Planning technologies appropriate to farmers: concepts and procedures

We have prepared this Manual for professionals involved in research on improving agricultural technology for farmers. We believe that it will be useful to both biological scientists and social scientists and that parts of the Manual, especially Chapters 1, 2, 4, 11, and 12 will also be of interest to those who administer agricultural research programs. Agricultural research should have as one of its basic purposes the formulation of technologies which can be widely used by farmers. Our purpose in this manual is to present procedures which will facilitate that effort, particularly in the planning stage. Two themes are central to the Manual. The first is that effective research on agricultural technology starts and finishes with the farmer. The second is that integration of the perceptions of biological scientists and social scientists is an essential element in such research.