Participatory Agriculture

PAD is small scale agricultural research by a small group (4-6) local farmers who apply what they have learned followed by the transfer of their newfound knowledge to their neighbors and then to nearby villages.

Eleven Steps in a PAD Program

Step 1: Selecting the Right Village

It is critical we chose the right village that is agriculturally oriented with people open to experimentation.

Step 2: Agreeing on Issues by Participatory Development

Participatory development helps people identify problems, come up with solutions, prioritize them, and to make decisions. This is done in small Focus Groups.

Step 3: Forming a Focus Group

A Focus Group is 10-12 people who are representative of the community who use participatory development. They are consulted several times throughout the process for their input.

Step 4: Searching for Options by a Farmer Group

4-5 farmers who are willing to try agricultural experiments on their land and record what happens in order to evaluate their progress begin identifying options.

Step 5: Test the Options by the Farmer Group

The farmers test different options on a very small portion of their land in multiple trials.

Step 6: Evaluation of the Trials by the Farmer Group

The Farmer Group evaluates what has taken place to decide what they may want to implement in a larger aspect on their own land.

Step 7: Report Back the Results to the Focus Groups

The Farmers Group presents the results to let the Focus Group to inform them of what has happened and to gain their input.

Step 8: Report Back to the Community

The Farmer Group presents the results to the village to gain input and to gain interest of other local farmers who might want to try what they have learned.

Step 9: Integrate Trials on Farmer Groups’ Farms

The Farmer Groups begins to apply what they have learned to their land on a larger scale.

Step 10: Spreading Solutions Throughout the Community

What has already been learned spreads to other farmers in the village.

Step 11: Spread of PAD Approach into One or Two Interested Villages.

Respond to other villages who have seen what has happened and want to duplicate PAD in their village.