ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the need to orient on-farm research methodologies toward household economics concepts. Logically, household economics theory and the study of intra-household processes should form an important part of on-farm research methodology, but this is not the case. The need for on-farm research developed as a result of the observation that much of the technology developed from station research programs was not adopted by small farmers in developing countries. On-farm research methodology is aimed at sensitizing agricultural researchers to the circumstances of their farmer clients. The aim of on-farm research is to increase farm production through the generation of appropriate technology in the near term. On-farm research focuses sharply on the farm, with minimal consideration given to non-farm household activities and decision-making processes. From a household economics perspective the influence of the domestic development cycle on the productive capacity of farm-households is clear.
