Kulayinjana («
Teaching Each Other
»): A Role Playing Game to elicit, model
and simulate cattle complex herding strategies
Engaging people in co-designing a role-playing (RPG) game that mimics their everyday life
Arthur Perrotton
1, Christophe Le Page
2, Peace Chuma
3, Bernard Triomphe
4, Michel de Garine Wichatitsky
21 CIRAD, Dep. Environment & Society ,UR AGIRs. Harare, Zimbabwe, 2CIRAD, Dep. Environment & Society ,UR GREEN. Montpellier, France , 3FranceCNRS/National University of Science and Technology, Hwange/Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, 4CIRAD, UR Innovation, Montpellier,
A Socioecological system with complex interactions between rural communities (Hwange District - ward 15) and a protected area (Sikumi Forest).
Cattle herding = bone of contention between rural communities and forest managers:
Cattle herding at the heart of coexistence
between rural communities and
conservation areas
For more information: A. Perrotton (PhD Student),
CIRAD, Montpellier, France arthur.perrotton@cirad.fr
The Team: 11 Villagers and 3 researchers working jointly with a common objective
1st workshop
• Starting the process
• Presenting the Draft game • Re-designing the game
Re-design
Re-design
Finalized
Co-designed
Game
Activities
Living with a family in a village (Magoli)
Participant observation & interviews
Driving cattle in the forest with herders
Objectives
Overview of the system
Knowing people and being known
Building trust
Defining a co-designing team
Conclusion
Process achieved through mutual trust, freedom of speech and
reciprocity.
Objective reached: Developing an intermediate object that makes
sense for all the members of the team, and allows us to collect data
on cattle herding strategies
Re-design
2nd workshop
• Testing a new game board • Validations/corrections of
dynamics and rules
3rd workshop
• Testing the final setting • Validations/corrections of
dynamics and rules
June 2014
Nov. 2014
April 2015
The virtual environment reproduces their real life setting: e.g. Village Vs Forest, wildlife, rainfalls.
Uncertainty is part of the game: climate, predation and crops raiding by wildlife
Players play their real lives: managing their farms and driving their cattle in a dynamic environment
The environment (grazing availability, fields) will be impacted by players’ decisions
Players can collaborate, or play individually
A playing session involves 2 agricultural years with two different rainfall patterns
0,0 5,0 10,0 15,0 20,0 25,0 30,0 35,0 40,0
Hard Not really hard quite easy very easy
Is the game easy to play?
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Not at all Not really Yes Very realistic
Is the game realistic ?
•1972: Creation of the Sikumi Forest banned access for communities
•1992: Major Droughtcommunities obtain a controlled right of access to the forest. Grazing allowed, but the official authorized distance is controversial (from 2 to 7 kms) • Forest managers acknowledge the rural need for grazing land and the benefits of such policy : buffer zone; decreased risk of fire; improved relationships…but are concerned by sides effects such as overgrazing, diseases transmissions and opportunist activities like poaching.
• Herding cattle inside the forest is a key practice for farmers living on the edge of the forest: Access to grazing and water pans that are scarce in the villages; allows to avoid
crop damages due to cows entering fields.
Cattle herding is part of a complex farming strategy , various socioecological parameters will influence herders’ decisions: personal history, individual
objectives, interactions with other farmers/herders, cattle body
condition, size of the herd,
climate, agricultural calendar…
