implementing partners. The working group probably does not need to be
involved, unless it really wishes to be, but it does need to be kept up-to-date on
progress.
Steps to take
1. The annexes generally contain the following information:
details about the landing site and target group;
the implementation schedule;
the budget;
the monitoring and evaluation plan;
terms of reference for the project manager, project staff, consultants, and
partnerships with institutions; and
detailed descriptions of outputs.
Funding and implementing agencies vary in the level of detail they require,
so check with them first you do not want to spend days on specifying
information unnecessarily. The level of detail will also depend on the size and
duration of the project. The points below serve as guidelines on what you
should most likely include.
2. The details about the landing site may consist of a map, statistical data, some
of the institutional diagrams or other information that you gathered during
the exercises in Units 2, 3 and 4. Be selective in showing the most important
data to give the reader a quick insight into the landing site and its users.
Even if it is not required by the funding or implementing agencies, you should
seriously consider making a separate report on your research findings and
analysis (Units 2 to 5). This should be given to the implementing agencies,
the funding agency and the landing site users. Such a document may serve as
a basis for other projects, or as a baseline for the current project against which
you can measure its success. Most importantly, it is a way of giving back to
the landing site users as thanks for the information and effort they put into the
planning process.
3. For both the implementation schedule and the monitoring plan, use the tables
that you prepared under Unit 7, Creating the implementation schedule and
Planning monitoring and evaluation.
4. With regard to the budget and financing, make use of the budget plan and the
periodic budgets that you made for Unit 7, under Determining resources
and Creating the implementation schedule. As explained in those sections,
you should have asked the funding agency about the required layout for
the budget. You may still want to check with them to make sure you are
presenting the annex in the form they need.
5. You need to write terms of reference for any people that will be hired by the
project: the project manager, project staff, consultants and partner institutions.
You may need to work closely with the partner agencies who have expertise
in certain areas to ensure the relevant terms of reference (TORs). The TORs
outline:
the period of time that the person is expected to work;
the persons role (manager, adviser, researcher, etc.);
who the person reports to and who they supervise;
the tasks and outputs the person is expected to accomplish;
the type of contract and remuneration that the person will receive;
the type of expertise required by candidates including training, technical
expertise, language, writing or presentation skills, personal characteristics,
the number of years of working experience and knowledge of the
geographical area.
6. In the next annex, include detailed descriptions of outputs, if known. The
objective is to be specific as possible so a project manager knows exactly what
is expected. Examples are:
subject areas to be covered during training, the duration of the training,
the number and type of persons to be trained, the inputs and outputs
expected;
the format, size and content of manuals or other documents to be
produced;
the design and technical specifications of infrastructure to be built or
equipment to be bought.
7. When all the annexes are completed, give each one an appropriate title that
covers its contents. Give each annex a number. Go through the project
description to ensure that all the annexes are referred to in the relevant place
in the text, so that the reader knows where to look up these details. Insert the
number of the relevant annex into the text to make for easy reference.
8. Finally, combine the documents into a single report containing the project
description, then the logframe, followed by the annexes. Present it to the
funding and/or implementing agency for approval. They may require you
to go through a series of revisions. (If you have been involving them in the
planning stages [Units 6 and 7], these changes should be minimal.) Once it is
approved, project implementation can begin!
BEFORE GOING ON TO IMPLEMENTATION
You have come to the end of the planning process for a landing site strategy and
of this manual: the project is ready to implement. Depending on the project and
your agency, you may be part of this new phase, or your formal involvement may
stop here.
In either case, it is good to meet once more with the working group. Make
sure everyone is clear on what is going to happen next. You should also evaluate
the process from Unit 1 to Unit 8. Ask: How did you experience this planning
exercise? What did you like, what did you not like and why? What are the
implications of this planning exercise in terms of how you relate to the landing
site and the user groups? If you were to do a similar exercise again, what would
you do differently? And finally, you need to decide during this meeting whether
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the working group will continue to be active in some form or other, or whether it
has finished its mandate.
Repeat this meeting with the landing site user groups, key informants,
community leaders and organisations that you have worked with throughout the
planning. These people have put much time and effort into this exercise. They
deserve to know the outcome, and be able to comment on how useful it was for
them. The meeting may decide that there should be certain follow-up activities.
In this case it is important to carry them out. You have started a process and
asked people to contribute, so it is important that you round it off well. Thank
everyone for their inputs. Depending on local custom, you may also need to make
individual visits to community leaders or user group representatives to thank them
for their support.
Although this is the end of the planning session, this is the beginning of the
most exciting part: implementing a project that will improve the livelihoods of the
landing site users.
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Glossary
A
Activities: actions or tasks undertaken to achieve the outputs planned. (Unit 7)
Alternative: one of a number of possible solutions that could be used to reduce
one, some, or all of the problems in achieving the result you want. (Unit 5)
Assets (financial, human, natural, physical, social): characteristics, possessions,
or rights of access or use that help people to secure their livelihoods and react to
unexpected events and setbacks. (Unit 5)
Artisanal fisheries: generally use relatively low levels of technology and investment
both for fishing and for processing. The sector is also distinguished by its high
levels of labour input, which is often recruited through family relationships. Still,
there are large variations within and between countries, and there is no clear,
universal definition of artisanal. (Introduction)
Assumption: an event that must take place or a condition that must exist for a project
to succeed, but over which the project management has little or no control. (Unit 8)
B
Baseline data: information that is collected at the start of the project. By collecting
this information again during the project or at its end, you can measure a change,
preferably due to the project interventions. (Unit 7)
Brainstorming session: a process whereby a group or individual proposes as
many solutions as possible without judging whether they make sense or not,
noting them down as they appear. Once they are all on paper, the ideas need
to be scrutinised, assessed, combined or expanded until they become workable
solutions. (Unit 6)
Budget: the total of cost required to complete an entire project, broken down by
category of resources and by output. A periodic budget is one covering a part of
the project period, usually one month for short projects and three to four months
for longer projects. (Unit 7)
C
Causeeffect analysis: you determine the factors that lead to the existence of a
certain problem (its causes), as well as the situations that the problem gives rise to
(its effects). (Unit 5)
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Constraint: an event, situation or condition that prevents a particular problem

