Overview of the current situation and previous impact of adaptive agricultural research in southern Africa [review]. [Workshop paper]
1994
Waddington, S.R. (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre, Harare (Zimbabwe))
A decade of Farming Systems Adaptive Research (FSAR) to the improvement of productivity in smallholder cropping systems of southern Africa is appraised, emphasising the management of soil fertility and climatic risk in maize. FSAR programs in southern Africa have been able to diagnose production constraints in maize crops and develop research opportunities to overcome those constraints. FSAR has also successfully modified technology to feature reduced inputs at levels suitable for smallholders, adjusted management to fit smallholder circumstances and operational constraints, or introduced methods that enable farmers to move toward known ideal practices, but few have led to significant adoption of adapted technology by smallholder farmers. Technical reasons for this modest impact from FSAR include over-reliance on 'fine tuning' of existing technology, and shortcomings in the conduct of FSAR, such as excessive emphasis on site-specific on-farm trials of conventional design coupled with standard analysis and interpretation of results. Suggestions are made for strategies leading to a more robust research approach that better addresses the technology needs of smallholders.
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