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It is extremely important for facilitators to have a deep understanding of and experience with the technical skills and knowledge associated with Forest Garden Approach. This includes all the technical information needed to plan, grow, plant, and care for trees and other plants in combinations that effectively maximize the productivity, profitability, and sustainability of Forest Gardens in a given location. These skills are covered in the chapters following this one. Before we get into those skills, however, it is every bit as important for facilitators to have strong facilitation skills and an understanding of useful facilitation tools that significantly contribute to effective training that leads to lasting knowledge and application of skills learned by farmers. This chapter guides facilitators through some of the important facilitation tools and exercises that are introduced in the first training modules in the Forest Garden training program, many of which are repeated in other modules throughout the program. It discusses their purposes as well as how to use them in training to ensure farmers are actively engaged in the activities and grasping the knowledge and skills needed to design and establish their Forest Gardens. Many of the tools and exercises described in this chapter are proven to enhance participant farmers’ engagement and understanding of the subject matter. Facilitators should use relevant tools (e.g. songs, dance, stories, and deep-breathing) as needed throughout the program, even when it is not explicitly written into modules’ activities, to energize farmers or to help them focus on the lessons. The table below lists the different facilitation tools covered in this chapter, and where each tool is utilized in the training program’s modules.

Tool	Cross-cutting	Specific use
Dream Field		Module 0: Mobilization
Storytelling	Yes	Module 4: Gardening for the Family Module 11: Gardening for the Future
Learn-and-Teach	Yes	Module 3: Planting Agroforestry Seedlings Module 4: Gardening for the Family Module 7: Planting Fruit Tree Seedlings
Action Planning	Yes
Rapid Participatory Assessment	Yes	Module 5: Forest Garden Review Module 9: Field Optimization

Forest Garden Dream Field

What is the Dream Field Tool?

The Forest Garden dream field activity is a guided visualization exercise in which farmers are asked to imagine the Forest Garden they would like to grow. As the facilitator, you help members envision how their Forest Garden will meet the needs of their land and their families, and ultimately provide greater security for their future. The dream field exercise:

1. Motivates: By helping farmers create a powerful mental picture of their future Forest Garden, the possibilities and security it could create for their families, and seeding the idea that they can get there — the dream field activity creates commitment towards this long-term goal.
2. Opens up possibilities: the questions used as part of the guided visualization – for example, can you feed your family all year long with food from your Forest Garden – can open farmers up to options they had not considered possible before being introduced to the Forest Garden farming model.
3. Sets expectations: helps members anticipate and understand that it takes time to grow a Forest Garden, and they may not see many changes before the 2 year mark.

Backed by studies, professional athletes have long used the power of imagery and visualizations to achieve their goals. You can harness this tool to help each farmer build their own vision for their Forest Garden, as you kickstart the training series that will help them get there.

When do I use the Dream Field Tool?

The dream field activity should be included in the very first training module you facilitate with the farmer group (Module 0). The activity can also be revisited later in the training if the group is struggling with confidence and motivation. Review the tips section to see how you can adapt the tool if using it for a second or third time with the same group.

How do I use the Dream Field Tool?

Focusing on steps versus outcomes Studies show that mental rehearsal (imagining doing the steps that lead to a goal) is more effective at improving goal achievement than positive imagery (detailed image of a positive outcome). The latter is better at helping reduce anxiety and boost confidence. As outlined in the introduction, assess the level of confidence, competence, and anxiety or stress about the process that the farmer group is starting out with. For a group feeling:

• Uncertain and anxious: spend more time on creating a specific, positive image of the Forest Garden with questions like – what does it look like, what do you see, how do you feel, who else is there, how is your family feeling, what is your family doing.
• Confident: spend more time on how they created the Forest Garden they are imagining with questions like – what all did you do to create the Forest Garden, what got in your way, how did you overcome it, who all helped.

Visualization techniques Recent neuroscience research indicates that the process of constructing mental pictures of the future uses a network of neural pathways called the Default Network. This network:

• Increases its activity when we are in a state of relaxed concentration. In other words, we are feeling stress-free both mentally and physically; we are contemplating a topic but not focusing on it; we are open to new thoughts as they emerge.
• Is more active when we take a first person perspective, that is imagine the scene as-if we were actually there and experiencing it for ourselves.

