84 3
most families because of a scarcity of readily available homogeneous farmers while not losing sight of the
water in the higher elevation areas of the research domain, heterogeneity inherent among them. This conception of
using this information, the team partitioned the domains is not a static one, but one that recognizes the
original research domain into two "recommendation domains." changing nature of the targeting process as a result of
For the earlier tentatively defined recommendation domain, on-going information gathering through surveys, participai
consisting of farmers who produced sorghum destined for the observation, and on-farm experimentation. Maintaining a
animal feed market, on-farm testing of the previously flexible determination of domains allows for a greater
introduced new sorghum varieties was continued. For the understanding of the diversity of local farming systems, Cj!
second recommendation domain, composed of relatively poorer the rationale behind the behavior of farmers, and of the
farmers producing sorghum for home consumption under less effect of gender and social factors upon the local practic
favored soil conditions, the team recommended that the of agriculture.research institute acquire or develop varieties with less
coloring and no bitter taste that could then be tested
on-farm with the farmers in this group. REFERENCES
Through this experience the FSR/E team and the research
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siderable influence in making cropping decisions that Concepts and Procedures. Mexico: CIMMyT.
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of farming systems activities, the team had tentatively Domains: A Case Study from Kenya. Paper presented
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Harrington, L. W. and R. Tripp
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