An introduction to farmer participatory research; An overview of the projects used as examples in this manual; Participation: identifying the places, people, and procedures for research; Diagnosis of farmers conditions; Evaluation of current and new technological options; Assessing the impact of new technologies.

The Green Revolution averted the threat of famine through the rapid adoption of improved rice varieties. However, despite this huge success, hundreds of millions of poor rice-farming families in rainfed areas still live in poverty and suffer from food (rice) insecurity. Despite many released improved rice varieties for rainfed conditions, farmers still use local varieties that can withstand drought and floods but have low yields or they use the same varieties for many years because of a lack of better varieties. Rainfed rice farmers are slow to adopt improved varieties because of several problems. One problem is more of extension than breeding - many farmers, particularly those living in remote rainfed areas, may not have access to or information about the seed of new varieties. Another problem is that variety testing programs are often conducted on-station, which does not represent farmers' fields. Moreover, conventional rice breeding programs usually seek farmers' input only at the very end of the process, when newly released varieties, usually one or two per year, are evaluated in on-farm demonstration trials. Often, in remote and unfavorable areas, subsistence farmers, who comprise the majority of the rural farming population in Asia, give importance to social and cultural dimensions aside from the agronomic performance of the new rice varieties. The complexities of developing acceptable varieties for variable and stressful rainfed environments require that breeders become deeply familiar with men and women farmers' needs and preferences. Since 1977, IRRI has been making efforts to improve communication among farmers, breeders, and extension workers so that men and women farmers' concerns and preferences are considered in plant breeding objectives. Participatory varietal selection (PVS) is a simple way for breeders and agronomists to learn which varieties perform well on-station and on-farm and to obtain feedback from the potential end users in the early phases of the breeding cycle. It is a means for social scientists to identify the varieties that most men and women farmers prefer, including the reasons for their preference and constraints to adoption. Based on IRRI's experience in collaboration with national agricultural research and extension system partners and farmers, PVS, which includes "researcher-managed" and "farmer-managed" trials, is an effective strategy for accelerating the dissemination of stress-tolerant varieties. PVS has also been instrumental in the fast release of stress-tolerant varieties through the formal varietal release system. This guide on PVS will complement the various training programs given by IRRI for plant breeders, agronomists, and extension workers engaged in rice varietal development and dissemination.

Contributed papers presented at the Symposium; festschrift for Benjamin Peary Pal, 1906-1989, Indian agricultural scientist.

With global revenue surpassing twenty-five billion dollars annually, organic agriculture is a highly visible and rapidly growing component of agricultural production. In Organic Agriculture: A Global Perspective, Paul Kristiansen, Acram Taji, and John Reganold, and their international group of contributors scientifically review key aspects of organic agriculture. At the intersection of research, education, and practice, the contributors look at the organic agricultural movement’s successes and limitations. The first half of this book critically evaluates the agricultural production of both plants and livestock in organic farming systems. All major aspects of organic agriculture are explored, including historical background and underlying principles, soil-fertility management, crop and animal production, breeding strategies, and crop protection. This global and comprehensive overview also addresses the economic, social, and political aspects of organic farming. These include economics and marketing; standards and certification; environmental impacts and social responsibility; and research, education, and extension. The book is a unique and timely science-based international work documenting current practices in organic agriculture and evaluating their strengths and weaknesses. For more than two decades, research into organic methods by mainstream scientists has generated a large body of information that can now be integrated and used for assessing the actual impacts of organic farming in a wide range of disciplines. The knowledge of selected international experts has been combined in one volume, providing a comprehensive review of organic farming globally. Researchers, teachers, extensionists, students, primary producers and others around the world who are interested in sustainable agriculture will find this book to be a valuable and reliable resource.