You can use this information to help farmers come up with richer images that: (1) they feel more connected to, and (2) ones that offer them more information about the choices they could make. While there are several ways to facilitate relaxed concentration, we recommend two primary ways you can do this in a training setting:

1. Cultural songs, dances, and other traditions: cultures around the world have traditions that can help relax our minds and bodies, while simultaneously creating a deeper sense of community. Identifying a song or dance that resonates with the group can be a great way to get them to relax and will create a playfulness conducive to the visualization exercise.
2. Deep breathing: invite members to take in deep breaths, imagining that stressful thoughts and concerns are leaving their body with each exhale. As they breath-in and breath-out, participants should gradually and progressively relax their muscles, starting with their toes all the way to their neck, shoulders and forehead. They can tense each muscle (depending on comfort) with their inhale and relax it with the exhale.

If possible we recommend using both the techniques listed above, starting with a culturally appropriate song-dance that requires some body movement, moving onto deep breathing and transitioning to visualizing the Forest Gardens. Creating a state of relaxed concentration for a new group can take more work – participants might feel like they are entering a new challenge and can be hesitant to let their guard down. Successfully practicing these techniques ahead of time will give you the confidence you need, as their facilitator, to guide the group through this. Optional: Capturing the visualization You can choose whether you want group members to capture their Forest Garden visualization using mechanisms like:

• Simple drawings.
• Bringing magazines with relevant images (trees, plants, farming scenes) that farmers can use to cut-out, paste, and create their dream field.

Here are some things to consider when making this decision:

• Advantages: farmers can take their dream field home, share it with their families, and work with them to further build out shared goals for their Forest Garden. In addition, inviting them to put it up in their houses can serve as a reminder of what they are building, and an initial goal-benchmark to compare against as they make progress.
• Disadvantages: primary disadvantage is the time it might take to do this. Depending on the time available to you for the initial session, the overall expectations of the group, and urgency of other topics on the agenda – you can determine the feasibility of spending time on capturing the visualization.

Facilitating insight and action for the Dream Field Tool  

Storytelling

What is Storytelling?

Stories are a powerful learning tool. When used effectively stories can:

1. Further cooperation and trust within a group by highlighting shared challenges.
2. Help farmers better understand and remember key information.
3. Shift strongly held beliefs and behaviors.

A well-constructed story includes an aspirational goal, a ‘plot twist’ or obstacle, a struggle that reaches a tipping point, and an ultimate resolution. By weaving information into dialogue, and using the intrigue and ultimate joy of overcoming obstacles, stories can provide us the motivation we need for changing our attitudes and behaviors.

When do I use Storytelling?

Stories are a highly adaptable tool. Here are just some scenarios in which you can use stories to improve group learning:

• Illustrate how the Forest Garden can solve a key challenge for the farmers.
• Inspire commitment by asking farmers to share Forest Garden success stories.

How do I use Storytelling?

Constructing your story A story is built with a series of events and elements outlined below. In addition, a story has a rhythm and a structure – a beginning, middle, and end. With the middle typically being longer than the beginning and the end. The action, or pace of the story, builds to a climax as characters struggle with and ultimately resolve a crisis by creating a path to a ‘big’ aspirational goal. Relatable characters. When setting the stage for your story, introduce your participants to characters that evoke empathy and understanding. In a story designed for learning, participants should be able to identify with the main characters – so learners can see themselves applying the lessons illustrated in the narrative. Including both men and women as primary actors can help engage a broader audience as the story unfolds. A ‘big’ goal. A story revolves around a goal that gets our attention. Think of a relevant shared goal, and then look at the big underlying challenge it relates to. For example, a story on good nutrition could choose to focus on one balanced meal. Instead, introducing the opportunity to provide good food to one’s family through drought and flood is a much more compelling and aspirational goal. An obstacle. Once you have set the stage with the characters, you introduce an obstacle through a twist or unexpected problem. An obstacle instantly connects us to the challenge at hand, and keeps us wanting to know more. Climax and a path to resolution. Next, the characters struggle with the obstacle as the problem builds up to a climax, but ultimately resolve it by finding a way to overcome the problem and achieve the big goal. We remember emotions more clearly than information – highlight the joy and hopefulness that comes with the close of the story for a good ending. As the storyteller you can make some choices here. In a story designed to:

• Shift behavior or challenge attitude it’s best to focus on one big idea and limit details.
• Teach a new way of doing something, you will want to weave in important information related to the topic.

