Communication and adoption of National Abaca Research Center’s umbak handicraft making

This article is based on the author’s BS Development Communication thesis.

Suggested citation:

Leya, Fatima R. (2012). Communication and adoption of National Abaca Research Center’s Umbak handicraft making. Unpublished BS Development Communication thesis, Visayas State University, Baybay, Leyte, Philippines.

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Fatima R. Leya
BS Development Communication 2012
Visayas State University
Visca, Baybay, Leyte, Philippines

 

The use of an effective communication strategy for information dissemination of an innovation is important. It is used to inform people of the benefits of adopting an innovation and persuade the target audience to adopt it. Without an effective strategy, the diffusion rate of an innovation may be very slow (Rogers, 1995). Likewise, Adhikarya (1987) identified two ingredients for a successful innovation adoption: appropriate technology and effective communication strategy to motivate and persuade the target audience. Rogers (1995) also stated that in the diffusion of innovations, communication about the innovation is most effective when individuals are “homophilous”. This means that individuals share common meanings and are alike in personal and social characteristics. But it also demands that some “heterophily” or differences in attributes be present between the source and receiver so potential adopters would most likely seek information from the source about the innovation since the two have different knowledge levels about the innovation.

The National Abaca Research Center (NARC) has developed umbak handicraft making. “Umbak or Bakbak” is the dried outer leafsheath of abaca. It is also called havana hemp and havana skin. Since umbak is one of the wastes of abaca, it was thought to have no use.  But umbak was later regarded as useful in the production of high valued handicraft products (Abaca Philippines, 2007). The use of umbak in handicraft making also maximizes the value of abaca which is beneficial to small abaca farmers and other community members.

Objectives

 This study generally aimed to determine how umbak handicraft making was introduced and its adoption among trainees in selected areas in Baybay City, Leyte.

Specifically this study sought to:

1.    Determine and describe the communication strategy used to introduce the umbak handicraft making among rural households and abaca farmers.
2.    Determine the reasons for respondents’ adoption, non-adoption and discontinued adoption of umbak handicraft making.
3.    Determine changes or consequences of adoption of umbak handicraft making using the Most Significant Change (MSC) approach.
4.    Find out the socio-demographic characteristics of respondents.

Theoretical Framework

The diffusion of innovations model by Everett Rogers provided the theoretical support for this study. According to Rogers (1995), diffusion is a social process and a special type of communication by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of the social system. This involves four main elements of diffusion, namely, innovation, communication channels, time and the social system (Rogers, 1995).

Rogers asserts that the rate of adoption of a certain innovation is influenced by its characteristics. He determined these characteristics as: 1) the relative advantage which is the degree to which an innovation is advantageous as perceived by the individual 2) compatibility, the degree to which an innovation is being consistent with the needs, experiences and values of potential adopters 3) complexity, the degree of difficulty of an innovation as perceived by an individual 4) trialability, the degree to which an innovation may be experimented on a limited basis 5) and observability, the degree to which the results of an innovation is visible to others. Innovations that are perceived by individuals as having greater relative advantage, compatibility, trialability, observavability, and less complexity will be adopted more rapidly than other innovations.

After adopters learn about the innovation, they go through the innovation-decision process, which starts from the basic knowledge about the innovation to deciding on whether to adopt or reject it. This process involves five stages which first start with 1) creating awareness 2) to interest 3) to evaluation or forming an attitude towards the innovation 4) to small-scale trial 5) to a decision of adopting or rejecting it (Rogers, 1995).

Study sites

  The study was conducted in Baybay City, Leyte specifically in Barangays San Agustin and Patag. The selection of the sites was based on the following conditions: 1) These were the areas where trainees of umbak handicraft making were located, 2) Trainees in these areas were the ones recommended by NARC and the contact person, and 3) These were the areas accessible to the researcher.

 Research design and sampling procedure

The study used the case study design. According to Baxter and Jack (2008), a case study is an approach to research that facilitates exploration of a phenomenon within its context using a variety of data sources which allows multiple aspects of the phenomenon to be revealed and understood. Kohn (1997) described the purposes of case study as exploratory such that it explores new areas and issues where little theory is available or measurement is vague. Yin (2009) also defined case study as an experimental inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon in depth and within its real-life setting and an approach is applied in program evaluation studies or studies that track changes in complex systems.

