Annexe I Semi-structured interviews for sector analysis
Basic information on interviewee:
- Name - Function - Phone number
Basic information on the actor:
1. When did you start your business?
2. Where is your headquarters located?
3. Who is in charge of the organisation/ the business?
4. How many employees/members do you have?
5. What is the legal status of the organisation/ the business?
6. What was the reason to start this organisation/ business?
7. What is your mission statement?
8. Did you receive any help by setting up this organisation/ business?
Position in the … chain:
9. What are your main activities in general?
10. What are your activities in the … chain?
11. Who are your colleagues/competitors in this part of the chain?
Scope of the business/ organisation:
12. On what level do you operate (village, commune, cercle, region, national or international)?
13. Who can participate in your business/ organisation?
14. On what conditions?
15. Who is your target group?
Activity assessment of the organisation:
16. Since when does your organisation occupy itself with the … chain?
17. How often are you occupied with your activities in the … chain (daily, weekly, monthly)?
18. Do you operate throughout the whole year or only during the … season?
19. Could you tell me some recent results of your business/ organisation?
Finance:
20. Do you have a contribution system/ a membership fee?
21. Do you receive financial assistance from outside (NGO’s, programmes or projects)?
22. Do you take part in commercial activities that render you money?
23. Do you have other inputs that provide finance to your organisation?
Links to other organisations in the … chain:
24. What are your links to other organisations (in terms of input and output of both services and goods)?
25. What’s the nature of this link?
26. Is this link reciprocal or one way?
27. Since when does this link exist?
28. How often are you in touch with each other?
29. Through what means?
30. When did you last meet, what were the results?
31. Who initiated this contact?
32. Which links, that are important to your business, remain outside your organisation?
Communication:
33. How do you communicate with your members/ employees?
34. How often?
35. How do you communicate with your target group?
36. How often?
37. How do you communicate with the other organisations mentioned above?
38. How often?
Depending on the organisation and the interviewee, I also asked them about their ideas of development of the chain and their opinion on the strengths and weaknesses of the chain.
I also showed them a picture of the chain I was working on, and asked them if they could help
me complete the picture, both with the links between the actors and the actual names of the
actors. The final picture is presented in figures 4.1 and 4.3.
Annexe II List of interviewees of the preparatory phase
Niono:
No. Name Abbreviation Class Description
1 IER Fruits &
Légumes
Institut d’Economie Rurale
Research institute Research focused on fruit and vegetables 2 IER ESPGRN, Equipe Systèmes de
Production et Gestion des Ressources Naturelles
Research institute Agro-economical research
3 IER Trans Institut d’Economie Rurale
Research institute Project staff of IER Trans project
4 CAFON Coopérative
Artisanale des
Forgerons de l’Office du Niger
Service organisation
Smithy/ assembly shop
5 AAMA Atelier d’Assemblage
de Matériel Agricole
Service organisation
Smithy/ assembly shop
6 Faranfasi So / Service
organisation
Financial and jurisdictional services amongst others
7 Office du Niger / Service
organisation
Official service agency concerning irrigation project Office du Niger 8 SLACAER Service Local
d’Appui Conseil de l’Aménagement et de l’Equipement Rural
Local government/
Service organisation
Local agency of the Ministry of
Agriculture’s extension service
9 SLCR Service Local du
Contrôle et du Réglementation
Local government/
Service organisation
Local agency of the Ministry of
Agriculture’s phyto- sanitarian control service
10 Alphalog Association Libre pour la Promotion de l’Habitat et de Logement
NGO/ service organisation
NGO mainly concerned with women’s development
11 Nyeta Conseils / NGO/ service
organisation
Consultancy firm focused on chain development of agricultural products 12 Mr. Lassine Keita Merchant Direct actor Individual merchant
in Niono
13 Mr. Amadou Dolo Merchant Direct actor Individual merchant
in Niono
