Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Ashley R Cain
The Social Fabric Matrix (SFM) was developed by Gregory Hayden in 1982 as a way of
operationalising the perspective inherent in the institutional economics paradigm for the purposes of
describing a system and providing the database for planning and evaluation. The SFM makes it
possible to describe a system, articulate knowledge gaps in the system for future research, evaluate
policies, opportunities, and crises within the system and create a database for future monitoring. An
economic / production system such as the banana industry in St Vincent and the Grenadines is
influenced by cultural values, societal beliefs, personal attitudes, social institutions, technology and
natural environmental variables. A SFM analysis makes it possible to study the impact of the EU
Banana regime (1992) and the recent WTO banana ruling on the interactions of these variables in
the banana industry and economy of St Vincent and the Grenadines. In this paper I look at the
theoretical foundations of the SFM. I describe the methodological approach to constructing such a
matrix. I outline the analytical possibilities of the SFM and I illustrate the power of the tool by
examining factors influencing the nature and extent of the EU’s support to the banana industry in
St Vincent from 1992-2000. Finally I discuss how a tool such as the SFM can be used to examine
other economic issues.
INTRODUCTION
Since 1992, changes in the European Union’s (EU) banana regime have triggered many
changes in the structure and performance of the banana industry in St Vincent and the
Grenadines. The policy prescriptions of the banana regime are driven primarily by
gains from trade. It is necessary to study the impact of these changes on the banana
industry and economy of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. An institutional economics
perspective provides an appropriate framework from which to assess the impact of these
changes. The Social Fabric Matrix (SFM) developed by Gregory F Hayden in 1982 is
one tool arising from this perspective which makes it possible to study the impact of
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Paper presented at the 23rd Caribbean Agricultural Economics Conference Nassau Bahamas 15-18
November 2000
1
The SFM is a relatively unknown analytical tool which can help policy analysts and
economists and others interested in the banana problem and similar issues understand
another tool in the intellectual toolbox used to generate solutions to the problems
presented by global trading arrangements such as the WTO and the EU banana regime.
In this paper I look at the theoretical foundations of the SFM. I describe the
possibilities of the SFM and I illustrate the power of the tool by examining factors
influencing the nature and extent of the EU’s support to the banana industry in St
Vincent from 1992-2000. Finally I discuss how a tool such as the SFM can be used to
Cain (1993) attempted to apply the social fabric matrix (SFM) developed by Hayden
(1982a, 1982b) to a study of the national agricultural research system (NARS) of St.
Vincent and the Grenadines. The SFM is primarily a systems - based framework
developed within the institutional economics paradigm that may help to enhance
been applied to the study of NARS (see Echeverria 1990), this was the first attempt to
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THE SOCIAL FABRIC MATRIX CONCEPT
THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS
The SFM was developed by Hayden as a way of operationalising the perspective inherent
in the institutionalist paradigm for the purposes of describing a system and providing the
database for planning and evaluation. Hayden (1982a) claims that the SFM makes it
possible to describe a system, articulate knowledge gaps in the system for future research,
evaluate policies, opportunities and crises within the system and create a database for
future monitoring. If this claim is true then the SFM is potentially useful for examining
industry into a global economic system. The SFM requires that one considers the impact
for anyone wishing to use the SFM as an analytical tool. Let me therefore review some
superorganic and supernatural world. Culture is provided by tradition, not by the human
literature etc. Culture is mental whereas society is the set of socio-technical relationships
that direct behaviour patterns (1982b). Cultural values are the cultural criteria or
evaluative standards for judging what is ideal. Because they are transcendent, cultural
values are not amenable to change by the human agent or policy maker over a short
3
period of time. Cultural values are not goals or actions but are end-existence criteria by
which goals and actions are judged. Cultural values circumscribe the societal norms that
Social values are institution and activity specific. They are the folk views used to explain
and justify social activities and institutional rules. Norms are the belief criteria used to
justify institutions. Each institution and activity will have a cluster of beliefs that a
Institutions may be considered as “sets of rules of the game or codes of conduct that
serve to define social practices, assign roles to participants in these practices and guide
the interactions among occupants of these roles” (King 1997) Institutions are also
defined as rules or procedures that shape how people act and as roles or organizations
that have attained special status or legitimacy. Institutions may therefore be rule oriented
relationships that define social practice and guide interactions among those who
participate in them. Institutions have a stable, valued and recurrent nature. Regimes are
defined as social institutions composed of agreed upon principles, norms, rules and
decision making procedures that govern the interactions of actors in specific issue areas.
