Social Networks of VTS participants
Social networks are the set of relational ties between actors - click here for a example of a social network. In terms of the VTS project, farmers that participate in vocational training, are likely to have the following relation:
1. Kin - family relations such a wives, husbands, fathers, sons, etc.
2. Role-based - friends, employer, accountant, advisors, etc.
3. Perceptual - knows information, are aware of policies, etc.
4. Affiliations - belong to same farming group or community group, etc.
5. Interactions - discusses business ideas or farming practices, etc.
6. Affective - likes a person or trusts them, etc.
Of these six relational types, the first five will be examined through collecting data on from the questionnaire and through interviewing VTS participants.
The VTS project will track both individuals across time. Using specialist network analysis software, it will be possible to follow up interviews in the second year of the project to discern changes in the networks of participants. By considering the social networks of participants, alongside the spatial networks it will be possible to establish the role that social networks has in recruiting and encouraging participants, but also the effect that the training has on their social and business lives.