No. Name Abbreviation Class Description 14 Mr. Adama
Bakayoko
Transporter Direct actor Truck driver working for a small
transporting company in Niono 15 Niongondeme Processing group Direct actor Group of eleven
members in Siribala 16 Benkady Processing group Direct actor Group of 100
members in Dar- Salam
17 Tara Bouaré Processing group Direct actor Group of 18 members in Niono city
18 Djamadjigui Processing group Direct actor Group of 132 members in Km 26 19 Benkadi Processing group Direct actor Group of 160
members in Heremakono 20 Jekabara Processor association Direct actor Sales association
representing 8 processing groups Sikasso:
No. Name Abbreviation Class Description
1 IER Fruits &
Légumes
Institut d’Economie Rurale
Research institute Research focused on fruit and vegetables 2 IER Trans Institut d’Economie
Rurale
Research institute Project staff of IER Trans project 3 Comité de
Pilotage de la filière mangue
/ Service organisation
Stakeholder platform for the mango chain 4 Assemblée
Régionale
/ Local government/
service organisation
Local governmental body focused on social, economical and cultural development of the Sikasso region
5 CCIM Chambre du
Commerce et de l’Industrie du Mali
Local government/
service organisation
Chamber of trade and industry
6 CRA Chambre Régionale
d’Agriculture
Local government/
service organisation
Chamber of agriculture
7 DRAMR Direction Régionale d’Appui au Monde Rural
Local government/
service organisation
Local agency of the Ministry of
Agriculture’s rural
extension services
No. Name Abbreviation Class Description 8 DRRC Direction Régionale
du Commerce et de la Concurrence
Local government/
service organisation
Agency concerned with the registration of import and export 9 DRPFE Direction Régionale
pour la Promotion des Femmes et des
Enfants
Local government/
service organisation
Agency focused on women development
10 DRRC Direction Régionale de la Réglementation et du Contrôle
Local government/
service organisation
Local agency of the Ministry of
Agriculture’s phyto- sanitarian control service
11 Helvetas / NGO/ Service
organisation
Swiss NGO active in chain development as well
12 Jekagnini / NGO/ Service
organisation
Program of the NGO Intercooperation Suisse, sustaining researcher-farmer interaction
13 Jekasy / NGO/ Service
organisation
Program of the NGO Intercooperation Suisse, sustaining farmers’ organisations
14 TradeMali / NGO/ Service
organisation
Program of USAID focused on the export of agricultural
products 15 ULPM Union Locale des
Producteurs des Mangues
Direct actor Association for mango growers in Sikasso 16 FELOCAS Fédération Local des
Coopératives et Associations des pépiniéristes et planteurs de Sikasso
Direct actor Local producer organisation for tree and plant growers
17 APAOS Association des Pisteurs des Agrumes Originaux de Sikasso
Direct actor Association for citrus fruit pickers of Sikasso
18 COMUFEM Coopérative Multifonctionnelle des Femmes de Sikasso
Direct actor Processing group of 15 members in Sikasso
19 Jekabara Ton / Direct actor Processing group of 26 members in
Sikasso
No. Name Abbreviation Class Description
20 UTPA Unité des
Transformatrices des Produits Agricoles
Direct actor Processing group of 3 members in Sikasso 21 CFTS Coopération des
Femmes
Transformatrices à Sikasso
Direct actor Association representing 7 processing groups 22 Ms. Fanta Diallo / Direct actor Individual merchant 23 Mr. Yacouba
Dembele
/ Direct actor Individual merchant 24 Mr. Soboua
Diarra
/ Direct actor Individual merchant 25 Ms. Nourakoro
Coulibaly
/ Direct actor Individual merchant
26 AOM Agrumes et
Oléagineux du Mali
Direct actor Exporting company 27 Mali Yiriden / Direct actor Exporting company 28 TEM Tropical Expression
Mali
Direct actor Exporting company 29 Mali Sud Fruits / Direct actor Association of 5
exporting companies from Bamako and Sikasso
30 Global Transit / Direct actor Transit agency
focused on export
Annexe III Interview scheme second round
This interview scheme consists of three parts:
- Part A: base information on the respondent
- Part B: inventory of information relationships and their nature - Part C: inventory of needs and wishes
Part A and C are easy to follow. Part B on the other hand may be a bit confusing as there are a few reiterations involved. Sub annexes 3a-3d are annexes to part B of the interview. After each interview I have written a short summary of the interview using sub annexe 3e.