For a given institutional situation there exist obligations, permissions and prohibitions for
the element involved. The human element is socialised to respond to signs and symbols
in order to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of a situation. These responses are
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attitudes. Beliefs and institutions therefore regulate attitudes to signs and symbols and
hence regulate behaviour. Attitude responses, for example, result in fields being
ploughed and experimental plots being tended. Through attitude theory the human actor
and human action are brought into social modeling. Institutional structures influence
attitudes by determining the stimulus situation to which a person is exposed, the response
options available, the level and type of motivation and by scheduling reinforcements
(McGuire 1985).
Technology is considered as the tools and skills necessary to operate these tools. Lower
combination process. The existence and proliferation of tools is the underlying basis of
social structure. Technology requires certain relationships, for example, land to labour
ratios. A given technology may also require that institutions provide specific tools and
knowledge.
The natural environment includes mainly elements of the flora, fauna, land and climate.
This view of the environment is much narrower than that articulated by Kast and
Most of these variables are included in one way or another under one of the other
components of the SFM. Within the SFM the environment provides resources as well as
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THE GENERIC SOCIAL FABRIC MATRIX
The SFM, as outlined schematically in Figure 1, is based on the concepts of process and
delivery with components receiving from and delivering to each other. A process is
ongoing, a system has no end, and activities must be traced through the matrix to find
additional linkages and flows. Hayden, (1982a) describes the SFM as an integrated
process matrix designed to express the attributes of the parts as well as the integrated
process of the whole. The matrix is a non-equilibrium matrix, unlike the traditional
not imposed on the system studied. There is also no final demand, absolute requirement,
nor end to the system. Relationships in the matrix cannot be defined in terms of common
Instead, such a matrix requires the use of multiple valuation criteria or measures. This
aspect of the SFM is important for selection and use of indicators to measure system
performance.
In the matrix the row components are delivering to the column components. The i-th row
is the same component as in the j-th column. For a given component one traces across
the column components to find out where deliveries are being made by the row
The deliveries indicated in the matrix are based on empirical research and observations of
the system. Some deliveries are flows, some are stocks and others are criteria. As
Hayden (1982a) explains, to have a flow of wheat the environment must provide a stock
of land and people must apply belief criteria to judge the appropriateness of production
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E.1. DOMINANCE OVER NATURE
RECEIVING
D.3. EGALITARIANISM
D. NORMS (BELIEFS)
A5. INDUSTRY 2
A2. COURTS
C.1 FOREST
A1. KINSHIP
E. VALUES
C.2. LAND
DELIVERING
A. SOCIETAL INSTITUTION
A1. KINSHIP
A2. COURTS
A3. GOVERNMENT
A4. INDUSTRY 1
A5. INDUSTRY 2
A6. INDUSTRY 3
B.TECHNOLOGY
C.ENVIRONMENT
C.1 FOREST
C.2. LAND
D. NORMS (BELIEFS)
D.1. WORK ETHIC
D.3. EGALITARIANISM
E. VALUES
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technologies. This represents a descriptive use of the SFM. If one is interested in a
normative analysis then one can also use the SFM to postulate what flows should occur.
In the SFM, social structure is the system of myths, constraints and rules that guide social
by rules, beliefs and values. Components of the matrix are integrated and social
exchange. For example, one industry may obtain deliveries from another by market
Each intersection of a column and row is a "cell". The information in a cell may include
types of deliveries, amounts delivered, the location of the delivery, and the time. If a
spreadsheet is used to store data for the SFM, each cell entry could contain relevant
Standard matrix algebra cannot be applied to the SFM since the information in the rows
and columns are not of the same type. The number and kinds of components and entries
in the matrix will depend on the problem being studied and the investigator's interests.
Hayden used digraph theory and principles of Boolean algebra to develop the SFM.
