ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the sorts of "experimentation" that are possible in rural development projects. The logical sequence could be described, in simple terms, as Research-Experimentation-Action-Replication. In terms of project content, the "experimental" features can be summarized in a matrix that facilitates cross-project comparisons. The function of social experimentation is to provide knowledge for decisions about how to intervene in areas of social policy. In almost every case, Development Alternatives, Inc. contribution to the twelve projects emphasized that "unknown" factors bearing on project implementation had to be investigated. The process of project development would therefore involve systematically reducing the "unknowns" or, in other words, finding answers where none had existed at the start. The matrix shows several threads running through this set of projects, all addressing the same general problem—raising productivity and income in a population of small farmers—from similar perspectives.
