Institutional innovations in national agricultural research : on-farm research within IDIAP, Panama

This report describes the program and its present and potential implications. Initial sections describe the framework for agricultural research in Panama, IDIAP"s institutional organization, and the Caisan program"s planning stage, which consisted of gathering information from farmers and using the data to plan experiments. Results from three cycles of trials conducted over a 4-year period are then presented and assessed. The first cycle consisted of exploratory trials and levels trials (the latter examining types of herbicides in relation to dosages and timing of application, as well as levels of nitrogen and phosphorus applications); results were integrated with farmer survey data in planning later trials. In the second cycle, tillage systems were added as a variable, while the third cycle consisted of verification trials combining the best technological alternatives from earlier trials; this third cycle included three demonstration plots wholly run by cooperating farmers. The high rate of technology adoption among Caisan farmers confirmed the validity of the research methodology, while a 188-332% social rate of return proves the program"s cost-efficiency. A brief discussion of issues emerging from a program-related workshop concludes the report.