Tagline: How much do you really know about livestock farmers?
Champion: Annet Abenakyo Mulema
Team: ASSP
Many times our research is not informed by what exactly farmers need to increase livestock production but what researchers think is right for farmers.We consult with them, and allow them to advise us, but still it is us who determine the research agenda, and what happens with the results. This does not only lead to poor technology adoption but also design of interventions that do not directly address the issues that are pertinent to farmers. More so the gender gap is more likely to widen. For our research to benefit small holder farmers, men and women, ILRI needs projects which will focus on identifying what male and female farmers really need and this will inform subsequent technology development or interventions. Its important that we also analyze existing innovation dynamics among smallholder communities and then identify how ILRI could plug into, support and foster those innovations. This research will employ tools to determine the real needs and opportunities in livestock systems. Participatory mechanisms which involve diverse stakeholders (including farmers, NGOs, private sector, researchers and policy makers) aid knowledge sharing and co-development of technologies that are fit for the purpose. Participatory approaches will include innovation platforms and farmer field schools among others. In addition, farmers may not know what they do not know in order to increase production. Extension and exposure visits will help to uncover the unknown. The research will employ the appreciative inquiry approach to avoid focusing on farmers’ problems but also explore the good within the communities and tap into the opportunities already available. Participation would enable the un-intended consequences to come into view, and to influence how the research evolves. This will generate research that is more "fit for purpose" benefiting both men and women farmers.
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