However, science and new knowledge is not enough.
The new knowledge must be worked into a technology that in
turn can be worked into a production system. Note the
time span between discovery of the principles of
hybridization and the use of hybrid maize in production.
Note also all that had to happen in this period.
 This book faces the technology issue squarely. It
recognizes that farmers use technology, not science, even
though the technology is science-based. It recognizes
that most agricultural workers serving the technological
needs of farmers deal more with technology than with
science. It faces the need for an authentic methodology
of technology development, to be used by those working in
innovation without the luxury of laboratory and experiment
station control. Technologists need their own technology.
It is not enough to make do with the traditional research
methodology, even with improvisations and ad hoc
adaptations.
 This book is an early step toward a methodology of
technology development. It will be unfortunate, indeed,
if it is the last word.
 It is the on-farm biological research sequence that
is the focus of this volume; its objective is to provide a
practical guide to the design and analysis of on-farm
agronomic experiments or field trials. Although FSR/E
involves livestock components, as well as family and
household components, this volume concentrates on the
design and analysis of the agronomic components. The
subject matter is organized following a logical sequence
of the various types of on-farm trials: exploratory,
site-specific, regional, and farmer-managed.
 The book developed from a workshop on the design and
analysis of on-farm trials in San Jose, Costa Rica,
September 5-16, 1982. A number of experienced
professionals participated in this workshop and an early
version of the book was drafted. Original optimistic
plans called for rapid editing of the draft and early
publication. Subsequent revisions by the authors, an
extensive search for empirical examples, and contributions
by a number of other people eventually resulted in the
present version.
 Deciding what to include or add was a formidable
task. The book reflects experience gained in the Farming
Systems Support Project and has benefited from lessons


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