| dc.description.abstract | ABSTRACT
The main objective of this work was to find strategies to support science projects with limited
research methods support. Many research projects face major challenges in the full
implementation on the ground. This forms the basis of the research methods program, which
intends to bridge the gap between science design and implementation. This study characterized
the nature and magnitude of variability in field management through a survey that captured
diversity at the farm level. Heterogeneity in land management is determined by settlement
patterns and land access, management imposed on the land as this can create large differences
in soil fertility over short distances within the same farms that influence crop production and
fertility management interventions. This study supported the research project by advising on
the best way to design the survey, then how to process and manage the data generated from
the survey. This was accomplished through advising on efficient use of a data management tool
(CSPro software) especially for data entry and quality control and the final backing up of the
data on external devices; final archiving of the data on a database. Besides these, there was one
to one consultancy with the scientists and this encompass joint decision making on what
variables to use for final analysis and the manner in which the results have been presented.
Data analysis involved use of spatial analysis and statistics to do exploratory data analysis and
further inferential tests to check the relationships that exist between the collected variables.
Finally, this study presents a review of previous work and recommendations given on the
methods to be used for future research work. | en_US |
