In some cases the field trial strategy has increased the credibility of results in the scientific community or helped groups to gain access to funds from government or private foundations. These changes in field procedure have led to closer cooperation between some farmers and some researchers in addressing practical and relevant questions in both component technologies and agricultural systems. From this interaction has come a wider appreciation of what is considered research, and a growing recognition that differences might exist in what is accepted as evidence of success among various stakeholders. We have learned that farmers and researchers often ask different questions, use distinct methods of seeking answers, and accept potentially different types of evidence as indicators for making decisions. Further, there are differences in what to believe and how to access information.
People use different language to describe what they see, and how they define cooperation.
This language discloses underlying attitude differences, and the true nature of these attitudes is at the base of effective communications. There are rich and growing information resources on the mechanics of on-farm, participatory research. For example, annual results from the Thompson On-Farm Research activity have been provided to the public for more than a decade. Rodale Research Institute has published a manual for on-farm research. A National Conference on participatory research was sponsored by University of Illinois in 1992, and the proceedings are available.