Before starting each interview, I gave a short introduction of the research.
Introduction
My name is Joost Bolt. I am a student from Groningen University in the Netherlands. At this moment I am collecting data on the management of information and knowledge in the shallot chain in Niono/ the mango chain in Sikasso. This research is executed in collaboration with the IER. The IER has started a new project called IER Trans. Amongst others, this project is focused on improving the agricultural product chains by way of public private platforms. In these platforms, all actors of the product chain may participate and exchange information to get to innovations in the product chain together.
My research is focused on the information relationships that already exist between the actors of the product chain. I have prepared an interview about different sorts of information that may be of importance to you and your sector. I would like to ask you if you have ever received any such information and if yes, I would like to ask some questions about the relationship between you and the source of information.
I am going to conduct interviews with multiple producers, processors and traders of this product chain, and if possible, I would like to conduct an interview with you as well.
The interview takes approximately one hour. All information you give to me will be treated confidentially. May I continue?
I am going to ask you some base questions to start off with and after that we will continue with
the real questionnaire.
Part A Base information
A : Base information on the respondent Respondent no. [ ] Date of interview
/ / Name
Village Commune Cercle/ Zone Address Sex
Male/ Female
Age years
Role in the product chain Producer/ Processor/ Merchant/ Producers’ association/ Processors’
association/ Merchant association/ other…
In case of an association, what is the
respondent’s function President/ Secretary General/ Treasurer/ other…
Active in the product chain since...
Size (quantity per year)
Quantity of fresh product (bought/ produced/ sold)
Quantity of processed products (bought/ produced/
sold)
Cultivated surface
Number of employees Employees Period of activity throughout the year
Jan/ Feb/ Mar/ Apr/ May/ Jun/ Jul/ Aug/ Sep/ Oct/ Nov/ Dec Membership of other organisation Sort: Function: Since:
Other jobs/ activities
In case of a processor association : what kind of equipment is being used
Part B Information relations inventory
Part B1: Start
1. Have you ever received information on:
a. Technology (production, processing, quality, hygiene etc.) b. Marketing (inputs and outputs)
c. Logistics (conditions and transport) d. Finance (access to finance)
e. Management (bookkeeping, relations management, resource management etc.) [Annexe 3a can be used to facilitate the conversation]
2. If yes, who was the source of this information and what is your relation to this source?
[Use annexe 3b: questions on the relationship]
[Repeat questions 1 and 2 until no new information sources are found]
Part B2: Check
3. Have you ever participated in a workshop, training or informative meeting, no matter the subject?
4. If yes, who was the source of this information and what is your relation to this source?
[Use annexe 3b: questions on the relationship]
5. Have you ever been in touch with one of the following organisations?
[Use annexe 3c: list of available information sources]
6. If yes, who was the source of this information and what is your relation to this source?
[Use annexe 3b: questions on the relationship]
7. Do you have any other source of information we have not talked about yet?
8. If yes, who was the source of this information and what is your relation to this source?
[Use annexe 3b: questions on the relationship]
Part C Inventory of needs and wishes
1. Is there any sort of information you are currently missing?
2. If yes, what kind of information?
[Ask questions of annexe 3d]
3. Do you have any other questions or remarks regarding the subject of knowledge and information exchange, which we have not talked about yet?
