FARMER INSTIGATED AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN SRI LANKA (A study of four selected cases in Matara District, Sri Lanka)

Abstract

Agricultural scientists made an attempt to generate technology and thereafter, disseminate it among farmers- Presently, they realized that most of the technology they developed was not appropriate to the majority of farmers. Therefore, farmer oriented technology development should receive some attention from researchers, extension it’s and policy makers. However, it is evident that present farmer-oriented technology does not neatly fit to the pressing problems of the farmers. Instigated they become technology for their technology. This study examined the limitations of the farmers search. The study defined the farmers' problems as evident through: 1.the farmers' reactions to the introduced; 2.their intentions to seek solutions problems; and 3.the request they make for new Attempts were made to explore the existing communication channels which transfer farmers' problems to research using four main functions. These were: 1.farmer problem identification; 2.transfer of farmers' problems to research; 3.setting research priorities for these problems; and 4.conducting research on the farmers problems.