from being solved or a livelihood aim from being achieved. A constraint is beyond
the control of the stakeholders. (Unit 5)
D
Duration: of an activity refers to the amount of time required to complete it if a
person worked full time, e.g. four working days. (Unit 7)
F
Facilitator: a person who provides an environment that is conducive to group
processes such as discussions and decision-making. Important qualities for
a facilitator include good listening skills, respect for all and the ability to
give constructive feedback and express empathy. A facilitator ensures that all
participants feel free to speak by using methods that allow shy people to give their
opinion and discourage dominant people from taking over the entire process. A
facilitator ensures that the process is recorded, so that it is clear to everyone what
decisions were taken, why they were taken, and what the next steps are. One or
more group members may be asked to help in this task. (Introduction)
Feedback meeting: an opportunity to present preliminary or final results to
landing site users, community leaders and other key people. This helps to make
sure everyone is aware of recent activities and results. It is also a chance to correct
any false information and add any information that is missing. (Unit 1)
Fishery: for the purpose of this manual, is a category of fishing operations (from
financing and fishing to processing and trading) that shares certain characteristics
and dynamics. For example, the fishers in a fishery all use similar gear, target the
same fish species, and fish during the same period of the year. (Introduction)
Fisheries production chains: systematically following various activities related
to fishing from beginning to end, from the preparation of fishing boats to the
marketing of fish. An inventory is obtained by walking with landing site users
as they go about their activities and along the way observing, asking questions,
listening, discussing, identifying different zones and technologies, identifying
problems, solutions and opportunities. All this is recorded and organized into a
matrix. (Unit 3)
Fishing chain: focuses on the chain of activities constituting fishing, including the
preparation of fishing boats, repairs and maintenance of equipment, replacement
of equipment, crew recruitment, mobilization of capital (fuel, bait, ice, food
and drinking-water); embarkation; fish capture; on-board fish conservation;
debarkation; fish landing and selling to fish processors; income distribution and
equipment storage. (Unit 3)
Fish marketing chain: focuses on the activities that occur from the time that the
fish has been landed and sold to fish processors, right up to its sale to consumers.
It constitutes fish handling, conservation and marketing, buying fish upon
Glossary
landing, lending money, buying ice and ice boxes; cleaning fish; transporting fish;
conserving fish through smoking, drying, salting or deep freezing; fish storage; and
marketing fresh and conserved fish to consumers in local, regional or international
markets. (Unit 3)
H
Historical time line: refers to a list of key events in the history of a landing site that
helps identify past, current and future trends, events, problems and achievements
over time. (Unit 4)
I
Impact: Changes that the project may bring about or in the target group, either in
terms of the purpose or the goal. (Unit 8)
Implementation schedule: a table that specifies when, and over what time period
an activity will be implemented, thereby showing the sequence in which events
should take place within a projects total time frame. (Unit 7)
Indicators: concrete proof that you have achieved what you said you would.
Indicators need to be precise, measurable and realistic. (Unit 7)
Institutional diagram: a practical tool that helps you to identify the organizations,
leaders and other individuals or groups that influence the landing site. It also
clarifies the interests of these individuals or groups and the possibilities for
collaboration. This information will be extremely useful in the design and
implementation of a landing site development plan. (Unit 2)
Intervention area: the geographical location (in this case the landing site and or
nearby fishing communities) where a project will take place. (Unit 8)
L
Landing site: covers a certain physical area; the infrastructure in place; technical,
financial and social services available; activities taking place and users deriving all
or part of their livelihood from its activities. A landing site may range from a small
settlement on a stretch of beach with hardly any infrastructure and facilities to
larger artisanal fisheries areas that are part of bigger ports or harbours in or close
to urban centres. (Introduction)
Landing site user: refers to people living and/or working at the landing site. These
are people involved in fishing or fishing-related activities, such as boat owners,
fishers, fish processors, fish traders, mechanics, food sellers and carpenters. For
the purpose of this manual, the term landing site user does not include members
of government, NGOs or other agencies, such as fisheries field staff, customs
officers or harbour police. (Unit 1)
Livelihood: comprises the capabilities, assets (including both material and social
resources) and activities required for a means of living. (Introduction)
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Logical framework or logframe: a development tool that helps you to

