Participatory Research and Extension Strategies for Sustainable Agricultural Systems

Conventional strategies for developing component technologies are being challenged by the complexities of today's agricultural environment. The needs for support of adaptive research, for sufficient field sites to evaluate location specificity of technologies, and for testing components as parts of total farm systems are not easily met within the confines of the experiment station. Onfarm research strategies involve the farmer and rancher in project design, field implementation, collection and evaluation of data, and interpretation of results. Farmer presentations in extension meetings and field tours involve these cooperators in the demonstration and technology sharing process. Farmers in Nebraska and Wisconsin have applied this process to research nitrogen levels in continuous and rotated cereals, the use of allelopathic chemicals from rye (Secale cereale L.) to reduce herbicide costs in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] production, on other alternative weed management strategies, and strip cropping to reduce soil erosion and meet government program compliance requirements. Useful in a wide range of ecological and economic circumstances, participatory methods using farnming systems research and extension strategies have global applications. Additional index words: Cropping systems, on-farm research, weed management.