Participatory Evaluation of Clubroot Disesase Management Strategies on Crucifers (1) - Assessment for Level Change Consequent to Participation

Abstract

In the search for sustainable clubroot disease management approach, this research involved three stages. The pre-assessment stage determined the initial knowledge level of the farmer-respondents on farm research and clubroot disease management in Atok and Buguias, Benguet via semi-structured interview. The participatory field research stage assessed the appropriate disease management based from the experiments conducted on-station and at the farmer-researchers’ field for two cropping seasons. At this stage, the farmer-respondents were given the opportunity to observe the experiments and gather data. Finally, the postassessment identified changes in knowledge levels on research stages by the farmer-respondents based on agreed criteria like growth depression, clubroot severity, yield and additional benefits in adopting a technology.

Farmers’ knowledge in the two locations positively changed on the cause of clubroot disease and management means using compost and radish bait crop. On research, positive significant changes on knowledge levels occurred on the reasons for conducting research and the parts earlier found to be very difficult to change is easiness identifying the problem, setting up plan to address the problem as well as gathering, analyzing and interpret-ing data for the farmer-respondents of Atok but not all cases for those of Buguias.

The extent of involving farmers in developing clubroot disease management technologies is greatly influenced by the farmers’ perceptions, values and aspirations particularly in their desire to gain more knowledge and skills in conducting research to solve a problem and manage clubroot disease and profit after knowing and trying a good treatment against clubroot disease.

All activities involved in the process necessitate having the farmer researchers as main experimenters, end-users and disseminators of technologies for developing sustainable technologies.

Clubroot disease, caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae, was chosen as an avenue for participatory problem solving, as it is one of the identi-fied problems in the Barangay Natural Resources Management Planning in Atok and Buguias, Benguet.