Third, ISFM technologies and mineral fertilizer use were
discussed during program association meetings and with
CIALCA agronomists who regularly visit the program villages.
Farmers who are member of program associations can
attend these meetings and get in direct contact with agronomists.
Fourth, different ISFM demonstration trials were installed.
These were designed by CIALCA researchers and agronomists,
installed in the fields of the program associations (or in the fields
of individual association members in case associations have no
common fields), and jointly managed by association members
and program agronomists. Association members could decide
how intensively they participate in the trial. Through these demonstration
trials, technical knowledge about the new technologies
is distributed to participating farmers. But also farmers who
are not directly targeted by the program might learn from the
presence of these demonstration trials in their village.
Fifth, a second type of trial, on-farm trials, was installed in
the fields of individual program association members. These
trials were designed by CIALCA researchers and agronomists,
but were installed and managed by the farmers themselves.
Training and assistance in trial installation and management
was provided by local agents and facilitators, who were
trained by the program (Paul, 2011). Farmers participating
in an on-farm trial received a complementary input package
(seeds and/or mineral fertilizer), a technical brochure, and a
farm booklet for monitoring of the field trial, provided that
the program could collect information, and soil and plant
samples from the trial plots. The selection of on-farm trial
farmers was a joint decision of the steering committee of the
association, the program agronomist, and the applying farmers.