Agricultural research should put farmers at the heart of project design if it is to deliver lasting changes in farming practice, argues a new paper from researchers involved in the Nitrogen Efficient Plants for Climate Smart Arable Cropping Systems (NCS) project.
The paper Nitrogen Climate Smart: Cutting UK Agricultural Emissions using a Farmer-Focused Theory of Change, sets out a framework for future agricultural research that prioritises farmer participation, on-farm trials, peer-to-peer learning and supply chain collaboration.
It argues that involving farmers from the start leads to research that is more relevant, more readily adopted and more likely to deliver environmental and economic benefits.