Linking small farmers to the formal research sector: lessons from a participatory bean breeding programme in Honduras

The paper discusses co-production in the improvement of bean varieties between Honduran hillside farmers and regional scientists. Some of the findings outlined in the paper include: farmers trained to conduct participatory plant breeding (PPB) have succeeded in improving the yield and the value of a local bean variety, farmers and scientists may not necessarily make the same choices in the selection of varieties, and an Organisational analysis of the way to engage poor farmers over the long term is undertaken. The authors highlight the following policy implications: the costs associated with participatory plant breeding at remote locations may be comparable to conventional breeding at the out set the benefits from PPB should not be measured only through the development of new varieties but also through skill development and the sense of empowerment that it brings to local men and women.