Delivering stories effectively Keep your story as short as possible and ideally no longer than 7 minutes of narrative. How you deliver a story — raising and lowering your voice, changing the speed and pace of the words, enacting emotions, matching your body language to what is happening in the plot — can make the difference between learners that are engaged and a bored audience. Narrating vs playacting: The first choice you make as a facilitator is deciding whether you will narrate the story or invite members of your farmer group to play out the characters in the plot.

• When the story is short, is being used as a quick illustration, or transition to-or-from a topic – and the goal is to keep the group moving through a sequence – you can narrate the story yourself.
• When the goal is to introduce a new concept, help the group reflect on and absorb the narrative, and change underlying behavior – invite members of your farmer group to playact the story. We recommend this method of delivery since it empowers farmers to own the learning process. Your story should be written as dialogues between characters for this method of delivery.

Practice and feedback: In order to make sure the story and its delivery is effective, practice before delivering it to the larger group. Practicing a story ahead of time helps you:

• Make sure the delivery is effective and does not distract from the main content of the story.
• Get feedback and test the story: does it get the point across? Is it appropriate for the culture? Could changes in length, language and delivery make it better?

You can invite families of the farmers helping with the playacting to provide feedback as you practice. Make the feedback process safe by asking them to share one thing they liked about the story and one thing they wished was different or better. And then practice again. When others are the storyteller When farmers share stories directly with one another, these are grounded in hard earned experience and carry more weight. They can teach, inspire, and connect all at the same time. It also carries a risk – what if the story goes against a fundamental Forest Garden principle? For instance, a farmer could share a story that relies on pesticides as a preferred solution, or use an approach that places an undue burden on the women of the family. Instead of disagreeing or stepping in to provide the answer, validate the shared challenge and use questions to broaden the conversation and draw other experiences from the group: “It is terrible to lose a whole crop of vegetables to pests. We have all experienced this challenge. Has anyone here used crops like marigold or onions as pest control? Can you share your experience with the group?” In rare instances, where someone shares a story illustrating a common and widely-held practice that is harmful to the soil and long-term health of the Forest Gardens (for example, burning crop residues to clear fields) – it is appropriate to step-in respectfully and share information that will help the group reach their goals via more sustainable farming practices. Facilitating insight and action Follow-up each story with open ended questions that help the group identify key lessons: what are you feeling and thinking after hearing the story? What’s the main challenge the family faces? What do they do to overcome this challenge? What do you want to do differently after hearing the story?

Tips for using the Storytelling tool

The most common mistake when using stories is taking too long to get to the ‘hook’ or twist that engages the listener. Try writing out your story and then cut out details to see if the story still works. Only add back what is absolutely needed for the story to work.  

Learn-and-Teach

What is Learn-and-Teach?

Learn-and-teach is a training technique that helps farmers better recall what they learned during the Forest Garden training sessions and apply it in their farming practices. In its simplest form it involves three steps: (1) an expert, someone with previous knowledge or experience of the skill, teaches a group member a farming technique, (2) the group member practices what they learned, (3) and in-turn teaches the technique to another group member. Learn-and-teach leverages two principles of effective learning transfer:

1. We learn by doing. We are more likely to retain and transfer new skills to our life when the process of learning involves doing the task as opposed to listening or reading about it.
2. Active learning is more effective. Methods that require us to mentally organize, make sense of, and share what we learned result in better recall of materials. One recent study found that with two groups of learners – one expecting a test and the other expecting to teach a skill – the group expecting to teach had better recall of the materials.

When do I use Learn-and-Teach?

Learn-and-teach can be used any time farmers are mastering an unfamiliar farming or gardening technique that they will get a chance to practice during the session. Learn-and-teach allows the facilitator to make better use of time for activities that are:

• Sequential: a skill that involves mastering a sequence of steps (e.g., steps involved in outplanting fruit seedlings) or
• Parallel: a skill that involves key variations depending on the subject at hand (e.g., best practices in planting various vegetable types).

For stand-alone tasks, like pruning a fruit tree, it is more time effective for the facilitator to work directly with the large group – leveraging demonstrations and discovery (learning guided by open ended questions and experimentation).

How do I use Learn-and-Teach?

Understand group pairing As the facilitator you must determine what will be the most effective group setup and pairing for the learn-and-teach activity. For each pairing you need to have at least one person who has previous experience or knowledge of the task at hand (expert).

