CCRP projects

»Andes CoP

-select a project- ---------------------- CURRENT PROJECTS 09-022: Andean pests 09-025: Climate risk management 09-029: Native potato seed systems 09-033: Agrobiodiversity and nutrition 09-168: Food security 09-169: Communal ag. risk mgt. 09-1100: On-farm conservation 09-1203: Quinoa sustainability 09-1204: Quinoa II 10-867: Andean grains II 10-880: Organic groundnut II 10-881: Water security II 11-381: Sustainable agriculture 11-382: Community baskets II 11-405: Lupine pest management ---------------------- PAST PROJECTS 01-1563: Andean tubers (Peru) 05-112: Biodiversity and soil 05-112: Cover agriculture 05-112: Green manures/legumes 05-112: Lupin/quinoa 05-112: Native potato 05-112: Potato moth 05-112: Seed systems 06-016: Quinoa 07-702: Nutrition support 07-1209: Soil nutrient budgets 09-005: Organic groundnut 09-016: Andean grains 09-032: Water security 09-170: Self-sufficiency 09-181: Biopesticide/potato moth 09-955: Community baskets

»East & Horn of Africa CoP

-select a project- ---------------------- CURRENT PROJECTS 08-019: Sweetpotato breeding 09-460: Chickpea/banana 09-480: Cowpea 09-500: Banana Xanthomonas wilt 09-517: Grain amaranth 09-595: Semi-arid AEI 10-333: Sorghum 10-401: Finger millet II 10-423: Tef II 10-473: Legumes 10-689: Napier stunt 10-690: Participatory video 11-283: Enset bacterial wilt 11-404: Biochar ---------------------- PAST PROJECTS 06-447: Cereal roots 06-448: Tef/finger millet

»Southern Africa CoP

-select a project- ---------------------- CURRENT PROJECTS 09-262: Groundnut PHVC 09-273: Bruchid management 09-297: Botanical pesticides/legumes 09-1086: P-efficient legumes II 09-1206: Cowpea/Alectra II 09-1207: Groundnut breeding II 09-1231: Legume best bets II 10-531: Bean seed II 10-713: Climbing beans II 10-714: Bambara groundnuts II 10-889: PV groundnut ---------------------- PAST PROJECTS 05-780: P-efficient legumes 06-740: Legume best bets 06-741: Cowpea/Alectra 06-742: Groundnut breeding 06-743: Bean seed 06-744: Climbing beans 09-298: Soil fertility mgt. 09-299: Bambara groundnuts

»West Africa CoP

-select a project- ---------------------- CURRENT PROJECTS 09-036: GIMEM 09-451: P-efficient cowpea 09-465: Technology introduction 09-495: Orange-fleshed sweetpotato 10-134: Sorghum/millet II 10-135: Seed systems II 10-140: An Be Jigi II 10-231: Soil/water manag. 10-332: Fonio 11-599: Sorghum/millet proc.II 11-600: Bambara productivity II ---------------------- PAST PROJECTS 05-009: Sweetpotato 06-011: Insect pest management 06-012: Nutrition 06-013: Grain legumes 06-014: Sorghum/millet improv. 06-015: Seed systems 09-437: Bambara productivity 09-450: Sorghum/millet proc.

»Non-CoP projects

-select a project- ---------------------- PAST PROJECTS 00-1071: Milpa 01-1564: Wheat scab 02-026: Wolbachia 02-027: Chickpea 02-246: Indigenous vegetables 02-460: Potato 02-476: Sweetpotato diversity 02-644: Finger millet 02-778: Legumes 05-781: Rice biodiversity

Definition

"Participatory research" refers to approaches to agricultural research that engage farmers in the research process. These approaches may have have roots in farmers' involvement in plant breeding, social movements for the empowerment of the poor, or pragmatic efforts to overcome limitations of conventional approaches to research.

Relevant literature

Available on the Internet
There is a wealth of excellent information on participatory research and development available on the web. Here are several of our picks to get you started.

Online books from International Development Research Centre (Canada)

• Website: IDRC (Canada)
• Reference: Gonsalves, J., T. Becker, A. Braun, D. Campilan, H.de Chavez, E. Fajber, M.Kapiriri, J. Rivaca-Caminade, and R. Vernooy (Eds). 2005. Participatory Research and Development for Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management: A Sourcebook. CIP-UPWARD/IDRC.
• Description: IDRC "publish(es), both online and in print, the results of IDRC-supported research on global and regional issues related to sustainable and equitable development." There are many valuable books among the titles available that deal directly with participatory research, including the four books below. "This three-volume sourcebook provides easy access to field-tested PR&D concepts and practices for practitioners, researchers, and academics... it captures and examines PR&D experiences from over 30 countries, illustrating applications in sustainable crop and animal production, forest and watershed management, soil and water conservation, and post-harvest and utilization."
  
  
  • Vol. 1: Understanding Participatory Research and Development
  • Description: "Volume 1 focuses on typologies and concepts, approaches, participatory technology development, and participatory natural resource management."
    
    
  • Vol. 2: Enabling Participatory Research and Development
  • Description: "Volume 2 examines capacity building, networking and partnerships, and scaling up and institutionalization."
    
    
  • Vol. 3: Doing Participatory Research and Development
  • Description: "Volume 3 looks at technology development, strengthening local organizations and multi-stakeholder-based natural resource management."

Participatory Evaluation

• Website: IDRC
• Reference: Jackson, E. and Y. Kassam (Eds.). 1998. Knowledge Shared: Participatory Evaluation in Development Cooperation. IDRC/Kumarian Press
• Description: "Drawing on experience from all parts of the world, this book examines the practice of participatory evaluation: its limits and its potential, what works and what doesn't work, the issues that frame and shape it, and the diversity of methods used to implement this approach to evaluation."
  
