ABSTRACT

In 2013, the Collaborative Crop Research Program (McKnight Foundation), initiated support for farmer research networks (FRNs). FRNs were envisaged as a general approach to networked participatory research aimed at supporting the agroecological intensification (AEI) of smallholder farming in ten countries in Africa and the Andes region in South America. The 30 FRNs ranged in size from 15 to more than 2,000 farmers. Rather than imposing a rigid FRN model, the programme used principles to guide action and reflection. The principles concerned ways of working with farmers, conducting research, and networking. This approach made it possible to reflect on how principles were interpreted, implemented, and used to guide learning in different contexts. This paper reports on insights gained from facilitated learning from 2013–2019 and focuses on subsets of diverse FRNs. Of the 30 FRNs supported, four were analyzed at some depth, reports and interviews were analyzed for 16, and a survey was conducted for 21. Relying on principles rather than an operational model has allowed for their progressive application, as participatory processes, farmer engagement, organizational capital, trust, and networks are built. Any reduced clarity and coherence seem outweighed by greater adaptability to context and resulting creativity.

摘要

2013 年，合作作物研究计划（麦克奈特基金会）发起了对农民研究网络（FRN）的支持。FRN 被设想为网络参与式研究的一般方法，旨在支持非洲十个国家和南美洲安第斯地区的小农农业生态农业集约化 (AEI)。30 个 FRN 的规模从 15 名到 2,000 多名农民不等。该计划没有采用严格的 FRN 模型，而是使用原则来指导行动和反思。这些原则涉及与农民合作、开展研究和建立网络的方式。这种方法可以反思原则是如何被解释、实施和用于指导不同环境中的学习的。本文报告了从 2013-2019 年促进学习中获得的见解，并重点关注不同 FRN 的子集。在支持的 30 个 FRN 中，有四个进行了深入分析，对 16 个报告和访谈进行了分析，对 21 个进行了调查。依靠原则而不是操作模式，它们可以逐步应用，作为参与过程，农民参与、组织资本、信任和网络建立起来。任何降低的清晰度和连贯性似乎都被对环境的更大适应性和由此产生的创造力所抵消。建立了农民参与、组织资本、信任和网络。任何降低的清晰度和连贯性似乎都被对环境的更大适应性和由此产生的创造力所抵消。建立了农民参与、组织资本、信任和网络。任何降低的清晰度和连贯性似乎都被对环境的更大适应性和由此产生的创造力所抵消。