Abstract:

For many years research work has been de-linked from the farmers. It has mainly been concentrated on research stations. Researchers have drawn their own programmes and implemented them without involving the farmers. This is in spite of the fact that farmers are the major consumers of the findings/technologies generated by the researchers. Thus, research has not been client-oriented and has as a result not answered most of the farmers' problems. What we are witnessing today is, therefore, a great break through. Smallholder farmers who form the majority of the farming community in the country have been invited to participate in identifying the management practices that are crucial for improved farm production. They are to discuss and identify the problems they perceive as important in their entire farming systems. With such information, they can then link with the different stakeholders.