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Combining role-playing games and policy simulation exercises: An experience with Moroccan smallholder farmersCemagref, France, mathieu.dionnet{at}cemagref.fr
CIRAD, France, kuper{at}cirad.fr
IAV Hassan , Morocco, a.hammani{at}iav.ac.ma
Cemagref, France, patrice.garin{at}cemagref.fr Moroccan agriculture is currently undergoing major political, socioeconomic, and environmental transitions. Smallholder farmers involved in large-scale irrigation schemes need to modernize their systems to face these challenges. In this study, a participatory process incorporating different simulation and gaming tools was designed and applied to accompany farmer groups in designing joint irrigation projects, generally drip irrigation systems. A role-playing game was used in the first phase of the process to raise awareness among farmers about the scope and contents of a joint irrigation project and list the different knowledge gaps. During the second phase, a policy simulation exercise based on the actual field situation enabled farmer groups to design their own joint drip irrigation project. As a result, several farmer groups produced a feasibility study for their joint drip irrigation system. Our experience highlighted the complementarity of these tools in a process of change. The abstract role-playing game provided valid learning experience while the realistic simulation supported concrete decision making.
Key Words: irrigation participatory innovation development policy simulation exercise role-playing game smallholder farmers Tadla irrigation scheme
This version was published on December
1, 2008 Simulation & Gaming, Vol. 39, No. 4,
498-514 (2008) |
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