Having specified the matrix it is then converted into a Boolean matrix. To create the
Boolean matrix each cell in which there is a transaction is labeled with a 1 and those with
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no entry with a 0 or left empty as shown schematically in Figure 2. (Alternatively an X
system components).
between a row element Vi and a column element Vj, and by 0 otherwise (Harary,
Norman and Cartwright 1965). Directed graphs (digraphs), which indicate the pattern of
delivery or flow between elements of the matrix, can be prepared from the Boolean
V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 Row sum
V1 0 1 1 1 0 3
V2 0 0 0 0 0 0
V3 0 1 0 0 0 1
V4 0 0 1 0 0 1
V5 0 0 0 0 0 0
Column sum 0 2 2 1 0
V1 V2
V5
V3
V4
N OD E
E DG E
I N D I C A T E S D E L I V E RY B E T W E E N N O DE S
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Each row or column element is considered a node, e.g. V4, whereas the actual delivery
linkage between element Vi and Vj is considered an edge (e.g. V3 and V4). Digraphs
therefore show the sequential nature of a system whose underlying structure can be
The Boolean matrix may be manipulated to examine system sequence, centricity in the
Methodology
The specific procedure used in operationalising the SFM is summarised below and shown
clearly define the problem being studied since the matrix can easily explode and become
unmanageable. Hayden (1993, Personal communication) advised that the SFM analysis
be restricted to the specific problem at hand and that the analyst constantly questions
whether the specific components included are truly relevant to the problem being studied.
He further suggested that, although a real-world system would include all seven possible
types of components, it is not necessary for an analyst to include all seven in a SFM
analysis.
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A model of the system is then made, using a matrix. Relationships between components
of the matrix are indicated by placing an X or 1 in a cell where there is substantive flow
IDENTIFY
PROBLEM
DETERMINE
IMPORTANT
COMPONENTS
B V I T E
B
PREPARE
SOCIAL FABRIC V
MATRIX I
T
E
PREPARE
PREPARE PREPARE
SUBMATRIX
SUBMATRIX SUBMATRIX
E.G POLICY
V V
1 3
PREPARE
DIGRAPHS V
4
V2
DO DETAILED
ANALYSIS OF
NODES
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between components. The approach to model development may be based on actual
flows/ deliveries or hypothetical flows. If actual flows are used to determine the pattern
Verification of linkages may be obtained from various sources such as project documents
and reports, financial statements, technical studies and analyses, legal instruments,
normative way then hypothesised flows are first postulated in the matrix then validated
Once matrices are completed, digraphs showing linkages between components are
prepared to obtain a pictorial view or a holistic and cognitive map of the problem being
studied. A separate digraph may be prepared for each matrix studied. At the digraph
preparation stage of the analysis what actually flowed between components (e.g. money
or materials) may be written in along the edges of the digraph. Where the digraphs are
too complicated, with many edges and nodes the verbal description of deliveries between
components may be omitted from the digraph, in the interest of clarity. At the digraph
preparation stage of the SFM analysis, contextual validation of the SFM models derived
is undertaken to see if the flows are realistic and in line with known facts or theory.
Once the models are revised and validated then analysis can proceed in several directions.
One direction would be to use the matrix and digraphs as a basis for elaborate and
complex description of the system. A second direction would be to study specific system
12
characteristics such as system centricity, system vulnerability, and stability as well as
other network analyses. A third possible direction of study could be to use the matrices
and digraphs for policy analysis and the design of interventions or new institutional
arrangements.
The primarily descriptive phase of a SFM analysis ends with the preparation of digraphs
and updating of relevant databases based on the patterns of flows indicated by the
digraphs analysis.
It is at the post-digraph stage of a SFM analysis that policy analysis and evaluation of
system performance can be done. For example, if the delivery patterns between two
of the substantive flows between these entities could be done using regression analysis
The pattern of system deliveries in a matrix would be evaluated against socially derived
primary and secondary criteria. One would therefore devise the measurement standards
against which system deliveries would be measured and make comparisons of the
normalized and actual system flows. If one were also interested in simulating the impact
of system changes, such as new delivery patterns that would arise because new
institutions require changes in system flows, one would revise the matrices and
associated digraphs to evaluate delivery patterns resulting from these new institutional
requirements.
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Data handling in SFM analysis
Matrices and digraphs may be used to organize data collection for a SFM analysis.
Because of the potentially vast number of linkages that may be identified in a SFM
analysis, the database from which one can draw could be large and diverse and include
Fortunately, modern computer spreadsheets and relational databases can help to make
handling easier and even a full-fledged SFM analysis is possible using computers. It is
underlie the SFM (Hayden 1993, Personal communication, Warkentin and Menter 1982),
and to have digraphs generated automatically from the Boolean matrices derived from the
SFM
If appropriate software were available or developed then it also would be possible to use
components and postulating different system flows and delivery patterns, an analyst
could trace alternative development scenarios for a system and evaluate the implications
of such flows for the performance of the system. One could therefore simulate different
institutional arrangements and consider how the constellations of resource flows, policies
and system outputs are likely to change. Further development of these possibilities of the
SFM may make it useful as a tool for designing social technologies such as new
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THE SOCIAL FABRIC MATRIX APPLIED TO AN ANALYSIS OF
FACTORS INFLUENCING THE NATURE AND LEVEL OF EU
FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO THE BANANA INDUSTRY 1992-
2000.
