Interviews with figures of authority in the community can serve as a first step in reconstructing local history, although one should always bear in mind that he or she is getting only the "official" version. For the purpose of memory banking, this reconstruction should be focused on changes in varieties and technologies through time, factors that brought about these changes, and people's perspectives of and reactions to these changes. It would also be worthwhile to explore how people were affected by the developments, and what they would have done differently if they had foreseen the consequences.
Sources of valuable information on local history, specifically that pertaining to agricultural practices and beliefs include village chieftains or local officials, "best" or most experienced/productive farmers, "albolaryos" or native medicine men, and school teachers and extension agents who have been in the area for some time.
2.2. Life history elicitation
If interviewing "gatekeepers" enables the researcher to reconstruct "history from above," life history elicitation enables him or her to reconstruct "history from below," that is, from the experiences of actual cultivators and consumers of the crop. In memory banking, life histories (or oral histories as they are sometimes called) give the investigator a wealth of information on changes in diversity and indigenous knowledge and practices within the lifetime of several well-chosen informants. The method, however, is interactive and much depends on the "style" (or manner of relating) of the interviewer -- perhaps more so than any other procedure in this protocol. However, with sufficient sensitivity and respect for other people's dignity, it is possible to establish a partnership between interviewer and interviewee in elucidating events of the past.
1 Outline the information desired and work questions around that topic. For our purpose, the questions should revolve around recollections ad perspectives of informants on how varietal composition and agricultural technologies evolved from the time the informant was a child, to the time of his youth, and eventually to the period of his maturity and old age. Note that the focus is on personal experiences and views, not on "development" in the abstract.
2. Commit the probes to memory; if it will be helpful, design and use codes. For example, one could visualize a matrix of information that is desired from each informant in this manner:
| LP | SP | CM | PC | PH | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | . | . | . | . | . |
| Y | . | . | . | . | . |
| M | . | . | . | . | . |
| O | . | . | . | . | . |
Where C = childhood
Where Y = youth
Where M = maturity
Where O = old age
Where LP = land preparation
Where SP = source of planting material
Where CM = cultural management
Where PC = pest control
Where PH = post-harvest
4. Approach the informant and explain the overall goal of the research. I have found that a good way to do this is to say that for years farmers have been told what to do but now we believe it is time to listen and reflect on what they have been doing to survive, given all the constraints.) Ask the informant if it is possible for him or her to relate events pertaining to cultivation of the crop which he or she observed or participated in while growing up. Request a block of uninterrupted time, at least 30 minutes at a time.
5. Allow the informant to freely and informally narrate his or her story, but be prepared to tactfully direct the conversation back to the topic when it goes astray. Record the life histories on tape, but take notes on important points made during the narration.
In analyzing life histories, remember that the different versions can be used to complement each other to get a better idea of development through time. The information can be recorded in the same matrix used to elicit the life histories.
2.3. Diagramming from memory
Key informants are asked to draw varieties that they can recall. They should be assured that the researcher is not after "accuracy" or faithfulness of rendition, but on how they remember the particular variety. This is important since the objective is to tap the relative salience of various features for different informants.