Trying something new: Factors in farmer adoption or non-adoption of new practices

Small farmers around the world are cautious when making changes to the practices they use or the crops they grow; especially as their family’s food and income depend on the harvest. However with challenges such as decreasing soil fertility or erratic rainfall, they are increasingly willing to consider trying something new. But what factors lead to a farmer using, on their own land, what they might have learned from a neighbor or a training? This talk will use examples from food forests in Nicaragua, the System of Rice Intensification in The Philippines, and kitchen gardens in Burundi to explore this question.

Presenter:

Sara is a Senior International Program Officer at Episcopal Relief & Development in New York, focusing on Agriculture and Food Security. She started her international work as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali and has also worked for Agriculture for Impact in the UK, and the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development in Rome. Sara has a MA in Science, Society and Development from the Institute of Development Studies in the UK, and a BS in Biological and Environmental Engineering from Cornell University.