Farming systems R and D methodology

PROJ WILL BE IMPLEMENTED BY 3 U.S. INSTITUTIONS WORKING CLOSELY TOGETHER AS WELL AS WITH RELEVANT LDC & INTNATL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH & DEVLPMNT INSTITUTIONS. U.S. TECHNICIANS WILL MAKE FIELD VISITS SURVEYING METHODOLOGIES USED IN CURRENT LDC MULTIPLE CROPPING & FARMING SYSTEM PROGS & EVALUATE THEIR USEFULNESS TO SMALL FARM AGRI. U.S. TECHNICIANS WILL SELECT CERTAIN OF THESE METHODOLOGIES & PREPARE A SET OF HANDBOOKS & MANUALS DESCRIBING THEIR METHODS OF ANALYSIS AND STEPS TO FOLLOW IN PLNNG & IMPLEMENTING THE RESEARCH. A MINIMUM OF 3 LDC RESEARCH & DEVLPMNT TEAMS WILL BE TRND IN THE METHODOLOGIES. TRNG WILL BE HELD AT 1 OR MORE OF THE PARTICIPATING LDC AGRI RESEARCH CENTERS. A 2ND PHASE OF THE PROJ (AS YET UNAUTHORIZED) WILL TEST THE METHODOLOGIES IDENTIFIED IN THE 1ST PHASE OF THE PROJ & ADAPT THEM TO THE FINANCIAL & MANPOWER CONSTRAINTS OF LDC INSTITUTIONS. 2ND PHASE WILL BE CONDUCTED AT 4 LDC TEST SITES. EACH OF THE 3 U.S. INSTITUTIONS WILL DISSEMINATE PROJ RESULTS WITHIN A MAJOR LDC GEOGRAPHIC AREA & WILL PROVIDE LEADERSHIP IN A SINGLE METHODOLOGICAL AREA. THE ADAPTED METHODOLOGIES WILL ALSO BE PUBLISHED & WILL SPECIFICALLY PERTAIN TO THE EVALUATION OF FARMING SYSTS,COLLECTION & ANALYSIS OF DATA ON THE SMALL FARMER AND HIS RESOURCES,COLLECTION OF TECH DATA,DEVLPMNT OF ALTERNATIVE FARMING SYSTS AND THE DISSEMINATION OF FARMING SYST TECHNOLOGY. THE ROSTER OF RESEARCH CENTERS TO BE CONSULTED INCLUDES A NUMBER OF INTNATL CENTERS SUCH AS THE INTNATL RICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE (IRRI PHILIPPINES),THE INTNATL INSTITUTE FOR TROPICAL AGRI (IITA-NIGERIA),THE INTNATL CENTER FOR TROPICAL AGRI (CIAT-COLUMBIA) AND OTHERS. KEY LDC PROGS & ORGANIZATIONS TO BE CONTACTED WILL INCLUDE CATIE (COSTA RICA),PCAR (PHILIPPINE COUNCIL ON AGRI RESEARCH), WARDA (WEST AFR RICE DEVLPMNT ASSOC-LIBERIA),NATL PROGS IN GUATEMALA (ICTA) & NICARAGUA (INVIERNO) AND OTHERS. Amendment authorized 5/27/81 provides a 5-month unfunded extension of the Consortium for International Development"s contract to complete by 10/15/81 the preparation, printing, and distribution of 3,100 copies of a set of handbooks (the project"s principal output) entitled "Guidelines". Also during this extension, promotional material (slides, video tapes, other forms of visual materials) based on the handbook will be prepared and a workshop on its use for practitioners of farming systems research will be conducted.