Para mayor información contacte a: Carlos Arturo Quirós

The Challenge

Several international centers and various national programs have done substantial work over the last decade or so to introduce the farmers' perspective into adaptive research.

One product of CIAT's work in this area is an approach centering on CIALs, the Spanish acronym for local agricultural research committees. First developed in Colombia during the early 1990s, the approach has spread to seven other countries of Latin America, where more than 250 CIALs now function. Recent impact studies suggest that the committees are highly effective, generating useful results, stimulating the adoption of new technology, and encouraging farmers to seek and evaluate new options for agricultural production and resource management.

An important challenge now is to promote the spread of CIALs and other participatory approaches, including participatory plant breeding methods, community watershed management associations, and participatory techniques for agroenterprise development and integrated pest management (IPM). Two other key challenges are to find ways of making these approaches more sustainable and to continue widening the scope of research conducted by rural people.

Objective

To improve the management and conservation of major agroecosystems through the development and use of participatory approaches, analytical tools, indigenous knowledge, and organizational principles that enhance the well-being of rural communities.

Outputs

• Widely applicable approaches to involve users in the development of technology for agricultural production and natural resource management
• Organizational models for conducting client-oriented research at the farm, community, and landscape levels
• Training for professionals and paraprofessionals in participatory approaches
• Training materials on participatory approaches

Benefits

The project mainly benefits poor farmers, processors, traders, and consumers, particularly those living in marginal agroecosystems, by offering them opportunities to participate directly in the development of appropriate technology. Researchers profit from more accurate and timely feedback from users about the acceptability of production and conservation practices.

Strategy

The project's strategy consists of the following central elements:

• Conduct pilot projects to develop or adapt participatory approaches for specific research themes or geographical areas.
• Replicate or scale up participatory approaches through training and workshops conducted in close collaboration with national and local organizations.
• Assess the impact of participatory approaches and disseminate the results.