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INCREASING THE IMPACTS OF PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2008

J. HELLIN ,
M. R. BELLON ,
L. BADSTUE ,
J. DIXON  and
R. LA ROVERE
J. HELLIN*
Affiliation:
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Apdo. Postal 6-641, 06600 Mexico, D.F., Mexico
M. R. BELLON
Affiliation:
Bioversity International, Via dei Tre Denari, 472/a, 00057 Maccarese, Rome, Italy
L. BADSTUE
Affiliation:
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Apdo. Postal 6-641, 06600 Mexico, D.F., Mexico
J. DIXON
Affiliation:
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Apdo. Postal 6-641, 06600 Mexico, D.F., Mexico
R. LA ROVERE
Affiliation:
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Apdo. Postal 6-641, 06600 Mexico, D.F., Mexico
*
†Corresponding author. E-mail: J.hellin@cgiar.org
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Summary

Farmer participation in agricultural research can improve the efficiency and impact of the research. This functional component of participatory research includes the identification of traits that guide crop breeders' work. Participatory research can also lead to farmer empowerment, although when carried out by research organizations, direct empowerment is often limited to relatively few farmers. Farmer empowerment is, therefore, best carried out by development organizations whose longer-term interaction with farmers is likely to ensure that greater numbers of farmers benefit. Hence, research organizations ought to focus on the functional components of participatory research along with the empowerment of intermediate/partner organizations rather than the direct empowerment of large numbers of farmers.

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 44 , Issue 1 , January 2008 , pp. 81 - 95
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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