Farming systems research and extension : an approach to solving food problems in Africa

Basic FSR/E concepts and methods are explained, and the historical development of FSR/E in Africa is outlined in a discussion which traces the roots of two, sometimes conflicting, sometimes complementary FSR/E perspectives: Francophone (French and Belgian initiatives) and Anglophone (contributions of the International Center for Maize and Wheat Improvement and other international agricultural research centers). National initiatives in FSR/E and their sources of donor funding, if applicable, are also described. The major obstacles facing FSR/E in Africa are then identified: an insufficiency of shelf technologies, trained personnel, and infrastructural support; institutional separation between research and extension; and a tendency in existing FSR/E programs and projects to neglect women farmers. A final section explores the possible future of FSR/E in Africa.