As noted by Cargill 1999, there has been a philosophical shift in the purpose of EU
financial support for the banana industry in St Vincent since 1992. These shifts have
been allied to changes in institutional arrangements arising from the interactions of the
EU banana regime, the Lome agreement and more recently the WTO rules on
obligations and resulted in the use of various instruments to provide financial and other
support to the industry and to guide and facilitate restructuring within the industry. The
major elements and influences on the financial support given is provided in Figure 4.
Components Explained
The Beliefs and Values that drive the support schemes include :
The relevant beliefs and values are gleaned from EC Council regulations (EC Regulation
agreements which establish the bases for the support given. Other matrix components are
The important institutions include distinct organisations such as Wibdeco, the European
Commission, and the Banana Growers Association. They also include decision making
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INSTITUTIONS TECHNOLOGY
DIVERSIFICATION DESIRABLE
CERTIFICATION PROGRAMME
STRENGTHEN INSTITUTIONS
ST VINCENT GOVERNMENT
WATER RESOURCES
ECONOMIC GROWTH
CASTRIES ACCORD
COMPETITIVENESS
STRATEGY PAPER
IRRIGATED FARM
FRUIT QUALITY
HILLY TERRAIN
FREE TRADE
CORE FARM
WTO RULES
EDF PMCU
DROUGHT
WIBDECO
LOME 1V
SVBGA
TOTAL
FMO
SFA
FREE TRADE X X X X X X X X 8
ECONOMIC GROWTH X X X X X X X X X 8
COMPETITIVENESS X X X X X X X X X 10
STRENGTHEN INSTITUTIONS X X X X 4
ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY X X X X X X X X X X X 12
DIVERSIFICATION DESIRABLE X 1
EUROPEAN COMMISSION X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 13
ST VINCENT GOVERNMENT X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 13
WIBDECO X X X X X X X 7
FMO X X X X X X X X 8
NATIONAL AUTHORISING OFFICER X X X X X X X X X X 10
EDF PMCU X X X X X X X 7
STABEX COMMITTEE X X X X X 6
SVBGA X X X X X X X X X 11
LOME 1V X X X X X X 7
WTO RULES X X X X X X X 10
STRATEGY PAPER X X X X X X 7
CASTRIES ACCORD X X X X X X X 10
SFA X X X X X 6
BANANA INDUSTRY TRUST X X X X X X 4
STABEX TRANSFERS X X X X X X X X X X 10
TA TEAM X X X X X X X X X X 11
CERTIFICATION PROGRAMME X X X X X X X 6
FRUIT QUALITY X X X X X X X 8
IRRIGATED FARM X X X X 5
NON IRRIGATED FARM X X X X 4
CORE FARM X X 0
DROUGHT X X X X 6
HILLY TERRAIN X X X X 5
WATER RESOURCES X 1
TOTAL 0 0 1 0 1 2 12 13 13 10 9 8 9 19 3 4 14 5 10 6 9 15 15 18 9 9 0 0 0 214
Figure 4 Social Fabric Matrix of the major influences on the level and nature of EU Financial Support to the Banana industry in St
Vincent 1992-2000
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mechanisms such as the Stabex Committee and broad rules or procedural frameworks
such as the WTO and Lome IV agreements. The various institutions included in Figure
The technology variables associated with the EU’s support include those associated with
irrigated and non irrigated production as well as fruit quality improvements and
maintenance.
The critical environmental variables include drought, hilly terrain and available water
resources.
component. The precise nature of the delivery or influence can be determined from an
examination of documents detailing such transactions and flows. Some of the deliveries
are stocks such as land for irrigation, flows such as monies for various Stabex transfers,
others are criteria for decision making or disbursement procedures and project appraisal
guidelines.