1. One-to-many: one person teaches a group a skillset and then each learner gets a chance to practice what they learned. This is the default pairing when you have only a few people who have experience or knowledge of the task at hand. It is often used as the first step in the learn-and-teach process.
2. One-to-one: members teach each other a skill in a one-to-one pairing and then practice what they learned. This pairing allows for every member of the group to experience both teaching and practicing a skill. This works especially well in situations where you can pair group members and each has something they can teach the other.
3. Many-to-many: a sub-group teaches a skill to a larger group, and then volunteers from the larger group practice or demonstrate what they learned. This pairing minimizes the time needed for both the teaching and practicing aspects of the activity. The downside is that not every member of the group will get a chance to teach and practice the skill.

In most instances you will use a combination of these pairings. Typically you will start with one person teaching a group, and then depending on the time available end with either a one-to-one or many-to-many pairing in order to give most members a chance to teach what they learned. Determine set-up Depending on the activity type (sequential vs. parallel), the ratio of experts and learners, and the time available you can have several variations of how you set-up the Learn-and-Teach activity. Let us review an example to see how you can adapt the tool to your needs. Sequential – outplanting Fruit Trees Outplanting fruit trees consists of three sequential steps: (1) dig holes with proper spacing and prepare soil, (2) properly extract and transport seedlings, and (3) planting the seedling. The facilitator selects the second and more complex step as suited for the learn-and-teach approach. Step 1 of the sequence:

• For the first step, the facilitator works directly with the large group and uses open ended questions to help them learn about proper spacing, depth, and preparation of holes for the seedlings.

Step 2 of the sequence using learn-and-teach:

• As the large group practices digging holes, the facilitator takes 5 members to the nursery and teaches them how to properly extract seedlings (learn-and-teach, one-to-many pairing), using questions to facilitate understanding around technique variations for different types of fruit trees.
• These 5 members practice and extract one seedling each.
• Next, these 5 members bring a new group of 5 members and work one-on-one with them (learn-and-teach, one-to-one pairing) to transfer what they learned. The new group practices and extracts one seedling each.
• This learn-and-teach cascade continues till every member in the group has had a chance to extract a fruit seedling.

Step 3 of the sequence:

• The members who get done extracting seedlings move on to the third and final step of planting these. With farmers supporting each other through extraction of the seedlings, the facilitator is available to provide support to those ready to plant.

Facilitating Insight and Actions Minimize your role as a teacher. As the facilitator your primary focus is creating a safe place, inviting members to share their knowledge, and helping them discover and learn new information through open ended questions and hands-on practice. Depending on the competence and confidence level of the group you may be called upon to teach specific farming techniques that are unfamiliar to the group, and are key to the success of their Forest Gardens. A few things to keep in mind here:

• Do not assume you are the only one who has expertise on the topic. Before you set-up the exercise ask farmers to share what they know so you can truly leverage the experts from the group.
• Do not underestimate the ability learners have to teach themselves a new skill, especially when given access to relevant information. To the extent possible use open ended questions to spark thinking before you provide answers even as you play the role of a teacher.
• For tasks where you are starting out as the teacher or expert, shift to farmers teaching each other once you have completed an initial demonstration.

When others are the teachers. When the learn-and-teach setup involves group members teaching other group members, set them up for success:

• Prepare for the sessions by identifying which members will be starting the teaching process before the the activity begins.
• Walk these group members through a list of key questions that can serve as a guide when they are helping others learn the skill.
• Provide an opportunity for them to ask for additional information or support so they feel confident in their roles.
• Participate in the teaching sessions being facilitated by others. You can circulate between sub-groups if needed. If you think a group is missing an important aspect of the technique being taught, watch for a natural opening in the conversation to directly share the relevant information. You can also use the ‘what if’ feedback technique to spark a conversation that will help the group discover how to do do the task effectively.

Action Planning

What is Action Planning?

Action Planning is an activity that helps farmers take ownership of their learning, identify personalized goals that fit their needs, and create a timeline or list based plan for the exact steps they will take to apply and implement their Forest Garden training. The primary benefit of an action plan is identifying a sequence of actions that will help farmers achieve their Forest Garden goal. In addition, a thoughtfully conducted action planning exercise can help farmers:

1. Assess their level of confidence in implementing what they learned during a training session.
2. Anticipate obstacles and challenges they might face when applying their learning to their own Forest Garden.
3. Identify ideas and options to overcome these challenges, including helping one another as a community.

Setting goals that encourage learning, anticipating the details of when and how the goal will be implemented, and creating support systems – all bridge the gap between learning and application.

When do I use Action Planning?