End of interview [fill out annexe 3e for interview report]
Annexe III a Information sorts made operational
Sort of information
1: Technology No. Information about Production:
a Varieties (local or improved) b Irrigation technique
c Soil preparation
d Soil fertilization/ use of fertilizer e Treatment of weeds/ use of pesticides
f Treatment of bugs and insects/ use of insecticides g Soil treatment
h Maintenance of the field/ orchard
i Use of equipment for planting, treatment, harvest etc.
j Use of personnel k Product diseases l Harvesting methods Processing:
m Processing possibilities (jam, syrup, nectar, juice, dried mango) n Grading/ sorting techniques
o Washing techniques p Cutting techniques q Drying techniques r Boiling techniques
s Use of grading/sorting equipment t Use of washing equipment u Use of cutting equipment v Use of drying equipment w Use of boiling equipment
x Different sorts of packing material y Treatment of bugs and insects
Quality:
z Food value
aa The product composition ab Hygiene
ac Quality norms (Malinorm, Eurepgap etc.) ad Norms for utilisation of fertilizer
ae Norms for utilisation of pesticides/insecticides af Conservation norms
2: Marketing Inputs:
a Available input suppliers b Quality of available inputs c Price of available inputs
d Production/ processing/ commercialisation costs Outputs:
e Available markets
h Quality demanded by the direct clients i Quality demanded by the indirect clients j Quantity demanded by the direct clients k Quantity demanded by the indirect clients l Supply on the market regarding quantity m Supply on the market regarding quality n Market prices
3: Logistics Conditions:
a Conditions of inputs
b Conditions of harvested products c Techniques against decay d Stocking methods
e The cost of stocking Transport:
f Mode of transport (from field to stock house) g Mode of transport (from stock house to market) h Mode of transport (from market to consumer)
i Available transport possibilities (road, railway, water, air) j Tax and customs regulations
k Costs of transport 4: Finance
a Access to credit from banks b Access to credit from caisses
c Access to credit from investment organisations d Access to credit from NGO’s
e Access to credit from the government f Access to credit from projects
5: Management
a Relations management
b Modes of communication with other actors c Contracting (with suppliers and clients) d Coordination of your activities
e Resource management (e.g. manpower, money, equipment, land, water etc.) f Business organisation
g Bookkeeping
h Cost price/ profit calculations
Annexe III b Questions on the relationship
Follow-up questions
No. Subject Question
1 Source Who gave you this information?
2 Frequency When did you meet the last time?
Is this a regular contact?
What is the frequency of this contact?
3 Ease of access When you need information from this source, is it easy for you to obtain
this information?
How would you rate the ease of access of this resource? (easy, moderate, difficult)
4 Duration of the relation Since when are you in touch with this contact?
5 Mode of communication How do you exchange information?
6 Originator of the contact Which party initiated the contact?
Did you take the first step to get in touch with this source, or did the source come to you?
7 Finance Do you have to pay for the information received?
Do you receive an expense allowance from this source?
Are there other parties involved that provide funds for this relation?
8 Use of the information Have you changed your behaviour as a result of the information received?
Why (not)?
What was the result?
How would you appreciate the use of the information provided? (very useful, useful, not useful)
9 Reciprocity Do you provide information to this source as well, or is this information relation a one-way street?
10 Strong points In general, what are the strong aspects of this information source according to you?
What aspects do you really appreciate in this source?
11 Weak points And what are the weak aspects of this information source according to you?
What aspects could be improved according to you?
What kind of advice would you give this source, in order to improve its service?
