PET Methodology
The Pictorial Evaluation Tool was developed in 2003 by our founder the late Dr. Ian Robinson following countless crop production and livestock assessments carried out for FAO and WFP over the last 20 years.
The tool was developed through the years to increase the speed and objectivity of crop and livestock assessment. It was initially developed to serve as a methodology to lead Crop and Food Supply/Security Assessments (CFSAMs) implemented by FAO and WFP in order to provide “cereal balance” and therefore guide possible humanitarian responses from government and humanitarian organizations.
The methodology involves comparing livestock, forage, and crop observation with standard photo indicators. It was first developed as hard copy manuals for Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Uganda, and West Bank (middle east). It is comprised of three components: PET-Crops; PET-Livestock and PET-Forage which can be rapidly applied, easily explained, easily understood, easily replicated, and, can be used by non-specialists after a short training.
The methodology has been included in the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) Animal Feed Action Plan for East Africa and the Horn of Africa Cross-Border Drought Action Plan 2017.
PET Crops
The PET Crops component is based on the comparison of observations of different crop fields at harvest time against photo indicators presented in the app. The app provides a set of photo indicators for each crop type representing fields with different yields allowing the assessor to score on the APP the photo indicator that most closely matches the observation in the field.
The photo indicators are categorized into a colour-coded system where the lowest yields are blue; middle-range yields are yellow and the highest yields are red. The scores of each transect are then uploaded and analyzed, allowing the estimation of the weighted average yield for each crop assessed.
PET Livestock
PET livestock scoring is based on the critical observation of one highly visible target area or feature of the body of adult animals, against a standardized set of photo indicators. The methodology is available for the assessment of; Camels, Cattle, Goats, Fat, and long-tailed Sheep.
The Methodology follows a scoring approach based on the grading system developed in Australia for domestic livestock over 40 years ago. While the Australian methodology comprises both animal manipulation (touching) and observation of several places on the animal, PET offers a simplified adapted version, for rapid assessments of large numbers of animals.
PET Forage
PET Forage allows the estimation of yields of forage or Stover crops in terms of dry matter yield per unit area (e.g. tonnes/hectare). The methodology provides a more rapid method involving comparison of the areas of the pasture/Stover under observation with photo indicators of known levels of production of different types of pasture such as; star grass, thatching grass, alet grass, and more generic classifications of grazing areas including annual grass, perennial grass, mixed grass as well as standing Sorghum and Maize Stover. The photo indicators represent three different yields, across a representative range presented for each type. These show the standing crop within a 1 square meter area, as well as its corresponding dry matter yield in tonnes/hectare (which were identified by cutting, drying, and weighing these 1m2 areas).