Action planning should be used at junctures when farmers are about to plan and implement a series of actions over a period of time. Successfully planting green walls, setting up a perennial vegetable garden, identifying and planting fruit trees are examples of activities that typically happen over a span of several months and require a specific activity sequence in order for the end goal to be met.

How do I use Action Planning?

Adapting action plans At the most basic level an action plan is a list of actions that will be taken to achieve a goal. You can adapt this tool and add details (when a task will be done, who will do it, what resources are needed, etc.) or adapt it to a visual format to make the tool more useful to your audience. Here are some samples you can adapt and use: Sequential. This is best used when working with groups that have a basic level of literacy. Activities should be listed in sequential order in the first (what or task) column.

What	When	Who	Challenges	Resources and support
Prepare potting medium
Level ground and clear bushes to create room for a nursery			Will need more help to move the extra soil	Partnering with neighbour to help one another
Build a tree nursery site
Prepare seeds				Lead farmer will bring seeds
Sow seeds
Water, weed, and thin seedlings

     Pictorial timeline. This is a pictorial version of the sequential action plan. As the name implies, it is visual and well-suited to groups that would prefer to work with symbols and drawings. We recommend you agree upon common symbols for obstacles, support or resources, and goal achievement in order to facilitate mutual understanding when members share their plans with one another.   Calendar. This is an adaption of the Calendar Tool. You can use both words, and symbols or drawings when working with this tool. It is best used for long term planning (e.g., 4 month plan to prepare and outplant tree seedlings), as opposed to mapping out the details of a task (e.g., treating seeds, preparing nursery beds, and planting seeds). When starting out with the Forest Garden training, we recommend planning for only 3-5 months at a time. This makes sure that farmers do not feel overwhelmed and can focus on the immediate task at hand. Facilitating insight and action  

Rapid Participatory Assessment

What is Rapid Participatory Assessment?

A rapid participatory assessment allows you to quickly evaluate if the Forest Garden training is meeting its objectives. It is a simple, yet powerful set of tools that creates room for critical reflection and enables you and the farmer group to identify what is going well, where there is room for improvement, and collectively make adjustments. Fundamentally, the Forest Garden program is based on the following logic and assumptions. The Rapid Participatory Assessment tools allow you to test this framework with a light, dialogue centric approach. As shown in the graphic above, as the facilitator, you can do a rapid participatory assessment at four levels:

1. Was the training effective
2. Did the farmers learn key concepts
3. Did the farmers apply what they learned
4. Are farmers seeing improved results

As the name implies, the rapid assessments are intended to be participatory exercises. You, as the facilitator, are not judging or assessing the group separately. The assessments are conducted jointly by the entire group, with the goal of facilitating insight and identifying actions that further the overall goals of the farmer group. Rapid assessments create greater ownership for both learning and action and can be a powerful tool for leading change. By enabling the farmer group to adjust and adapt to their realities, these assessments produce improved results, and ensure the growth of Forest Gardens that are uniquely suited to the specific local contexts.

When do I use Rapid Participatory Assessment?

As the facilitator, you can determine how you weave the assessments into your training sessions. For each level of assessment, keep the following recommendations in mind when determining the frequency and timing of conducting them:

1. Was the training effective: in conducting this assessment you need to provide enough time for participants to fully experience the Forest Garden training and its methodology. On the other hand, you do not want to wait too long and run training sessions that are not meeting the needs of the group. At a minimum, we recommend assessing training effectiveness after conducting two sessions with the group; and then re-assessing every 2-3 sessions.
2. Did the farmers learn key concepts: research shows us that repetition boosts learning retention. Using a quick activity (like the Ball Toss discussed later) to capture learning is a great way to reiterate key concepts and solidify knowledge transfer for the group. You can use this single-question learning assessment to both close the day, and kick-off the following training session to maximize learning.
3. Did the farmers apply what they learned: as part of the Forest Garden training, lead farmers are required to do an on-site visit for each member. These combined with one-on-one visits by the facilitator are the primary mechanism to assess the degree to which farmers are applying Forest Garden techniques on their own farms. In addition, you can weave in dialogue based assessment and reflection at key junctures like the start of a new year or end of a topic series.
4. Are farmers seeing improved results: Since it takes approximately two years for farmers to start seeing improved results from their Forest Garden, we recommend assessing results and outcomes in year 3 & 4.

How do I use Rapid Participatory Assessment?

