Asamoah Larbi (ICARDA) FAP Symposium on Feed in Smallholder Systems, Luang Prabang, Laos, 18-19 November 2010

1. Farmer-participatory research and development for improving feed supply and use AsamoahLarbi FAP Symposium on Feed in Smallholder Systems LuangPrabang, Laos, 18-19 November 2010 ICARDA

2. Why FPR…?? Response to limitation of top-down R&D approaches Objectives (Okali et al., 1994) Change orientation of existing R&D structures Develop community-based research capability Create new social and political institutions Advantages…????? Improve effectiveness of technology development Raise adoption rates Increase agricultural research pay-off Issue..Diversity of opinions - scope and nature of farmer participation in the implementation of FPR

3. What is known…? Farmer empowerment Framework for comparison: stages in the research process and the level of farmer/researcher participation in decision making Source: Okali et al (1994), Braun and Hocde (2000), Freeman (2001), Horne and Stur (2003)

5. Agreeing on options, motivation for conducting experiment

6. Searching for technology options

7. Testing/evaluating options, input supply and levels, monitoring

8. Data collection and analysis, variables, reporting back mechanisms

9. Integrating promising solutions on farms

10. Reaching other farmers in the village

11. Sharing successful technologies with other villagesSource: Horne and Stur (2003)

12. Key message None of the approaches has been able to fully meet the objectives of FSR suggested by Okali et al (1994). Changing orientation of existing R&D structures Developing sustainable community-based research capability Creating new social and political institutions Demonstrated possibility to increase community research capacity, and made progress towards changing the orientation of existing research structures Achieving sustainable community-based research process and organizations is still a challenge – innovation systems a solution? Prices of feed are subject to seasonal and annual changes