Specific recommendations were
made in project R6849 regarding extension practice based on the findings. Project R7843 has applied these
recommendations with a measure of success (behavioural change).
· For the gains of the recent extension work not to be lost, we recommend that the development actors in Northern Ghana come together for a workshop in late 2002 to reinforce the messages that are being used among extension workers.
R6849 concluded that the TORA
was a useful tool for identifying the internal motivation of community members
(both displaced and non-displaced) and could be widely used in the energy
sector and beyond. The tool was said to
be appropriate for environmental programmes, technology transfer and health
programmes. The report recommended
that the results of this project be widely disseminated to agencies working in
the refugee, energy and environmental sectors, and other relevant programmes
where an understanding of the internal motivation of the participants would
assist planning of interventions.
Project R7843 has validated that the TORA is indeed an effective tool for identifying the barriers and drivers towards behaviour in communities and groups. It is more rigorous than some of the participatory tools currently being promoted within the development community. It allows the planner to identify the key points that need to be addressed in extension messages or development discussions. In this case it served as a tool to enhance behaviours that were beneficial to the environment. At the same time it has demonstrated that it could be used to address behaviours that affected common livelihood strategies among a community.
·
As such it should be promoted
for wide and regular use in development projects to aid focussed educational
extension work.
· We recommend that a manual be developed for using the TORA as a planning tool for project planners to encourage widespread use of it.