Mainstream agricultural research has focused primarily on technical and biological aspects
and is aimed at controlling or manipulating nature through the use of external inputs, such as
agricultural chemicals or super seed. In developing countries, the results of this research have
benefited some resource-rich farmers in well-endowed areas, were suitable to only a limited
extent for poorer farmers in the more favourable areas, and were ¿ in most cases ¿ completely
inappropriate for small-scale farmers in marginal areas, e.g. in the mountains or the drylands.
Conventional agricultural research has thus by-passed a large proportion of the poorer farmers
in developing countries.