Investing in Farmers as Researchers: Experience
with Local Agricultural Research Committees in Latin America.
Ashby, J.A.; Braun, A.R.; Gracia, T.; Guerrero, M.P.; Hernandez,
L.A.; Quiros, C.A.; Roa, J.A. CIAT, 2000
Complete document: http://www.ciat.cgiar.org/downloads/pdf/Investing_farmers.pdf
Foreword
In 1994 I was pleased to ask my colleague Blas
Santos to evaluate an unusual project supported by the Kellogg
Foundation. The project (which I had been involved with since
its beginning and which I had watched grow from an idea to an
impressive reality) was unusual because it was run by a large
international research center that had developed an approach
to carrying out some of its research in partnership with poor
farmers in Latin America through Local Agricultural Research
Committees, or CIALs.
"Could this be a real partnership we wondered,"
as we drove towards the imposing archways of the CIAT experiment
station, framed by the rugged chain of mountains where the other
half of this partnership works and lives. Knowing that scientists
tend to see semiliterate farmers in rural communities as incapable
of research, we were skeptical. But in the course of the next
few days, as we left the CIAT greenhouses and laboratories to
visit groups of farmers, community leaders, and NGO staff in
remote villages, we began to feel convinced that here indeed
was a catalyst for social change.
In a world where over 800 million people are
chronically malnourished and their number is still growing,
it is vital to help rural people innovate and find sustainable
livelihoods for themselves. Strengthening capacity for self-help
requires a combination of local initiative, training, financial
capital, and technical support. The CIALs combine these four
elements to support communities in carrying out their own "R&D"
for agriculture.
Since we first visited the CIALs, their number
has grown to 249 in eight countries. The committees are helping
generate net benefits for their communities estimated at US$5,330
per year for an average annual cost of $325 per CIAL. These
figures do not take into account the spillover benefits for
community development that many CIALs have achieved: for example,
the microcredit fund; the local health program; the increase
in women's self-esteem; or the inclusion in land reform, catalyzed
by CIALs.
During our visit to the CIALs, we discovered
many people practicing the defining principles of our work in
the Kellogg Foundation: personal responsibility, the courage
to act, a genuine respect for diverse voices, and civic participation.
We found scientists enthusiastic about the insights they obtained
from interacting with diverse women and men farmers from a variety
of ethnic backgrounds. We listened to farmers explaining what
motivated them to assume the personal responsibility of volunteering
for the community research team. From community members, we
heard about having more food in the "hungry season"
because of a participatory research process that mingles the
best of science with local knowledge. And we observed the power
of committed people to persevere in the face of conventional
wisdom and to change the world they live in.
Dan E. Moore
Vice-President for Programs
Kellogg Foundation
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Table of Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Part I - Decentralization for empowerment of
rural poor
Why decentralization is important for empowerment
of rural poor
Decentralization policies and legislation in India
PRIs as a model for participatory local development in the states
of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala
Part II - Training of trainers on participatory
local development
Participatory training methods
Training needs assessment (TNA)
Identification of stakeholders
Capacity-building areas for training
Part III - Training modules for training of
trainers on participatory local development
Introduction
1. Training module on participatory planning and management
2. Training module on social mobilization
3. Training module on enhancing women’s participation
4. Training module on social audit
5. Training module on participatory local resources management
6. Training module on partnership building
7. Training module on conflict management
8. Training module on planning for disaster preparedness and
mitigation
9. Training module on participatory community monitoring and
evaluation
10. Training module on PRA tools
Annexes
Selected bibliography
Abbreviations
Complete document: http://www.ciat.cgiar.org/downloads/pdf/Investing_farmers.pdf
