For further information contact: Reinhardt Howeler

Traditionally, most agricultural research has been conducted in laboratories, greenhouses, research centers, or experiment stations. Under such conditions, the researcher develops a hypothesis, designs an experiment, and conducts the experiment with adequate replication so that results can be statistically analyzed to determine if the hypothesis was true or false. He/she will try to maintain all external factors the same for all treatments in order to ensure that the results obtained are derived only from the specific treatments imposed. During the whole process—from selecting the experimental design and treatments to implementing and harvesting the experiment—the researcher maintains full control. The researcher makes all decisions and the final conclusions as to which were the best treatments. The researcher then makes recommendations on management practices or varieties to extension workers, who, in their turn, make recommendations to farmers.

This approach is highly suitable for comparing, under rigorously controlled conditions, a wide range of options, or for developing basic knowledge about the crop and its interaction with the environment. It has led to the development of many new outstanding varieties and improved production practices.

When the NF Project on Farmer Participatory Research and Extension started in 1994, a wide range of improved technologies were already available—“on-the-shelf” so to speak—including new cassava varieties and production practices (e.g., fertilizer applications, plant spacing, and weed control); improved practices to increase soil fertility and control erosion; and potentially useful intercropping systems. Yet, few had been adopted by farmers, because many farmers were unaware that the improved technologies existed, or many varieties or practices were not well adapted to the farmers’ specific conditions or needs, or many recommended practices did not provide enough short-term benefits such as reduced production costs or increased yields. The last was particularly true for erosion control practices, which tended to require additional labor or capital.

Nevertheless, the availability of many options enabled farmers to choose the most promising for testing in farmer participatory research (FPR) trials.

Some strategic and applied on-station research was continued or initiated during the execution of the NF Project to solve particular problems identified at the farm level. As an example, the table below shows on-station research conducted by collaborating research institutions during 2001.