Farmer First Revisited (forthcoming March 2009) returns to the debates about farmer participation in agricultural R&D and looks to the future.With over 60 contributions from across the world, the book presents a range of experiences that highlight the importance of going beyond a focus on the farm to the wider innovation system, including market interactions as well as the wider institutional and policy environment. If, however, farmers are really to be put first, a politics of demand is required in order to shape the direction of these innovation systems.
This calls for a major rethinking of agricultural R&D, the boosting of the knowledge and capacities of farmers’ organizations to innovate, the strengthening of networks and alliances to support, document and share lessons on farmer-led innovation, and the transformation of agricultural higher education.
PART ONE
Farmer First Revisited
Challenges to strengthening Agricultural Innovation Systems
Fostering Farmer First methodological innovation
PART II: SYSTEMS OF INNOVATION
PART III: THE POLITICS OF DEMAND AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
PART IV: NEW PROFESSIONALISM, LEARNING AND CHANGE
Reference
future-agriculture
Related FARA blog post 12th December 2007
Farmer Participatory Research and Development Twenty years on
