Title: Method, creativity and CIALs

Authors: Jeffery W. Bentley, Sylvie Priou, Pedro Aley, Javier Correa, Roger Torres, Hermeregildo Equise, Jose Luis Quiruchi, Oscar Barea

Addresses: Casilla 2695, Cochabamba, Bolivia. ' International Potato Centre (CIP), Apartado1558, Lima-12, Peru. ' International Potato Centre (CIP), Apartado1558, Lima-12, Peru. ' International Potato Centre (CIP), Apartado1558, Lima-12, Peru. ' International Potato Centre (CIP), Apartado1558, Lima-12, Peru. ' PROINPA Foundation, Calle Honduras No 191, Sucre, Bolivia. ' PROINPA Foundation, Calle Honduras No 191, Sucre, Bolivia. ' PROINPA Foundation, Casilla 4285, Cochabamba, Bolivia

Abstract: CIALs (Committees For Local Agricultural Research) are community level organisations for helping agricultural scientists and farmers to collaborate on adaptive research. Although CIALs have been used mainly for testing new crops and varieties, an unorthodox project in Peru and Bolivia recently used CIALs with a range of research techniques: formal trials, participatory research and farmers| own experiments. It is also combining CIALs with farmer field schools (FFS). The result is many new, chemical free technologies for managing an introduced disease that is difficult to observe and hard to manage.

Keywords: CIALs; Committees For Local Agricultural Research; farmer creativity; plant pathology; bacterial wilt; participatory research; Peru; Bolivia; community organisations; farmer field schools; chemical free technologies; disease management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJARGE.2006.008167

International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology, 2006 Vol.5 No.1, pp.90 - 105

Published online: 22 Nov 2005 *

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