This paper places the participatory approaches to research presented in the six following papers into the broader debate on priorities in agricultural research and on the role of specific approaches to research. It reviews the principal features of the approaches outlined, the extent to which they have been incorporated into existing institutions such as national agricultural research services, and their implications for support services. Key issues which future participatory research should address are highlighted.

The study of livestock in farming systems research presents several challenges. Factors such as the small number of observations, high statistical variability in measurements, and the difficulty in valuing non-market inputs and outputs make it difficult to evaluate on-farm research. Regular Research Field Hearings (RRFH) can improve communication between scientists and farmers, thereby increasing mutual understanding, willingness to collaborate in evaluation, potential technologies, and also improving test results. Of three groups of sheep and goat farmers involved in on-farm testing in northeast Brazil, the group which participated in RRFH experienced a significantly higher level of success with the technology as measured according to performance criteria such as weight gains and farmers' perceptions of their animals' performance. The results confirm the importance of farmers' participation in agricultural research.

The Adaptive Research Planning Team in Luapula Province (ARPT-LP) is one of nine provincial teams in Zambia conducting farming systems research within the Research Branch of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Development. ARPT-LP has been relatively successful in developing a partnership with farmers, involving them in both the planning and implementation of the team's research programme. This paper examines the formal and informal occasions on which farmers have been involved in the team's activities, with examples to illustrate how farmers' opinions have influenced decisions made by ARPT-LP. The factors which have influenced the frequency and quality of the scientists' interaction with farmers are discussed.

A participatory method that promotes farmer involvement in systems-problem research was developed in response to the failure to adopt improved cropping patterns among upland farmers. Techniques to identify systems problems involved group and individual farmer meetings. Problems concerning the cultivation of marginal cogonal (Imperata cylindrica) uplands were identified. An informal random sample survey, guided by topics of inquiry and biological measurements that employed systems analytical tools, was used to obtain a farmers' perception of ‘systems-problems’. Systems diagrams also provided a framework for searching and screening solutions. A sequence of vining legumes was tested in rehabilitating the marginal uplands. For this experiment farmers elaborated hypotheses on control of Imperata, recovery of soil fertility, and reduced labour costs in re-cultivation. Extensive research activity among the farmers indicates the value of this participatory method.

The present structure of plant breeding and seed multiplication in India is highly centralized. Furthermore, only a small number of new varieties is officially released each year. The system therefore appears inappropriate for the requirements of the large proportion of Indian farmers located in risk-prone and highly diverse environments. An alternative strategy is described whose central feature is close matching of the characteristics of farmers' traditional rice varieties with those of advanced breeders' lines. A selection from these lines is then distributed in small quantities for on-farm trials managed by farmers themselves. If the success of these initial efforts is to be sustained, a more decentralized approach to breeding and multiplication will be necessary.

The Agricultural Technology Improvement Project (ATIP) has been conducting on-farm research in Botswana with the goal of identifying improved arable production technologies. In an effort to increase the role of farmers in technology design and assessment, ATIP set up farmer groups that meet on a regular basis to discuss farming problems and on-farm trials. This article reviews and evaluates ATIP's experiences with farmer groups. A typology of technology development groups is proposed and group management issues are discussed.

Most commonly, on-farm research has sought to validate and demonstrate technologies developed under controlled experimental conditions. It is argued here that on-farm research has a role in all stages of technology development, and that methodologies and objectives transplanted from the research station are inappropriate, particularly given the restrictions they impose on farmers' capacity to experiment with new technology. Drawing on experience with alley farming in W. Africa, it is shown how the farm and farm family can be incorporated fully throughout the process of technology development. The example is used to clarify the role of researchers in participatory technology development.

Good data handling is a prerequisite for good statistical analysis and interpretation. This paper begins by distinguishing types of numerical data. Care for original data and the risks involved in any process of copying data are emphasized. After discussion of the entry of data into a computer file, problems of scrutiny and checking are discussed at length. An attempt is made to suggest what action should follow when such scrutiny discloses anomalies in some values; if explanations can be found, or if clear evidence indicates corrections that are needed, no problem arises, but otherwise various subjective responses need consideration. Advice is offered on the numbers of digits to be retained in computations and reports. A final section presents ideas on the filing of data and analyses from an experiment.

The pressure chamber method for measuring leaf water potential in peanuts was compared with the thermocouple psychrometer technique. The pressure chamber over-estimated leaf water potential by an average of 0.4 MPa over the range −0.5 to −5.0 MPa. It is suggested that the pressure chamber technique may be appropriate in comparative studies of peanut water stress. However, where absolute measurements are required, as in the calculation of leaf turgor potential, either a correction factor should be applied or, preferably, the thermocouple psychrometer technique used. If no account is taken of the discrepancy between techniques, erroneously large negative turgor potentials will result.

The rate of regrowth in realtion to total dry matter yield is important for smallholders fodder crop production. A simple regression technique is used to compare the rates of regrowth of eight perennial fodder crops cut at the same time. A brief interpretation and discussion of results from data illustrative of the model' use in given.

Yield stability in beans from diverse sources in Malawi was estimated using the statistical parameters of genotype X environment variance, slope and standard error from regression. The heterozygous F2 and the most complex synthetic mixture were very stable, although not significantly different from some pure genotypes. The mean yields of most mixtures were marginally higher than the average of their components. There was a linear relationship between magnitude of diversity and stability. Evidence for heterozygote advantage was demonstrated.

The soil physical properties of tied ridges were measured in a trial, established in 1983, comparing three treatments: handhoe cultivation and planting on the flat; planting directly without any cultivation on tied ridges constructed the previous year; and handhoe cultivation and remoulding of tied ridges constructed the previous year. Two maize varieties and two management levels were used. The soil properties monitored were particle size distribution, penetro-meter resistance in the surface 20 mm, bulk density, water infiltration, soil water retention and soil temperature.

Soil physical properties were affected mainly by the type of seedbed. Clay content in the surface 0.05 m was greater with tied ridging, with that in the furrows being higher than that in the ridge slopes. Daily maximum soil temperature was greatest in the flat planted plots and in the ridge slopes of the tied ridged plots. Penetrometer resistance at a soil water content of 0.05 kg kg−1 was greater in the tied ridged plots. Cumulative infiltration after 2 h was greatest with flat planting. The bulk density of ridge slopes in tied ridged plots was less than that in the furrows and in the flat planted plots. Soil water retention was greatest in the furrows of the tied ridged plots. Clay content was the major factor determining all the soil physical properties measured.

Rice, pigeonpea and rice + pigeonpea systems (in the row proportions of 1:2 and 2:5) were compared. Soil water depletion and percolation were determined during selected dry spells and yields ascertained after harvest. The mean evapotranspiration rates of rice, pigeonpea, rice + pigeonpea (1:2) and rice + pigeonpea (2:5) were 0.28, 0.79, 0.40 and 0.35 cm d−1, respectively, during a dry spell around 60 days after sowing. In general low rainfall intensity and frequent dry spells in the growing season increased pigeonpea yield but depressed that of rice. Intercropping thus ensured yield stability and hence the profitability of the system as a whole.