| Abstract |
After half a dozen years of field implementation, on-farm research programmes in southern Africa have developed research results which are now being passed onto extension for dissemination to farmers. Given the system, management and local specific nature of on-farm research, these results can be expected to differ in style and content from those previously available from on-station research. Much attention has been paid to the development of relevant new technology for small farmers through on-farm research. However relatively little attention has been given to the transfer of on-farm research results from researchers to extension and farmers. It is commonly assumed that the process of on-farm research will, of itself, facilitate this transfer. This network report traces the origins and rationale for the adaptive trials programme implemented in Eastern Province (Part ll). Four different types of trials were conducted, based on diagnosed problems, extension demand for specific information and the requirement to test station developed technologies. The characteristics, evolution and output from these four types of trials are given in Part ll. Parts II and ill provide the context for an appreciation of the types of information produced by the adaptive research effort. Part IV looks at how the information generated was passed from researchers to extension and to the farmer. The lessons from this experience caution against relying on the on-farm research process of itself to solve research/extension linkages. They suggest that there is a need to pay more attention to: I. Developing effective ways of transferring non- blanket, problem specific and system oriented information to extension. 2. Encouraging new approaches and perspectives to the effective dissemination of such information to farmers. 3. Committing the time of researchers to communicating the implications of research findings to input supply services and policymakers. |
ICAR Research Data Repository for Knowledge Management