The matrix shown in Figure 4 is complex indicating the numerous interacting influences
on the level of disbursement and the deliveries of EU financial support to the banana
industry. Most interactions are inter-institutional ones indicating the relative importance
17
of institutional components in determining priorities and actual deliveries. The relative
importance of the various components are indicated by the total deliveries and receipts
Commission (including its functionaries at the EU delegation office in Barbados) and the
Banana Growers Association are major players in the process since financial transfers are
The Lome IV agreement, for example, set the legal basis for Stabex transfers, the
principles guiding the levels of transfers and the appropriate disbursement mechanisms.
It also established the need for both EU and recipient Government to develop and sign a
Framework of Mutual Obligations (FMO) governing the transfer of Stabex funds to the
recipient country. The FMO was therefore the instrument used to define the principles,
priorities and procedures for each annual allocation of Stabex funds from 1993-1995.
The FMO clearly spells out the amount of funds to be disbursed, the portfolio of projects
agencies and persons involved in fund disbursement and use. It stipulates the role of the
the National Authorising Officer (NAO) in preparing and obtaining approval to disburse
funds to beneficiaries in the banana industry and economy. Because of space constraints
deliveries and receipts identified in the SFM to illustrate its usefulness for studying
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As indicated by Cargill (1999), financial deliveries arising from Stabex transfers were
EU financed projects and initiatives have evolved since 1993. The first set of funds
Banana Industry Development Programme (BIDP) was therefore funded from 1993
Stabex transfers.
The subsequent Stabex transfers for 1994 and 1995 were firstly aimed at improving
competitiveness within the banana industry then secondly at broadening the economic
base of the society. Most of Stabex 95 funds, for example, were programmed through the
1995 FMO for budgetary support and economic diversification activities in St Vincent.
This latter use of Stabex funds involved an almost unilateral broadening of the rules by
the EU outside what was prescribed by the Lome agreement. This broadening was
agreements with ACP countries arising from a deepening of the European integration
process and from the anticipated increased importance of WTO compatibility after the
The Stabex 94 FMO stipulated six main areas in which the Stabex funds were to be
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APPROVED /
INDICATIVE (FMO) BUDGETED ACTUAL
% TO %
ECUs % ECUs % ECUs DATE TOTAL
BANANA PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITY 6.00 23 9.08 30 8.36 57 30.3
RESERVES 1.72 7 0 0 0
TOTAL 25.7 30.35 14.61 50.82
The EU deliveries under the FMO included personnel (including technical assistance
Government, SVBGA, and other national interest groups often led to slow release of
funds by the EU delegation in Barbados during the implementation phase of the Stabex
1994 FMO.
As shown in Table 1 there are some interesting relationships between the initial
indicative allocations in the 1994 FMO, the planned/programmed use of the funds and the
Productivity and quality components were quite high (57% of actual expenditure to date
all other components. This may be attributed to the urgency of addressing the banana
20
issue and the organised efforts of the SVBGA in ensuring speedy implementation of the
banana components.
As Cargill argues, the slow take up in other sectors was due to institutional weaknesses.
This was especially true in the failure of agricultural diversification initiatives whose
successes depended on the quality and strength of the marketing infrastructure and the
Resources were therefore reallocated from the diversification component to the banana
The evolution of EU donor support has shifted under the weight of obligations arising
from institutional changes at the EU and WTO level. The progressive evolution of EU
market has influenced the type of financial support for the banana industry in St
Vincent. For example, a Special System of Assistance (SSA) was instituted in 1994 to
aid adjustments of ACP banana producers to the requirements of the new common
market and EU banana regime. In 1998, a new financing mechanism - a ten year Special
Framework of Assistance (SFA) - was instituted to provide support for the banana
industry and economies of the Windward Islands as they adjusted further to the
Under the SFA scheme a global amount of approximately 7 Million Euros will be made
available annually to each of the Windward Islands during the first five year of the plan.
