INTRODUCTION


 Food production in Central America is mostly in the hands of
limited-resource farmers who comprise the largest proportion of
farmers in those countries. Little has been accomplished for these
farmers not only in terms of generating technology appropriate to their
needs and conditions, but also in promoting effectively its use. This
fact is strongly influencing the economy of this region since 55% of the
population are farmers and the productivity figures per farm and per
hectare are low, and total food production is not meeting the needs of
a population with a 3.1% annual growth, one among the highest in the
world.

 Some of the governmental efforts in each of these countries
towards the solution of the previously described problem have been
expressed through the establishment of agricultural research program
with emphasis in food production. By 1973 in Guatemala, these efforts
resulted in the creation of the Institute of Agricultural Science and
Technology (ICTA). This national institution developed a model for
agricultural research that focuses in on-farm activities, farmers
participation, and the collaborative effort of regional multidisciplinary
teams (Fumagalli and Waugh, 1977; Ortiz, 1980; Gostyla and Whyte,
1980; Whyte, 1981). Through this new approach, ICTA has been able
to generate and promote the use of technologies which are appropriate
to the needs and resources of the farmers of the country. By the early
80's this approach had been the key mechanism in an overral
agricultural sector strategy that made Guatemala a seif-sufficient
country, and even exporter, of basic grains (Castillo and Jurez, 1985).

 This model has been progressively adopted by other countries in
the Central American region, but just as in Guatemala the potential,
impact of the model has been restricted by the research-extension gap.
The need for a new methodology for massive diffusion of new
technology, is evident

 A new effort has been made and a project for technology
transference, following the fundamentals of the farming systems