Farmers - Decision-making Game

This game, designed for 5-7 players, provides practice in planning and decision-making. It was originally designed to help women who had been internally displaced persons (IDPs) and were returning to a settled farming life. The process of playing and the discussions that arise are described as the focus of the game and as more important than who wins. The game is designed to be played by 4 to 6 people who will be farmers plus one person who will be the landowner. The landowner runs the game, taking and doling out money, while the farmers try to keep their family healthy and bring in a good harvest.

The game may be translated into local languages. In addition to the game description, the following are needed for play:

• 4 to 6 small objects to represent each farmer – e.g., stones with dots of different colours;
• A pile of 150-200 smaller objects to represent money – e.g., beans, matches, or macaroni;
• Two dice;
• The Good Day and Bad Day Cards (pages 3 to 6) – printed and cut out (included in the game description sheet);
• The Family Cards (page 7) – printed and cut out (included in the game description sheet);
• The two A4 sheets for the game board (pages 8 & 9) – printed out and joined together (included in the game description sheet).