  A complete list of online books available from IDRC.
  

Online books from FAO

• Website: FAO corporate document repository
• Reference: Anyaegbunam, C., P. Mefalopulos, and T. Moetsabi. 2004. Participatory Rural Communication Appraisal. Starting with the people - A Handbook. FAO, Rome.
• Description: This book focuses on practical strategies for establishing and sustaining effective communication with rural people to ensure that research and/or development programs are addressing their needs and preferences. It's intended to be a useful guide for researchers and development workers "who need to know what is involved in designing and implementing effective communication for development programmes and initiatives."

Analyzing local institutions and livelihoods

• Website: FAO corporate document repository
• Reference: Messer, N. and P. Townsley. 2003. Local Institutions and Livelihoods-Guidelines for Analysis. FAO, Rome.
• Description: "Participatory approaches to development… have done much to improve the ways in which development workers learn about local conditions and identify the poor, as well as understand their strengths and the constraints they have to overcome. But less attention has been paid to ways of understanding the local institutions that shape the environment in which poor people live. These guidelines aim to fill this gap and help development workers improve their understanding of the role of local institutions. What is it they do? Who exactly do they serve and how? How do they change over time? How can they be strengthened and made more equitable? How can they be made more accessible for the poor?"

Participatory appraisal of household food security and nutrition

• Website: FAO corporate document repository
• Reference: Callens, K.and B. Seiffert. 2003. Participatory Appraisal of Nutrition and Household Food Security Situations and Planning of Interventions from a Livelihoods Perspective - Methodological Guide. FAO, Rome.
• Description: "The aim of this guide is to provide a methodology for persons tasked with the responsibility of appraising and analyzing nutrition and household food security situations with a view to use this information for project design, planning and evaluation." "The present guide is based on the experiences gained from FAO executed projects in Ethiopia, Mozambique and Zambia. The projects were community-based and aimed at improving nutrition, household food security and poverty alleviation."

Papers from AgREN (Agricultural Research and Extension Network)

• Website: ODI
• Description: "AgREN was established in the mid-1980s to link policy-makers, practitioners and researchers in the agriculture sector of developing countries. (It) aims to provide its members with up-to-date information and the opportunity to maintain a dialogue with others who have similar professional interests."
  
  These publications share valuable information about lessons learned / insights garnered from the agricultural R&D experiences of network members. AgrREN Network papers beginning at #82 (1998) onwards (up to #148 as of May 2006) are available online as PDFs. The most recent publications start with summaries of the main research findings and policy implications of those findings. The network papers represent an excellent resource on a wide variety of topics, including participatory research, presented in an easily accessible format.

Participatory Learning and Action Notes

• Website: IIED (International Institute for Environment and Development)
• Description: This is a "series on participatory learning and action approaches and methods. It provides a forum for all those engaged in participatory work - community workers, activists and researchers - to share their experiences, conceptual reflections and methodological innovations with others. The series is informal and seeks to publish frank accounts, address issues of practical and immediate value, encourage innovation and act as a voice from the field." Issues 1-50 are available free online .

Magazine articles from LEISA (Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture)

• Website: LEISA
• Description: This link takes you to a directory of LEISA resources on participatory development, where you can access and read relevant articles from past issues of LEISA magazine, check citations for hundreds of relevant references in the "Library" card catalogue, and find out about upcoming events and other websites.

Relevant links

PRGA (Participatory research and gender analysis)

• Website: PRGA
• Description: "The CGIAR Systemwide Program on Participatory Research and Gender Analysis develops and promotes methods and organizational approaches for gender-sensitive participatory research on plant breeding and on management of crops and natural resources." The link we provide takes you to a directory of recommended literature (all available online ), as well as links to other websites with relevant information. Information resource categories include: gender and stakeholder analysis, impact assessment, participatory plant breeding, organizational learning and change, tools for collaboration and innovation, and special features (communities of practice, ethics and codes of practice, Spanish language documents, sub-Saharan Africa, etc.). The directory also includes the documents and links (>1000 combined) associated with the Participatory Natural Resource Management Center. The site is a treasure trove of useful, highly relevant information on participatory research; it also appears to be well-maintained and regularly updated. Highly recommended!

ELDIS

• Website: ELDIS
• Description: ELDIS is an information portal for evidence-based development knowledge. The site provides access to a wide range of information resources (>18,000 online full-text documents, resource guides, newletters, etc.) on a variety of development topics. The link above takes you to the Participation page. Other development topics are listed on the right hand side of that page.

Participation Resource Centre / IDS (Institute of Development Studies)

• Website: IDS
• Description: "Over 6000 documents and videos are held in the Participation Resource Centre at IDS which comprises the collections of the Participation Group at IDS and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). The collection consists mainly of unpublished practical information and includes research reports, training manuals, workshop reports, critical reflections and newsletters from practitioners and networks. Abstracts of the documents can be searched online ." Use the browse button on the left to explore their document collection.

FAO Participation Site

• Website: FAO participation site
• Description: A portal to FAO participation resources. There are English, French, Spanish and Arabic versions but the majority of the information resources are in English.

ISNAR (International Service for National Agricultural Research)

• Description: ISNAR was one of the 16 CGIAR centres until 2004, when they closed down their operations at the Hague. A new ISNAR program is being developed under the governance of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). But, they have archived the information resources that they had developed from 1979-2000. Relevant information about participatory R&D can be found in the following publication indexes.
  • Impact of research
  • Information systems and communication
  • Evaluation monitoring and impact assessment
  • Research-user linkages

Site map | Contact Us