Facilitating change: the role of animators

Participatory research with well established, autonomous farmer groups in Uganda and Ghana examined their viewpoints and priorities concerning agricultural information. In particular, it sought to investigate the ways in which farmers identified new ideas of common interest and to explore how these ideas were shared, modified and sometimes implemented within the group or wider community. After a series of visits, it became clear that within every functioning group certain individuals played a key role not just with regard to information exchange but also in their support and encouragement of change and development within the group. These individuals, referred to as animators, exhibited clear characteristics. Though belonging to the local community, they tended to have above-average literacy levels and were usually more widely travelled than their peers. Their role was usually to support and facilitate rather than to act as leaders, and they often acted as a key channel for sharing information. The animators acted as significant catalysts in facilitating the flow of new ideas and information, and they should receive more attention and research with regard to encouraging developmental change.