MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS
Farming systems research : a critical appraisal
It is increasingly evident that public investment in farming system research (FSR) over the last 20 years has been focused on the needs of commercial farmers and professional researchers rather than on the needs of developing country small farmers.
Gilbert, Elon H.; Norman, David W. +1 more · 1970
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Abstract
Defining farming systems as human and environmental totalities, the authors of this state-of-the-art study review the literature on FSR, evaluate current FSR programs, and make recommendations to make FSR more responsive to small farmer needs. The political, social, technological, and human components of a farm system are reviewed, and a framework and general description are provided for "downstream" FSR. Unlike "upstream" FSR, which takes place on an institutional level and seeks to generate prototypes to solve deep-seated production constraints, "downstream" FSR is directed at generating, in cooperation with farmers, immediate and site-specific solutions to their needs. Current "upstream" and "downstream" programs at the national (e.g., Columbia, Guatemala, and Senegal) and international levels (e.g., IRRI and ICRISAT) are reviewed, as are several issues affecting the programs" content and focus, including institutional mandates, linkages among research and implementation agencies, professional and practical credibility, efficiency and accountability of research, and constraints of and criteria for improving FSR approaches. Next, the four stages of FSR methodology are detailed: target area description and diagnosis; project or experiment design; testing or implementation; and evaluation and extension. Problems involved in institutional linkages and in FSR training programs are also covered. General conclusions and three concerns regarding FSR (conflicts of private and public interests, gaining sufficient funding, and time to prove FSR"s worth) preface the following recommendations: direct future FSR work toward cost/benefit analyses in different ecological zones; develop methodologies to include livestock and societal, environmental, and distributional impacts; and establish more operational linkages between FSR activities and the entire range of agricultural research, planning, and program implementation. Appended are descriptions of selected FSR programs and a 155-item bibliography (1902-80).
