GIS and GPS Demonstration & Training: January

In January, the Team participated in introductions to GIS and GPS technology. Demonstrations of GIS and GPS technology and their uses helped the Team determine data that would be important in locating, managing and scaling up a horticulture project. Training included informal discussions and short demonstrations using ArcGIS 9.3. The two field Promoters (Lupakisho Chitete and Lauren Tembo) demonstrated successful mastery of using the Garmin GPS receivers to acquire a point location in geographic coordinates. 

The GPS points to first be collected in Mzukuzuku were to be:

·          Agricultural deals

·          Artificial dams or wells

·          Electricity locations

·          Existing irrigation schemes

·          Existing processing plants

·          Extension blocks or club meeting locations

·          Storage facilities or warehouses

The farmer survey was developed in collaboration with all team members and contains approximately 40 questions divided among nine sections:

A.      Household data

B.        Income

C.      Land use

D.       Farming organizations

E.        Marketing

F.        Land management inputs

G.      Extension services

H.       Support services

I.         Field location coordinates

The team traveled to Chamalaza to visit an irrigation scheme in that village and test out the survey questions.