systematically think through the structure of your project and to consider how
the tasks lead to certain activities and outputs, the project purpose and its goal,
assumptions and risks, the specifying indicators and the means of verification. A
logframe helps to summarize and communicate to others exactly what you are
trying to do. (Unit 8)
M
Means of verification: an articulation of exactly which sources and methods
internal or external evaluators should use to find proof of project results and
indicators. (Unit 8)
Monitoring and evaluation sometimes called M&E: refers to the systematic
assessment of how well you have progressed towards the project goal or general
objective. Evaluation events are periodic and ask fundamental questions about
the overall progress and direction of the project. Project monitoring supports
evaluation by providing information generated on a continuous basis. (Unit 7)
O
Opportunity: a current or future event, situation or condition that will help
reduce or eliminate a particular problem. An opportunity is external to the control
of the stakeholders. (Unit 5)
Optimal ignorance: means getting only the information that is really needed and
no more. (Introduction)
Outputs: results or deliverables which you are planning to produce as a result
of implementing the activities, and which will lead to the achievement of your
projects purpose or specific objective(s). (Unit 7)
P
Pair-wise ranking: a method of prioritizing options by comparing pairs of
alternatives, adding up the number of times each is selected, and arranging them
sequential order. (Unit 5)
Participation: the act of taking part in or having a share in an activity or event.
(Introduction)
Participatory landing site census: a tool that helps count the number of people
using a landing site, the distribution of landing site users among user groups
and the number and type of fishing and processing units. It uses a participatory
approach involving landing site users and representatives. (Unit 2)
Participatory mapping: a way to guide landing site users to draw maps reflecting
available resources, land use planning and social structure. The aim is to encourage
landing site users to think systematically about their problems and possible
solutions, and to help external facilitators to understand those problems and to
analyse options for addressing them. (Unit 2)
Glossary
Partner analysis: the systematic assessment of stakeholders, community

