Participatory Methods and Action Research for Innovation in Livelihoods and Agricultural Systems

The course will overview a large number of critical aspects that should be mobilised in any research on innovation in agriculture for smallholders, especially the following: the concepts of livelihoods, farming systems and cropping systems at the different scales of analysis; the interactions within a system and the consequences on  innovation, the various tools for a systemic appraisal of livelihoods and small holders projects and strategies, the diversity of interests among stakeholders, the various forms of participation and how they influence innovation, action learning as a central element in research and social change processes, participatory methods and tools and their effective use to empower people for change, assessment of change and its feedback on research priorities and, more generally, application of participatory methods and tools in designing and conducting rigorous action research.