Farmer First. Farmer Innovation and Agricultural Research

Farmer First presents a new paradigm and methods for agricultural research. Starting with farmers’ own capacity for innovation, contributors from the agricultural and social sciences, ecology, economics and geography make the case for a farmer-first mode to complement the traditional transfer of technology. The theme of Farmer First is that much of the problem has been the processes of generating and transferring technology, and much of the solution lies in farmers’ capacities and participation. This follows and fits recent shifts in perception and priority. The successes of the green revolution have been largely limited to irrigated and well-watered environments. Elsewhere, in rain fed, fragile and difficult environments where over a billion people now seek their living, the performance of agricultural research has been disappointing. Poverty, population projections, deforestation and environmental degradation together point to the need for sustainable increases in production in these areas to provide livelihoods for hundreds of millions more poor people. The challenge is to find more effective ways to serve their complex, diverse and risk-prone small farming systems. Farmer First has been written for all who are concerned with policy practice and management for agricultural research extension and development regardless of discipline, profession or organization. It has been arranged as a text convenient for teaching and training. For all those who work in international and national agricultural research systems, in extension, in agricultural universities and faculties, and in non-governmental organization. The approaches and methods described are a professional challenge.

Robert Chambers is Research Associate and Emeritus Professor, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex and the author of Participatory Workshops (2002) and Ideas for Development (2005).