organizations, government bodies, NGOs and other development organizations
which are likely to be interested in contributing to the implementation of a
particular project. (Unit 6)
Performance questions: queries that help you define the monitoring and evaluation
plan. They are based on the outputs of a project and on the four objectives of
monitoring and evaluation: evaluating and monitoring, implementation, learning,
and impact measurement. (Unit 7)
Problem tree: a systematic analysis of the interrelations between problems,
represented in a drawing or schema. As each problem gives rise to other problems,
the drawing branches out, so that the result looks like a tree. (Unit 5) Note: for
the purpose of this manual, problems are defined very specifically as things that
prevent you from attaining the results that you wish to achieve. This means that
difficulties not related to the results you wish to achieve will not be considered
from this point on. (Unit 5)
Project financing: the specification of the partners and stakeholders and the
amount of money each contributes to the project. The sum of these contributions
adds up to the total project budget or cost. (Unit 8)
Project goal or general objective: a wider development purpose to which a
project aims to contribute but will not be achieved by the project alone. It is the
result of the change in behaviour brought about by a whole series of projects and
programmes. (Unit 8)
Project proposal: describes and summarizes the entire project in detail. This
document, required by most agencies, helps funding agencies to assess the proposal
and take a responsible funding decision. At the same time such a document serves
as a guide for project implementation. Apart from background information on
the proposed project, it stipulates what the project intends to achieve and how it
will be done. It also sets a time frame for activities and stipulates how to check
whether you are on the right track and how to know whether you have achieved
your objectives. (Unit 8)
Project purpose or specific objective: the ultimate change in behaviour and
conditions that you seek to achieve by implementing a project. The project
purpose is the result of the sum of the various project outputs. (Unit 8)
R
Ranking by voting or buying: a way to prioritize alternatives by voting. In the
case of buying, every participant receives three to five stones (or other tokens) to
buy the alternatives they prefer. (Unit 5)
Resources: any type of inputs required to implement a project. (Unit 7)
Risk: refers to the possibility that an assumption will not hold. (Unit 8)
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S
Seasonal calendar: refers to a matrix attempting to establish regular cycles or
patterns of activities at a landing site over a 12-month period. (Unit 4)
Situation analysis: an analysis of stakeholders, problems, strengths and weaknesses,
threats and opportunities, in order to get a comprehensive understanding of the
current state of affairs at the selected landing site. (Unit 5)
Social characteristics describe stakeholders according to criteria such as gender,
age, ethnic background, religion, roles played in the community, employment or
level of income. (Unit 5)
Stakeholder: a person, a group of people, or an organization that has the ability
to directly or indirectly affect the success of a project and that has an interest in
the projects outcome. Stakeholders include landing site users as well as members
of government or other agencies. (Unit 2)
Stakeholder analysis: consists of examining the underlying needs of stakeholders
with respect to a particular problem, their influence with respect to a particular
solution, and their power to aid or prevent the solution from being achieved.
(Unit 6)
Strategy: a way to resolve a particular problem, with a specification of the details
of how you will achieve that goal. It is based on the process of assessing the pros
and cons of various alternatives and choosing one or a limited number of them that
will best serve you. (Unit 6)
Strengths: the characteristics and assets that people possess or have access to
in order to overcome difficulties or to help them achieve their livelihood aims.
(Unit 5)
Support to people chain: focuses on the support system available with regard
to personal care of people working or visiting the landing site. Facilities may
include transport; shelter; food and drinking-water; sanitation, waste disposal,
communication facilities and security. (Unit 3)
T
Target population: the specific landing site user groups whose livelihoods are to
be improved as a result of the projects implementation. (Unit 8)
Tasks: the smallest unit in the planning of a project, consisting of things that need
to be done to implement an activity. (Unit 7)
Technical adviser: the person expected to structure and monitor the participatory
development process. A technical adviser points out when outside expertise may
be required, where to find that expertise or how to go about finding it. A technical
adviser records the results of the participatory development process and turns
them into project proposals. (Introduction)
Glossary
Threats: possible future events, situations, or conditions beyond the control

