Interactive research with smallholder farmers is key: ILRI scientist emphasizes at a regional share fair in Nairobi

A regional Share fair on Rural Women’s Technologies was held at the United Nations in Gigiri, Kenya, on 15-17 October, 2014. Themed ‘inspiring agricultural change’, the three day exhibition was held over the International Day of Rural Women, and the World Food Day commemorated every year on 15 October and 16 October respectively.

The aim of this share fair was to highlight the available technologies to improve food security, nutrition and productivity, and also highlight opportunities in investing in technologies for rural women and for productive family farming. The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) was represented at the event by Isabelle Baltenweck, the interim program leader for ILRI’s Livelihoods, Gender and Impact Program (LGI). Baltenweck was a panelist during the Round Table Dialogue on ‘Farmer-Research Linkages for Food and Nutrition Security Impacts at Scale’.

As reported by a SciDev.Net reporter, Baltenweck asserted that it is fundamental for scientists and researchers to understand farmers’ real needs, hence the need for interactive research with smallholder farmers.

Read the full post by Gilbert Nakweya of SciDev.Net here