Organisational roles in farmer participatory research and extension: Lessons from the last decade

Experience over the last decade suggests that participatory approaches to technical change are falling into two broad camps: public sector approaches are generally part of a client orientation strategy and rarely aim to do more than enhance the functions of technology design and delivery. By contrast, NGO approaches generally aim for the empowerment of weaker groups. This paper reviews the complementarities and tensions between the approaches, and suggests ways forward.