The process of a participatory tree domestication project in Meru, Kenya

The recognition that farmer participation should be central to adaptive agricultural research means that most applied research projects are no longer accepted for funding without participatory research being mentioned as a methodological approach. Despite this incorporation of 'participatory research' as a requirement in project design, however, most projects do not involve the radical reversal of approach and attitude advocated in truly participatory research (Martin and Sherington 1996). Some progress has been made (Scoones and Thompson 1994; Roling and Wagemakers 1998) but a gap remains between rhetoric and reality, with participation often not proceeding beyond contractual obligations or, at best, consultative approaches to problem characterisation. A valid criticism of many projects is that scientists use participatory problem diagnosis to validate their own previous research perspectives. As a result, farmers may be persuaded into research activities that they have 'agreed upon', and may even be blamed for the subsequent failure of projects. Sometimes, the failure to adopt truly participatory approaches reflects the inability of scientists fully to understand and accept farmers' perceptions and decision-making processes. In many cases, as research concerns change, traditional scientists who have been encouraged to enter for the first time into participatory research have not been adequately trained in appropriate method- ologies, fear that they may not meet research targets, or that they may be unable to publish research results in traditional formats.

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