Participatory research for sustainable development in Vietnam and Thailand: From a static to an evolving concept

Abstract

© 2007, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. According to its proponents, participatory agricultural research is related to sustainable land management in various ways. First, it is argued that sustainable agricultural technologies can only be developed and turned into innovations and farmers’ practices if land users’ priorities are adequately addressed by the research agenda (section 2). Second, sustainability is not a static condition, but rather a negotiated and contested concept in which various tradeoffs exist, and different — and often dissenting — perspectives of numerous stakeholders have to be taken into account (section 3). Third, involving farmers in technology development and making use of their knowledge and comparative advantages in experimenting is regarded as a prerequisite for generating innovations that contribute to sustainable land use (section 4). Finally, the institutional and socio-political setting plays an important role in creating a favorable environment for sustainable land management (section 5).