Question

Significance of participatory research in agriculture

Answer 1

Participatory research emerged as an approach to create appropriate technology for smallholder farmers and as a means to improve the conventional technology development process. Participatory research is a “collaborative process of research, education and action that is explicitly oriented towards social transformation.”Participatory approaches to research are now widely accepted because they are focused not only improving farming practices but also with issues of empowerment. They recognize the importance of all stakeholders in the generation and dissemination of knowledge, contrary to past approaches where the needs and preferences of the main beneficiaries were often overlooked.