Method 1 – Ball Toss

The Ball Toss activity is a great way to assess learning and progress, especially when you have limited time during the session to commit towards assessment. To prepare for the activity:

• Procure a small ball that will be easy to toss from person to person.
• Determine the assessment level (training effectiveness, learning, application, results) and the specific topic or training sessions you will focus on (e.g., nurseries, vegetable gardens, pruning etc.) Here are samples you can adapt for each assessment level:
  • Was the training effective: For the Forest Garden training and support being provided to you – share one thing you like, and one thing you wish could be improved.
  • Did the farmers learn key concepts: Share what we learned in the last Forest Garden session.
  • Did the farmers apply what they learned: Share the Forest Garden techniques you are applying in your farms, and lessons you are learning.
  • Are farmers seeing improved results: Share the successes and challenges you have experienced with your Forest Gardens so far.

To conduct the activity, invite everyone to stand in a large circle. Start the activity by sharing your response to the focus question, and toss the ball to someone who has not spoken. Continue the activity till everyone has had a chance to share their response.

Method 2: Structured Dialogue

The Structured Dialogue (covered in-depth in the article on Core Facilitation Skills – Enable Group Problem Solving) is especially well suited to assessing the first three assessment levels: effectiveness of training, learning and retention, and application of techniques. Please review the Structured Dialogue chapter to get a deeper understanding of the method and its underlying thinking and approach. Here are sample questions you can use to adapt the tool to conduct a Rapid Participatory Assessment:

Stages	Was the training effective?	Did farmers learn key concepts	Did farmers apply what they learned
Experience	What training methods did we use? What did we do together? What did you observe me doing? What materials did I provide?	What did we learn? What was critical in the information we covered? What all do you remember about the information we covered?	What are you doing differently in your fields? What techniques have you implemented? What are you seeing and observing?
Feel	How do you feel about the training? What did you like most? What did you struggle with?	How do you feel about what you are learning? What has surprised you? What has been hard?	What are you excited about? What are you struggling with? How do you feel about the steps you have taken?
Think	In what ways is the training meeting your needs? How could you get more value from it?	Of the things we learned, what can have most impact for you? Of the things you struggled with – what about it was hard?	What are you learning as you apply these techniques in your field? What impact will it have on you and your family? Of the things that are challenging – what is getting in the way?
Do	What are 1-2 things we can test during the next training sessions to make these more effective?	What is one thing you could try to improve your learning from these sessions? What could we try as a group?	What is the most common thing that is getting in our way? What are possible solutions? Which ones could we test and try?

  Before the activity:

• Determine the assessment level (training effectiveness, learning, application) and the specific topic  or training sessions you will focus on (e.g., nurseries, vegetable gardens, pruning etc.)
• Finalize the questions you will use for each stage in the Structured Dialogue (adapted from sample above).
• Set-up flip charts on the wall for each of the four Structured Dialogue stages.

When facilitating the activity:

• Provide instructions to the group, here is sample language you can adapt: “We are going to spend the next 30 minutes assessing how effectively we are applying the techniques we have learned for establishing vegetable gardens. I will ask a series of questions focused on the techniques we are applying and what we are observing, how we feel about our progress, evaluate what we think about how we are doing, and finally identify what we could be doing differently or better.”
• As you ask the questions, use keywords or short phrases to capture the responses the farmers provide to the questions.
• At the end, go around the room and have each person share what they will personally be doing differently based on their insights from the dialogue. Model accountability by sharing what you will be doing differently to provide better support in the current context.
• If the group agrees on collective actions or decisions, clearly call this out at the end. Outline what the action is, who all are accountable for it, what it is going to look like, and how or when it will happen.

Method 3: Checklists

For the last level of the assessment – evaluating improved results and outputs – a checklist of questions can provide a more complete picture of what is working and what needs improvement. The open ended rapid assessment techniques we discussed above (i.e., structured dialogue, ball toss) can miss components that are critical to the overall success of a Forest Garden.  

As the next steps:

• Identify the area with the most green dots and conduct a Ball Toss to share success stories.
• Identify the area with the most red dots and conduct a Structured Dialogue to identify underlying issues and next steps for resolving the challenges.

Tips for using Rapid Participatory Assessment

• When discussing training effectiveness – stay impartial, receptive, and objective. It is natural to feel judged or reactive towards constructive feedback and comments that focus on you as the trainer and facilitator. Acknowledge the feedback, paraphrase, and reflect back what you heard. Resist the urge to justify or offer explanations, simply listening to what is being shared and allow the group the space to navigate the dialogue, as you would with any other topic.
• For more involved challenges you can follow this up with action planning to implement the ideas generated by the group.