Selection of Tropical Forages: Development and implementation of a participatory procedure and main results from Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica

Publication Type

Book

Authors

Hernández Romero, L. A.

Year of publication

2007

Published in

Kommunikation und Beratung - Sozialwissenschaftliche Schriften zur Landnutzung und ländlichen Entwicklung

Editor

Boland, H., Hoffmann, V., Nagel, U. J.

Pubisher

Margraf Publisher , Weikersheim

ISBN / ISSN / eISSN

978-3-8236-1512-5

Page (from - to)

108

Participatory experimentation is expected to contribute to the development of effective, adoptable technologies as well as to sustainable development through the empowerment of the farmers´ own capacities. In many cases, however, the use of participatory techniques and strategies is disconnected, not allowing a holistic view of the process. In addition, participatory techniques are rarely combined in a continuous procedure to show how the results may be used in the classical selection of new technological options and to draw conclusions concerning the wider target population. These were the initial assumptions, which formed the starting point for the study documented in this book. Based on
experiences in Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, this study proposes a framework for integrating farmers as active participants throughout the technology-development process to facilitate the design of forage alternatives better tailored to the broad heterogeneity in the diverse contexts of the three countries. This book assesses the potential benefits and limitations of using the framework and identifies key phases for success in its implementation. It contributes to a new direction in R&D through the transformation of conventional selection of forage varieties over the past decade when it evolved from an economic threshold-oriented approach to a much broader ecological and participatory approach.