Farmers learn continuously; they carry out experiments and regularly develop new ways of farming. In many cases, they are supported by projects or programmes that seek to enhance this learning. But farmers and extensionists are not the only players in the field.
Researchers and policy makers also play a key role, as do farmers’ organisations, traders, multinationals and banks. In one way or another, their involvement shapes the decisions that farmers take. To what extent do these different stakeholders work together? And, does this increase learning?
The hunger experienced by many people in the world, and the likelihood that their numbers are bound to increase further due to climate change, gives a sense of urgency to the need to involve different voices in developing a more sustainable approach to farming. The December issue of Farming Matters will focus on how all these different stakeholders are learning to work together to make agriculture more sustainable, by developing new ideas and solutions or disseminating them. We want to explore how different stakeholders deal with difficulties, which might be related to a lack of funds or power issues, and whether by working together they are able to find solutions which lead to better farm practices.
We welcome your suggestions for articles, articles themselves, photographs, contacts of people you think have expertise in this area or ideas for topics you feel we need to address. Please write to Jorge Chavez-Tafur, editor, (j.chavez-tafur@ileia.org) before August 15th, 2010.
