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Facts, fantasies, and failures of farmer participatory research

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Abstract

Farmer participatory research (FPR) has generated many programmatic statements and few technologies. FPR has probably been of interest more because of dissatisfaction with the green revolution and agricultural establishment research than because of a proven ability of scientists and farmers to collaborate together. There are several barriers between farmers and scientists, not the least of which is social distance. The role of FPR should be critically examined; it may work best setting research agendas or in the case of researchers who can dedicate themselves to FPR full-time for quite some time.

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Jeff Bentley is a North American anthropologist in Honduras (Ph.D., 1986, University of Arizona). He has been based at El Zamorano, a university-level vocational agricultural college since 1987. He has done field work with Portuguese peasants and Native American (Tohono O'odham) cattle ranchers in Arizona.

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Bentley, J.W. Facts, fantasies, and failures of farmer participatory research. Agric Hum Values 11, 140–150 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01530454

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