Listening to farmers' perceptions through participatory rice varietal selection: A case study in villages in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, India

Paris, T.R.; Singh, Abha; Luis, Joyce; Singh, Hari Nath; Singh, Omkar; Singh, Sinjay; Singh, Ram Kathin; Sarkarung, Surapong. 2001. Listening to farmers' perceptions through participatory rice varietal selection: A case study in villages in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. In: An exchange of experiences from South and South East Asia: Proceedings of the international symposium on Participatory plant breeding and participatory plant genetic resources enhancement, Pokhara, Nepal, 1-5 May 2000. Cali: CGIAR Program for Participatory Research and Gender Analysis: 179-192.

This paper presents a case study based on the findings in two villages in eastern Uttar Pradesh, India, part of a project started in 1997 to develop, test, and refine methodologies of participatory research and gender analysis as they apply to the development of new technologies in germplasm and natural resource management. The two villages occupy different agro ecological areas and also differ in sociocultural characteristics. Both male and female farmers were included in Ihe study, and details of their preferences for the rice varieties studied are presented in this paper.