Sustainability and on-farm experiments: ways to exploit participatory and systems concepts
This paper attempts to rethink on-farm experimentation (OFE) in the light of farmer participatory approaches. It claims that a new protocol for OFE must involve a resource systems approach with the aim of improving the sustainability of the whole farming system through the increased integration and recycling of on-farm resources. This protocol will have three major elements: resource inventory and analysis; exposure to alternative resource use techniques; and, monitoring and evaluation of farming system transformation.