 Snow-ball sampling was used in choosing respondents. Since the record of NARC on their trainings could not be retrieved, only those trainees in Patag and San Augustin who are familiar to NARC and the contact person were included in this study. Snow-ball sampling is useful in accessing desired sample characteristics with the use of referrals from initial subjects to generate new subjects (StatPac, 2012).

 Data collection procedure

Data pertaining to the communication strategy used by NARC were gathered through an interview with a NARC staff involved in the training and promotion of umbak handicraft making. On the other hand, data regarding the socio-demographic profile of respondents and reasons for adoption were obtained through in-depth interviews, while stories of the changes experienced by the respondents after the adoption of umbakhandicraft making technology were gathered using the modified steps of the MSC process as applied by Le Cornu et al. (2003).

Determining impact of technology adoption using the MSC technique

 The Most Significant Change (MSC) technique was used to determine the consequences of technology adoption. This would help the stakeholders of umbak handicraft making understand the results of introducing the technology to its adopters. The modified steps of the MSC process as applied by Le Cornu et al (2003) was used. These steps include 1) collecting the stories 2) categorizing stories into domains of change and 3) analyzing stories and selecting the most significant change stories from each domain.

Collecting the stories. Before meeting the respondents for an interview, the researcher made an interview schedule for each respondent. To formally set the day of the interview, each respondent was given a letter to let them choose the time and day of the interview. The researcher visited the study sites and made a house to house interview of the respondents. Only those who were still adopting umbak handicraft making were interviewed, the researcher was able to collect seven stories from the 21 respondents interviewed. All of the respondents narrated their stories of change guided by the questions provided by the researcher. Collection of the stories was done using a digital recorder. Respondents’ accounts were transcribed verbatim afterwards.

Establishing the domains of change. Categorizing the stories into domains or types of change followed after the collection of the stories. As this had to be done with the NARC staff, the researcher scheduled a meeting with them on February 23, 2012. Unfortunately, only the NARC Science Research Assistant on Abaca Production and Varietal Improvement could attend the meeting since the other three selected NARC staff including the director were on travel. At the meeting, the researcher discussed with the Science Research Assistant the MSC process and how to classify the stories into domains. On the other hand, Ms. Jedess Miladel Nuñez, NARC Extension program leader, requested to leave all three of them a copy of the stories because they were not at the meeting. The researcher left each of them a copy of the stories and they categorized the stories individually into three domains:  Economic change, social change, and learning new skill.

Review and analysis of the MSC stories.  A separate meeting for the selection of stories was done due to the busy schedule of the staff. The researcher requested a meeting on February 29, 2012 and four participants were invited to select the stories: two NARC Extension Component Leaders, a NARC Extension Program Leader, and a Science Research Assistant in Abaca Production and Varietal Improvement. The NARC director could not attend because of his busy schedule so for his replacement the researcher invited a senior staff to participate in the MSC selection.  Each participant during the meeting reviewed and analyzed the stories again. The researcher asked them to choose one most significant change story per domain. By consensus, they were able to choose the stories and gave their reasons or criteria for choosing the stories using the form for selecting the MSC stories given to them. Aside from the stories chosen per domain the researcher also asked them to choose one main story of change among the seven stories.

The researcher brought a recorder to record the meeting with the NARC staff and also took note of the stories chosen and the criteria for selecting each story.

Data analysis

Narrative description and thematic analysis were used in describing respondents’ adoption of umbak handicraft making and reasons for adoption, and discontinued adoption. The thematic analysis technique of Aronson (1994) was followed in this study. Aronson (1994) stated that thematic analysis focuses on identifiable themes or patterns of living or behavior. He also identified the steps involved in thematic analysis. These include: 1) data collection and classifying patterns 2) identifying all data related to the already classified patterns 3) combining related patterns into sub-themes and, 4) building a valid argument for choosing the themes.

Results

Results showed that to introduce umbak handicraft making, NARC’s communication approach involved the use of leaflets and brochures, off campus exhibits,   training, and word-of-mouth information dissemination in the barangays. Interpersonal communication was mostly used to encourage respondents to attend trainings in umbak handicraft making.

There were more adopters who discontinued than those who continued adopting umbak handicraft making. Among the problems met by respondents while adopting umbak handicraft making were unavailability of weaving materials, product marketing, health condition, financial problems, quality control requirements, attitude of other weavers, and weaving difficulty.

