Research-extension-farmers organisation linkages

Farmers' organisations can play an important role in defending their members' interests where they are: representative; federated at a level higher than the village; legally and formally accepted by government; and members have in common a profitable economic activity or the production of a key commodity. However, it is also important for there to be a favourable political, legislative, institutional and macro-economic context if strong linkages between farmers' organisations, agricultural research and extension organisations are to develop. In addition, there is a need for : - a continued policy of decentralising national agricultural research institutes; - material incentives for researchers to engage in participatory research and dialogue with farmers' organisations; - establishing consultative frameworks that are more representative of farmers' organisations (not solely involving private farmers). Lastly, it is crucial for farmers' organisations' technical capacities and resources to be strengthened if they are to be able to articulate their needs and demands to agricultural service providers more effectively. [¿] The study examined the role of agricultural research in technology generation and dissemination processes and, more specifically, the role that farmers' organisations and other civil society actors can play in these. The main objective of the study was to highlight the technical, economic and institutional conditions that influence the development of effective collaborative linkages between research systems, farmers and farmers' organisations