13 pages, via online journal, In recent years there has been a great deal of interest in farming systems research (FSR) as a means of getting formal research and extension systems to work with and respond to the needs of resource-poor farmers. However, the results of many FSR programmes have been disappointing. This paper reviews a number of ‘successful’ FSR activities and argues that the development and use of research approaches and methods cannot be separated from the political, economic and institutional context in which they were developed and used. A closer examination of some of the new FSR methods shows that an understanding of the specific context in which these activities were developed and used is essential to understanding the potential relevance of the methods/approaches to other circumstances. A lack of an historical perspective concerning the source and advocacy of new FSR approaches and methods is one of the reasons why many FSR programmes in the past have given rise to disappointing results.
This paper describes the rationale for a change from conventional extension towards participatory innovation development and extension. The "Conservation Tillage Project" and the "Food Security Project" developed such an approach and have embarked on institutionalisation of this approach into the agricultural extension service in Masvingo Province in Zimbabwe. Dialogue with farmers, farmer experimentation and the strengthening ofself-organisational capacities of rural communities are the major elements to improve development and spreading of innovations, thus the efficiency of extension. The new approach requires a role change of agricultural extension workers from teacher to facilitator as well as appropriate methods and tools. Elements of "Training for Transformation" and Participatory Rural Appraisal(PRA) were tested and developed and were found to be effective tools. The strategy to institutionalise participatory extension is based on joining efforts and networking with other organisations, a campaign to familiarise institutional staff and a training and follow-up programme for staff in the framework of organisational development. The experiences show that the attitudinal change required to implement participatory approaches is highly depended on personalities. To have an impact on the change of attitudes a continuous medium-term training process with a close follow-up is required. The paper concludes that institutionalisation of participatory approaches into hierarchically structured organisations is a highly complex intervention. In order to besuccessful, major changes in planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation procedures are required. Changes of that nature require a process of at least 5 to 10 years and high commitment on the side of institutional staff on all levels and donors as well.
Reisner, INTERPAKS, Information flow among research and extension organizations has traditionally been portrayed as emanating from the research system. An alternative perspective of information flow in the research and extension system expands the number of participants in the model to include farmers, agribusiness people, legislators, government officials, and scientists. This perspective adds three dimensions previously neglected: the researcher is seen as producing research in response to demands of clients; it is recognized that some clients have more access to the research system than others; diffusion is seen largely as giving certain clients what they initially requested. This perspective is illustrated by the information flows that must take place in sorghum research.
