Assessment of preferences of farmers using participatory approach

A study was conducted using Participatory Rural Appraisal techniques as part of a project on Technology Assessment and Refinement through Institution Village Linkage Programme during September, 2003 in a village called Sankaramangalam of Palakkad district, Kerala. Eighty participants including farmers, their representatives, youths, farmwomen, people involved in agricultural business, teachers and extension officers participated in the programme. They were categorised into 5 groups. Through focused group discussion each group was facilitated by a team of researchers to record their preferences of crops, rice varieties using Matrix ranking technique of participatory approach.