of stakeholders, which could undermine or destroy the achievements, aims and
livelihood outcomes that stakeholders are working to achieve. (Unit 5)
Time period: refers to the stretch of time over which an activity is implemented.
This will tend to be longer than the duration; an activity may be completed over a
two-week period but require only four working days of time within that period.
(Unit 7)
Triangulation: refers to a way of examining issues and information from more
than one perspective. By considering the views of all major stakeholders involved
in landing site operations your analysis will be more complete and widely shared.
This facilitates the implementation of the resulting proposal and increases its
chance of success because the stakeholders understand and support the project.
(Introduction)
W
Weaknesses: refer to certain characteristics in people, such as having few or no
assets, which make it more complicated or impossible to achieve their livelihood
aims. (Unit 5)
Working group: the body in charge of landing site development planning. It
consists of representatives from the many groups that influence the functioning of
a landing site. It may include people from landing site user groups, development
agencies, NGOs, government agencies, related projects, religious groups and
others. It can also include fisheries field staff, customs officers or harbour police.
(Unit 1)
Work plan: a table of activities in which you specify the time, date and tools you
are going to use in the planning process. It will give a clear idea of what is going to
happen to all those involved, including the working group, the landing site users
and yourself. It also indicates when an input is needed from a certain group of
people and when the planning process should finish. (Unit 1)
125
127
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Participatory landing site development for artisanal fisheries livelihoods provides guidance on landing site
development planning. This manual helps those working at artisanal fisheries landing sites to identify, collect
and analyse information in a participatory way, and consequently to create and seek support for a
development plan. It goes beyond simple data collection to explain how to write a project proposal and
gives pointers on how to find funding, as well as technical and other support. In addition to well-known
participatory methods of data collection and analysis, the manual includes transects in the fisheries
production chain. This unique tool was adapted from the agricultural transect walk. The material is based on
a number of cases in West Africa but the principles are applicable worldwide.
ISBN 92-5-105181-X
ISSN 0429-9345
789251 051818
TC/M/Y5552E/1/08.04/2200

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466

Participatory landing site

Participatory landing site

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information

Preparation of this document

Why use this manual?

Defining the main concepts: livelihood, landing sites, artisanal

Achieving the most from participatory approaches

How this manual is organized

MAKING NECESSARY PREPARATIONS

Finding a suitable landing site

Creating a working group

Devising a work plan

Soliciting feedback from landing site users

Before going on to the next unit

Taking a census of landing site users

Creating institutional diagrams

Drafting general landing site maps

Producing more detailed landing site maps

Before going on to the next unit

UNIT 3: Preparing fisheries production chains

Fishing chain: charting the activities that make fishing possible

People chain: charting facilities that serve human needs

Before going on to the next unit

UNIT 4: Understanding the effects of changes over time

Creating a historical time line

Producing a seasonal calendar

Before going on to the next unit

CONDUCTING A SITUATION ANALYSIS

Assessing internal strengths and weaknesses

Assessing external threats and opportunities

Conducting a causeeffect analysis

Before going on to the next unit

Brainstorming for possible solutions

Conducting stakeholder analyses

Before going on to the next unit

UNIT 7: Creating a work plan

Planning outputs and activities

Creating the implementation schedule

Planning monitoring and evaluation

Before going on to the next unit

Creating the logical framework

Drafting the project description

Putting together the annexes

Before going on to implementation

Defining the main concepts: livelihood, landing sites, artisanal

Achieving the most from participatory approaches

How this manual is organized

WHY USE THIS MANUAL?

Participatory landing site development for artisanal fisheries livelihoods

Where to use the manual

A landing site is a useful entry point for participatory development planning

Participatory landing site development for artisanal fisheries livelihoods

taken seriously, this generates a sense of ownership and commitment, which is

The use of triangulation is important for:

Participatory landing site development for artisanal fisheries livelihoods

Participatory landing site development for artisanal fisheries livelihoods

MAKING NECESSARY PREPARATIONS