Measuring agroecosystems properties: adaptation of matrix scoring technique.

This note is based on the adaptation of matrix scoring in order to investigate local perceptions of agroecosystem properties, namely: productivity, stability, sustainability and equity. It concerns a recently concluded PRA workshop in Paiyur for scientists from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. The paper concludes that sequencing of activities and a relaxed approach to collaborative exploration is a prerequisite for understanding the behaviour of the farm family. Scoring of any kind involves implicit weighting, and inter-year, inter-plot and enterprise combinations confound the issues. Generally, in this area, matrix scoring was concluded to have worked well, sheding much light on the functioning of agroecosystems.