Respondents’ primary reason for adoption of umbak handicraft making were mainly economic, particularly employment and livelihood. Other reasons given were convenience, accessibility of umbak, additional knowledge, for past time activity, to share knowledge and to utilize abaca wastes.

The impact of umbak handicraft making on its adopters included changes in economic, social and learning aspects.

Implications

Following Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations theory, this study traced the flow of umbak handicraft making from a research center to rural households and other community members. The innovation-decision process of the study respondents was also tracked down after the training to the present time, showing the number of continuing adopters and those who discontinued adopting. Findings revealed that after a span of time, effects of the adoption of a certain technology and how these effects have influenced adopters in the decision process can be determined.

Results of the study revealed that among the communication approaches, interpersonal communication was mostly used in encouraging respondents to attend the training in umbak handicraft making. This supports Rogers’ (1995) assertion that interpersonal communication is effective in persuading adopters to accept a new idea since it involves a face-to-face exchange of information between two or more individuals. It is effective particularly if the interpersonal channel links two or more individuals who are near peers or homophilous in characteristics.

A number of determinants that enabled technology adoption were pointed out in the study. These factors comprise employment and livelihood, convenience, accessibility of umbak, additional knowledge; pastime activity, and desire to share the knowledge and utilize abaca wastes.   Two of these factors substantiate Wabbi’s (2002) findings that economic factors, which involve level of expected benefits, influence adoption of technology. Employment and livelihood were the expected benefits after adopting the technology which persuaded them to adopt it. On the other hand, most of the female adopters found umbak handicraft making convenient to them as housewives. This also shows the importance of compatibility of the technology to housewives like them since they can also attend to their chores and family responsibilities while earning money through weaving. This phenomenon is consistent with Rogers’ (1995) attributes of innovation particularly, the compatibility attribute which concerns the degree to which an innovation is perceived as being consistent with the needs, experiences and values of potential adopters. Since the technology fits the lifestyle of the housewives, the technology was more easily adopted.

Several reasons for discontinued adoption were also revealed in the study. These reasons included problem in marketing the products, the break-up of the weaving group, finding a new job or livelihood, lack of time for family; tiring, and absence of a manager. These indicate that umbak handicraft making was not able to satisfy the expected benefits of some of its adopters which resulted in its discontinuance.  However, there is a possibility that previous adopters of umbak will weave again if problems related to supply of raw materials and marketing will be solved.

Despite the emphasis on the role of information in innovation decisions, McAnany (1980) stressed that information provided to clients of technology may not be applicable if constraints such as structural, socio-economic, psychological and other possible factors exist in the client-system. In this case new knowledge or information obtained can do little to change the situation of its adopters though it can help the individual adapt to changes or improve their lives. In the case of umbak technology adopters, McAnany’s idea might be appropriate. Though some adopters have acquired the skills in weaving, it is not that beneficial for them since marketing constraints existed.

Using different communication approaches, NARC was able to disseminate information about umbak handicraft making and introduced it to its target clients. However, providing information alone is not sufficient to make a difference or achieve successful adoption. McAnany (1980) stated that for projects to be appealing and effective to be adopted, information dissemination should deal with strategic planning. Through this, projects can have better effects on the living conditions of its target clients. Adhikarya (1987) also stated that while successful adoption depends on the effectiveness of the communication strategy used to inform and persuade the target clients of the usefulness or benefits of the technology, for behavior to be modified, the needed inputs and supplies must be available to the potential adopters.

The results of the study showed that communication was contained only between the promoting sector (NARC) and its beneficiaries. As revealed in the study, marketing has been a problem of umbak weavers. This is because NARC just stopped at the introduction of umbak handicraft making to its stakeholders and no sector handled the marketing of the handicraft products. For a product to be effectively introduced and adopted, a complex supply chain from promotion to marketing has to be built in. Communication in these areas is vital for the sustainability of umbak handicraft making. Thus, NARC and its other affiliates like Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) should work with the agribusiness unit of the university to plan the entire supply chain system. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) could also provide assistance in promoting the umbak handicrafts. This will serve as the blueprint for NARC in planning promotion and marketing activities.

While providing marketing assistance to small-scale industries like umbak handicraft may be necessary, results in this study indicate the need to include entrepreneurship in the livelihood training programs of government agencies. Adopters in this study could have devised solutions to marketing problems on their own if they only had skills in doing so.

 

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