Where to test: choosing sample points
How do I choose where to sample?
Sampling points should be representative of the different zones that the project covers, and be accessible over time. By zone, we mean a place that XXXX
Action Learning: Which places does your project work in? Think about the different geographic locations (villages, districts etc) and the different characteristics within those places (amount of vegetation, soil erosion etc). Make a list of place by combination, for example village A – low vegetation, high soil erosion, village A – low vegetation, high compaction, village B – high compaction XXX
Our advice is to focus on as many sampling points (per zone) as you can realistically keep track of. In other words, the number of sampling points selected depends on your capacity for monitoring.
Generally, more sampling points means more significant results, but it also means more effort i.e. time and resources) are required. We advise starting with a few zones (and sampling points) first, and gradually expanding to the whole project area.
If there are 10 zones, select the 5 most important ones, and define at least 2 sampling points in each. In subsequent years you can do the same for the other zones, or increase the number of sampling points per monitoring area.
How to record your chosen sampling points (when in the field)
1) Mark the location: GPS or name it and mark it (to be able to come back)
When defining sampling points, mark these physically (using sticks and labels) and digitally by recording their geocoordinates and depicting them in the digital polygons/map of the project site.
2) Take a photo at the same location, same direction (a ‘point photo’). It will also allow us to see the vegetation and its evolution.