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Thereafter the amounts provided will decrease with a maximum reduction coefficient of
fifteen percent. To access these funds countries have to develop a country strategy paper
with a clearly defined portfolio of investment projects agreed to by the EU. In St Vincent
An overall FMO is required and funds will be made available in annual tranches subject
to annual monitoring reviews of progress carried out by the Stabex committee or its
procedures will flexible and although based on the principles of European Commission
So far I have merely described the nature of key interactions in the matrix. A full SFM
provide a cognitive map of the key influences on EU’s financial support. The digraphs
which arise from the matrix are so intricate that no attempt is made to present such
digraphs in this paper. The information on the Total Deliveries and Total Receipts may
also be analysed for assessing system centricity, stability, vulnerability etc. Again such
analyses are not undertaken in this paper. The selected analysis presented above should
however provide a sufficient feel for using the SFM as an analytical and organising
framework for studying the complex economic systems and relationships involved in
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DISCUSSION
A major aim in this paper was to present the SFM as an analytical tool of relevance in
studying economic problems and issues. A SFM analysis of factors influencing the
level and nature of European Union financial support for the banana industry in St
Vincent was used to illustrate the relevance and ease of using the SFM for such a
purpose. The SFM can be good framework for organizing a study of selected aspects of a
system, provided the issue to be studied is clearly specified. The SFM and associated
digraphs analysis made it possible to capture in one table the many variables which have
an impact on the level of financial support provided since 1992 to the industry. Given
the complexity of the matrix derived and the interaction of variables through the matrix,
it can be seen how a research programme can emerge from a SFM analysis
The SFM’s use in this study has been mainly descriptive It is an immense task to analyse
in depth the multitude of linkages identified in the matrix analysis, even for a small
matrix. This may be a major drawback in using the SFM. It may also be a strength if the
As Harary, Norman and Cartwright (1965 p 23) indicated, in interpreting nodes and
edges in a digraph an analyst may do so in terms of what actually happens, what should
happen, and what can possibly happen. In this paper the emphasis was on showing what
happens in a system (i.e., descriptive not normative use). With the matrices developed in
this study, analyses can be made of changes necessary to improve the level and nature of
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The possibilities of using the SFM for simulating system changes and studying
institutional development is arguably one of the most important uses of the matrices and
digraphs developed. It is of particular relevance for studying policy issues. If its use is
complemented by tools for analysis of specific policy issues, then the SFM can be used
to develop a policy agenda for further EU support and other industry needs.
A good feature of the SFM approach that may make it very useful for study of a system is
even if it is based on actual empirical research, it is possible for others to examine the
delivery patterns derived and to agree or disagree with the flows captured in the matrix.
This should make it useful in applied studies for discussion by staff who may have very
limited time for meetings with colleagues either because of inadequate staff levels of
If it is used as a heuristic planning tool, each member of a planning team could derive a
SFM and digraph of the problem studied. By combining the various matrices and
digraphs, members of the planning team could come to an initial working understanding
of the problem by consensus among members. This use of the SFM approach can be
constraint.
As a heuristic tool, the SFM may also be a very useful element of a farming systems
analysis. In the Caribbean the UWI and Ministries of Agriculture have used rapid
24
reconnaissance surveys to derive information for planning extension programmes. This
author looked at a sondeo report for an agricultural region in SVG (Campbell 1992) in
order to assess the potentials for combining a SFM approach with a sondeo for planning
purposes. There appeared to be many areas of overlap where the SFM could help to
structure the problem being studied and guide the planning of the sondeo. Members of
the multidisciplinary teams, for example, may participate in developing a SFM of the
problems on which information is sought. This would enable them to better identify
issues that may need to be explored with farmers and other persons interviewed. The
sondeo findings could in turn provide information on the nature and strengths of linkages
identified in the SFM (contextual validation). The combination of the sondeo and SFM
approaches could provide one solution to a the problem of adequately incorporating the
concerns of small farmers and other constituents who traditionally have little
opportunities to influence the priorities and policies of agencies that are supposed to
serve them. The possibilities of combining the SFM and sondeo approaches should make
The SFM approach, however, is not without its limitations. Development of a SFM
requires a good knowledge of the system being studied. The need for extensive
knowledge of the system, the SFM may be an excellent approach. Where such
knowledge is missing, the problem of identifying relevant issues, matrix components and
25
The need for an efficient system for data storage and manipulation is not too big a
problem where adequate computer facilities and software are available. Where these are
unavailable, application of the SFM approach becomes daunting. Although the matrices
demanding a task that it may discourage use of the SFM. Fortunately, software packages
that allow data storage and manipulation are becoming increasingly common in
developing countries. The preparation of digraphs is not as easily solved. If digraphs are
required in a planning situation then a sufficiently wide wall, suitably covered with blank
newsprint, would allow drawing of the required digraphs, with relevant system flows
written in.
As we search for new paradigms within which to evaluate the impact of globalisation the
SFM can be a useful addition to the intellectual tool box used Clearly there is a need for
further research on using the SFM, as well as its application to real world problems.
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(unpublished)
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