Study on impacts of farmer-led approaches to agricultural research and development (FL-ARD) supported by civil society organisations Study on impacts of farmer-led approaches to agricultural research and development (FL-ARD) supported by civil society organisations Many of the efforts to transform scientific knowledge into sustainable agriculture and natural resource management (NRM) have brought only limited benefits to smallholder farmers, including fishers, livestock-keepers and other resource users. Donors, policymakers and civil-society organisations (CSOs) are urging the formal agricultural research and development (ARD) sector to make its research more directly useful to smallholders. Several ARD institutions are seeking ways to engage more closely with smallholders and supporting organisations in the field in order to conduct research that is more relevant for and accessible to them. These institutions are open to learn from examples of ARD driven and co-managed by smallholders in processes facilitated by CSOs outside of the formal ARD sector, in what could be called “informal” ARD. The CGIAR Research Program (CRP) Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) is taking an approach that seeks to embed research in development processes and, in so doing, strengthen capacities of stakeholders to innovate and adapt. Similarly, the CRP Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) seeks to translate knowledge into action for change through social-learning processes. AAS and CCAFS have linked up with Prolinnova to explore the approaches, experiences, outcomes and impacts of “informal” ARD in the CSO sector. As information on the process and outcomes of the activities rarely appears in double-refereed scientific journals, the initial sources were mainly project reports and articles for development practitioners as well as – where available – reports on project evaluations and impact assessments. The first output of this initiative is a desk study on “Impacts of farmer-led approaches to agricultural research and development (FL-ARD) supported by civil society organisations” (in press). Based on 11 case studies from Africa, Asia and Latin America selected from over 100 cases identified through Prolinnova’s various networks and a Web search, the study team assessed the extent to which farmer- or community-managed processes of research and innovation in agriculture and NRM led to improvements in rural livelihoods. It analysed the impact in terms of food security, ecological sustainability, economic empowerment, gender relations, local capacity to innovate and adapt, and influence on “formal” and “informal” ARD institutions. It then drew lessons related to: • • • • • • • the process of FL-ARD and supporting it; sharing and spreading results of FL-ARD; scaling out the FL-ARD process; scaling up FL-ARD as an approach; gender and other equity issues; roles of formal research, advisory services and education; roles of CSOs; and roles of funding agencies. The cases suggest profound, self-reinforcing and longlasting change as a result of FL-ARD that conventional impact evaluation, when done at all, does not pick up. The lessons provide guidance for better integration of “formal” and “informal” research in rural development by smallholder communities. by the Prolinnova International Secretariat, ETC Foundation, Netherlands, in partnership with the CGIAR Research Programs on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) and CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) October 2014 To be posted soon at: aas.cgiar.org © 2014. WorldFish. All rights reserved. This publication may be reproduced without the permission of, but with acknowledgment to, WorldFish. Contact Details: CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems Jalan Batu Maung, Batu Maung, 11960 Bayan Lepas, Penang, MALAYSIA [email protected] Photo credits: Front cover, Omar Gallardo/FIPAH Honduras 100% RECYCLED Paper made fro m recycled material