INSARD · Including Smallholders in Agricultural Research for Development

Much agricultural research is carried out in isolation from the realities of small-scale farmers in the South and has not recognised their local knowledge and creativity. INSARD partners regard agricultural research and development (ARD) as a process of innovation involving different participants making complementary inputs to produce research results that contribute to development. In this process, farmers do not merely receive new knowledge from research; they are involved in generating it. Smallholders and NGOs are already doing applied and adaptive research to answer questions to which formal research is not giving enough attention, e.g. how to improve local marketing systems. In bridging the gap and bringing smallholders and researchers into joint research on questions central to smallholders’ concerns, civil-society organisations (CSOs) in the South and the North can play a vital role.The main aim of INSARD is to ensure the informed participation of a broad range of European and African CSOs in formulating and implementing ARD. It will do so by:1) Designing a structure for coordination and communication between European and African CSOs involved in ARD and in influencing ARD policy and practice2) Identifying CSOs’ research priorities and a strategy to communicate these to other actors in ARD3) Facilitating joint definition of specific research examples by CSOs and researchers, based on the smallholders’ priorities4) Engaging in policy dialogue with key African and European research organisations and donors.The project will build up a more transparent system for CSOs to provide well-founded inputs and positions in the ARD agenda and its implementation, so that smallholders are central to publicly funded ARD. It will help make research more relevant for small-scale family farmers, including livestock-keepers. It will seek to achieve its aim by building on existing initiatives and networks in Europe and Africa that involve CSOs promoting smallholder-centred ARD.