Report

Improving the Productivity of Small Scale Cassava Farmers in Nigeria’s Niger Delta through Participatory Action Research

In order to improve the productivity of small scale farmers and be successful in these endeavours, the introduction of new and modern farming techniques is essential to push for the increase both on the land and labour productivity. Modern and improved farming methods cannot occur effectively without the creation, accumulation, sharing, and use of knowledge generated through action research. Researchers contributing to the generation of new ideas on improved farming for small scale farmers should go beyond basic research into action research, which entails the implementation of intervention programmes. However, the involvement of farmers—and other agricultural actors and their networks—in this process is key, and requires building their capacity so that they can seek knowledge either in the form of information or new findings and process it into innovations for use. This is what this action research project has tried to do. Further action research in the areas of improving the productivity of small scale farmers in the Niger Delta region is needed as part of the process of peace building in the region.