Farming systems research and development : guidelines for developing countries

This book synthesizes the FSR&D procedures used by national governments and international research centers around the world, emphasizing methodologies that have proved successful in practice. The authors describe the characteristics and objectives of FSR&D, then present information on selecting target and research areas, problem identification and development of a research base, research design, on-farm research, extending research results, and implementation and training procedures. They emphasize that the FSR&D approach requires a clear understanding of farmers and their families, farmers" conditions, and governmental staffing and organizational capabilities, and in one chapter discuss how to determine whether an FSR&D approach is in a particular country"s best interests. Appendices present detailed examples of procedures described in the text, covering a variety of countries with different cropping and livestock systems, environmental conditions, and research and development capabilities. (Author abstract)