The case study method is an extremely useful element of a training course. Case studies provide an opportunity to bring a story, example or situation from reality into the training room. They can expose participants to the ‘real world’ even when resources, time or opportunity are not available to take participants on field trips or study tours. They should not be used entirely to replace ‘reality’ visits, but certainly can be complementary to other methods in the teaching and learning process. Although they are one way of presenting information a source of data or sensory input, organized or arranged into a pattern which can be interpreted., their real benefit is in encouraging participants to think and interact with the subject of the case.
Case studies may be real stories, or they may be invented stories which are given a sense of reality. In both types, a case study is a written document, video or aural presentation (e.g. tape recording), which provides relevant information about an actual situation or event. Since good case studies usually are based on a story, there will be a focus on a person or group in a particular location, and an incident or an event. The case is selected usually for its capacity to stimulate interest, to present a problem situation, and to raise issues for further reflection by participants.
Going back to the adult learning cycles (page 57) we can see that case studies can be used as ‘experiences’ for reflection, and as practical examples in which learners can test out their theories and concepts. They encourage the learning of skills in synthesis of information, analysis, decision-making, problem solving and evaluation; furthermore, they present information related to specific content of agroforestry courses in an interesting and challenging way. Another advantage of case studies is that they can be used in a safe environment (the training course), and expose participants to a sense of reality whilst minimizing the risk. For this reason, case studies are also very useful for trainers who would like to expose the course participants to sensitive or controversial subjects, for example impact of HIV/AIDS on communities and natural resources management. They are also helpful in presenting stories which take place over many years, certainly an advantage when describing agroforestry systems and interventions.
Tips for Trainers
Case studies require very careful preparation, to ensure that appropriate information is provided, but also that room is left for participants to question, reflect and apply previous learning to a new situation.
Avoid overloading the case study with information, or making it too long or detailed. Otherwise participants may lose interest in the story.
Case studies work best when they are based on reality, and have a ‘human interest’. People usually respond best to stories which involve people.
Like any good story, case studies should have a good ‘plot’, with a sensible structure, and clear language, pitched at the level of the participants. The case study should of course be understandable to the trainer, and the trainer should also think in advance about how he or she would answer the case study questions; this can be useful during the subsequent discussion.
Case studies should be selected or prepared according to the needs of participants in a training course. Some case studies can be used on many occasions; sometimes a new case study should be prepared for a specific training course and the requirements.
As for other training methods, the objectives/learning outcomes of the training course will guide the preparation and use of the case study.
Case studies may be provided to participants in different ways:
presented in plenary, with a follow-up assignment by individuals or groups;
provided, in a written form to groups or individuals for reading/watching, with a follow-up plenary, group or individual assignment and/or discussion.
Enough time should always be allocated for reading/watching the case study, for reflection, and for the follow-up discussion. If the time is spent preparing a good case study, then enough time should be given also to using it in the training session.
The following is an example of a case study:
AGROFORESTRY FOR THE SAHEL – THE SENEGAL CASE STUDY
During its early years, the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) planned and implemented its collaborative agroforestry research and development activities in many agroecological regions and countries using an approach referred to as ‘Diagnosis and Design’ (D&D Diagnosis and Design).
In the case of the Sahel, four countries were interested to consider agroforestry as an alternative and more sustainable land use approach: Senegal, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. After being trained in the D&D approach, multidisciplinary teams of scientists and development specialists implemented the ‘macro D&D’ phase, during which each country identified the boundaries of the semi-arid region in their country and characterized land use based on characteristics of biophysical nature (topography, hydrology, rainfall, soils, vegetation, agriculture…) as well as of socio-economic nature (roads, markets, population density, ethnicity, extension services, national policies, tenure, labour, etc.) This information was obtained from a variety of sources such as published documents, key informants, relevant Ministries, global databases, etc and through field verification. The outcome of this phase was a report containing a detailed description of the semi-arid region in each country and the identification of all land use systems in it, followed by an analysis of land use problems and constraints including the potential of agroforestry in addressing these.
At the end of this phase, the national teams met during a regional planning workshop aimed at comparing the findings of the macro D&D phase in each country and to agree on priority land use systems in the different semi-arid regions of the countries. They also discussed the implementation of the micro D&D phase leading to a detailed description and analysis of priority land use systems as well as the development of potential agroforestry interventions, including their research and development needs.
The micro D&D phase focused on a priority land use system in each country (e.g. the ‘groundnut basin’ in Senegal). It involved a more detailed analysis of farming using a participatory approach directly implicating farming communities in the analysis as well as in the design of appropriate agroforestry interventions that addressed farmer identified problems and constraints. This phase required the use of, and training in, various participatory tools such as semi-structured interviews, mapping, transects, calendars, ranking, etc. The outcome of this phase was a very detailed study of farming systems and a description of potential agroforestry interventions.
The national teams met again during a regional planning workshop during which they presented these studies and agreed on a regional and collaborative research and development agenda needed to develop agroforestry interventions. During this workshop, participants also agreed on detailed experimental protocols and training needs related to the knowledge A complex construction of information and individual experience with an interrelatedsocial and environmental dimension. (N.B. many different interpretations of knowledgeexist, and this is one preferred in this Toolkit), skills and attitudes required to implement national and regional agroforestry research and development agendas.
The use of the D&D approach and methodology, and the regional planning workshops, provided a sound basis for the development of a collaborative agroforestry research and development agenda for the semi-arid region of the Sahel that has now been implemented over several years. In later years, this approach has been improved through the use of better participatory characterization methods and tools, a more quantified approach of the analysis of socio-economic and biophysical problems and better ranking of problems and constraints.
This case study, and many others on the D&D methodology, has been used extensively for training and education purposes since they are based on real life experiences gained over a long time and at great expense. Resource persons who participated in the actual work, have translated this information into case study reports and lecture notes, text and picture slide series, a D&D training exercise book and a short D&D exercise to be implemented by participants attending introductory agroforestry courses. These case studies illustrate important agroforestry subjects and are a valuable, alternative teaching and learning method as compared to classroom theoretical presentations and lectures on the subject they illustrate.