Guidelines for Training in Rapid Appraisal for Agroforestry Research and Extension: Amelioration Of Soil By Trees

The guidelines are illustrated through reference to a training and research exercise where an agropastoral farming system in Shurugwi Communal Area, Zimbabwe was appraised in 1998.

Four key principles underlie the methods used:
• agroforestry interventions are identified and developed through working with and learning from farmers and the local community, as well as through conventional research assessment – “interactive research”
• interactive research is best learned through real application not lectures or classroom exercises and simulations – “learning by doing”
• “interdisciplinary” is a key to successful interactive research
• agroforestry interventions are developed from an understanding of constraints and conflicts existing within the rural community over access to production resources