Annexe III c List of available information sources
In Niono:
Colleagues Faranfasi So
Other actors Alphalog
Jekabara Nyeta Conseils
Sexagon Office du Niger
Synadec IER
CRU/ CLU Slacaer
CRA/ CLA SLRC
Cafon Radio/ Television
In Sikasso:
Colleagues IER (Trans)
Other individual actors Comité de Pilotage de Mangue
Organisation Paysanne (OP) Assemblée Régionale
ULPM Chambre Régionale d’Agriculture
UFROAT Chambre Régionale du Commerce et de l’Industrie du Mali
Cadre Local (ou Régional) de Concertation et d’Échange (CLCE/ CRCE)
DRAMR/ SLACAER/ ACAER Comité Local (ou Régional) de Concertation
des Ruraux (CLCR/ CRCR)
Direction Régional de la Réglementation et du Contrôle (DRRC)
Comité Local (ou Régional) des Utilisateurs (CLU/ CRU)
Direction Régionale du Commerce et de la Concurrence (DRCC)
Comité Régional de la Recherche et de la Vulgarisation Agricole (CRRVA)
Direction Régionale pour la Promotion des Femmes et des Enfants (DRPFE)
AOPP OMA
Jekasy Radio/ Television
Jekagnini Helvetas TradeMali
Annexe III d Inventory of missing information
No. Subject Question
1 Missing information Are you currently missing any information?
2 Sort of information What kind of information are you missing?
3 Own initiative Have you ever tried to find this kind of information?
If yes, how did it go?
If no, why not?
4 Preferred mode How would you like to receive this information?
From what source?
How often would you like to receive this information?
Would you be able/ willing to pay for this information?
5 Other Do you have any other remarks regarding information relationships?
Annexe III e Questions for interview report
11 What was the respondent’s INITIAL attitude about being interviewed?
__Very interested or enthusiastic __Somewhat interested
__Indifferent
__Somewhat reluctant __Very reluctant __Hard to tell
2 What was the respondent’s attitude DURING the interview?
__Friendly, eager, volunteered information __Co-operative but not particularly enthusiastic __Indifferent or bored
1 Derived from www.fao.org/sd
__Often irritated or hostile; seemed anxious to get it over with __Hard to tell
3 Was anyone else present during the interview?
__Yes, for most of the interview __Yes, for some of the interview __Yes, but only for a minute or two __No
__For (1) or (2): who else was present?
4 In giving names of people, did I get the impression that the respondent was exaggerating by giving me extra names?
__Yes __No
__If Yes: for which questions?
5 Did I get the impression that the respondent was trying to limit the number of names he/she gave me?
__Yes __No
__If Yes: for which questions?
6 In judging the relationships, did I get the impression the respondent was reluctant to answer?
__Yes __No
__If Yes: for which questions?
7 Give a brief report of the interview with the respondent.
Annexe IV Deliberation structures in Sikasso
Abbreviation French Translation
OP Organisation Paysanne Farmers Organisation
OPF Organisation Paysanne Faîtière Overarching farmers organisation ULPM Union Locale des Producteurs de la Mangue Local union of mango producers URPM Union Régionale des Producteurs de la
Mangue
Regional union of mango producers UFROAT Union des Femmes Rurales Ouest Africain
et de Tchad
Union of rural women from West Africa and Chad
FNFR Fédération Nationale des Femmes Rurales National federation of rural women CCCE Cadre Communal de Concertation et
d’Échange
Communal forum for deliberation and exchange (set up by PASAOP) CLCE Cadre Local de Concertation et d’Échange Local forum for deliberation and
exchange (set up by PASAOP) CRCE Cadre Régional de Concertation et
d’Échange
Regional forum for deliberation and exchange (set up by PASAOP) CLCR Comité Local de Concertation des Ruraux Local committee for deliberation of
rural people (set up by Jekasy) CRCR Comité Régional de Concertation des
Ruraux
Regional committee for deliberation of rural people (set up by Jekasy) CLU Comité Local des Utilisateurs Local users committee
CRU Comité Régional des Utilisateurs Regional users committee
Research and extension needs Development needs
CCCE
CLCE
&
CLCR
CRCE
&
CRCR
OP
OPF (ULPM/
Felocas)
OPF (URPM)
Processing groups
OPF (UFROAT/
FNFR)
OPF (UFROAT/
FNFR)
CLU
CRU
PRODUCERS WOMEN
See Annexe V
See Annexe V NGO’s and
funds Village/
communal level
Cercle level
Regional level
