This ITDG Working Paper analyzes the experience of a farmers' jury in Zimbabwe. Representatives of poor farmers mapped out their vision for the future of agriculture in their country after hearing from policymakers and technical experts of every shade of opinion.

The ITDG Working Papers are designed to make available to the wider development community the knowledge and insights that the Intermediate Technology Development Group is generating about technology and development. The papers are selected for their contribution to debate, with the hope of stimulating further research or...

Practical Action has been introducing consensus-based planning approaches in villages that are poor even by Bangladesh standards, where 90% of people live under the poverty line and over 60% are illiterate. These methods work on raising the voice and confidence of the poor at the local level within their communities, and the results have been spectacular--opening up new income generation and resource management and influencing opportunities for marginalized communities in flood-prone areas.

Highly useful in countries that reject the role of NGOs in governance or human rights, and...

Good research is vital for forming effective policies; this can come from a variety of organizations. What types of research and knowledge are most effective in policymaking processes, and how do relationships become established between researchers and policymakers?

This study from Practical Action, UK and the Overseas Development Institute, UK, explores the links between knowledge, research, and civil society campaigns. The researchers focus on a twenty-year period of development and negotiations on the Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture policy. The research examines...