Objectives: In 1994, Dutch Ministry of Development Cooperation (NEDA) asked ILEIA to initiate and facilitate a research programme mandated to make: A participatory assessment of the viability of Low-External-Input and Sustainable Agriculture (LEISA) technologies in different environmental and socioeconomic settings and substantiate this as far as possible with quantitative data. This participatory assessment should include an attempt to understand the processes that lead to changes in farmers' livelihood and land-use strategies.