Crop protection research. Who decides? Who benefits?

This paper discusses the issues surrounding some of the forces that have shaped the direction of agricultural R&D. More specifically, it attempts to briefly explore who actually carries out the research and who benefits from it? The view taken is that there are so many pressures on research and researchers that the supposed intended beneficiaries are often left out of the equation when research agendas are set. Thus mistrust, misunderstandings and low adoption of new technologies is almost inevitable. Although a relatively new phenomenon in the UK, this lack of adoption has a long history in developing countries agricultural R&D. An historical analysis of participatory methods in developing countries agriculture R&D illustrates that these systems evolved partially as a response to these failures and also because they address vital and until recently unrecognised aspects of agricultural research that are of paramount importance if successful adoption of new technologies is to be achieved. This paper proposes that we, in the M have plenty to learn from these approaches. Furthermore, that now might prove to be an ideal time to re-import participatory methods to the UK.