Guijt, Irene

This paper summarises the findings of a two-year research project, which provided detailed case studies of the processes and impacts of 22 participatory watershed development projects, and discusses implications for the future of watershed development and policy. It argues that for soil and water conservation to be successful and sustained, project must see farmers as the solution rather than the problem and so put local knowledge and skills at the core of porgrammes.

It focuses on social processes, experiential, practical and political elements which are often overlooked in the literature on agricultural research and extension. Methodological issues raised by a shift in theoretical perspectives from a structured to diverse approach are explored. A broader view of the 'farmer' is called for: an approach that locates farmers, researchers and extensionists as social actors within the process of agricultural production and extension.