We continue to work as independent consultants seeking to improve the livelihoods of poor people through sustainable use of renewable natural resources. We achieve this by developing a better understanding of natural resources systems and management and delivering this as a package of knowledge in a form that can be used and be of benefit to the poorest (usually rural) communities. Our principal thrust is to identify and promote, usually through participatory on-farm research, methods of improving smallholder crop production, increasing labour and land productivity, through collaboration with development organisations. Our work experience (over the last 30 years) covers sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and south-east Asia.
Farm power and mechanisation:
- Improving the health, productivity and working environments of subsistence and small-scale farmers;
- Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of production at the small enterprise and household levels;
- Reducing the human effort and drudgery associated with crop and livestock production, particularly through the (participatory) development of tools, mechanisation and working practices;
- Improving the work performance of draught animals;
- Giving technical support to the commercial manufacture of smallholder mechanisation technologies;
Soil and water management:
- Developing soil and water management systems that increase soil fertility, optimise soil moisture and reduce soil loss;
- Developing tillage systems and conservation agriculture practices that improve crop performance and assist in weed management, particularly based on draught animal power;
Rural livelihoods:
- Ensuring that research and development involve stakeholders and that farmers' decision making strategies are clearly understood;
- Assessing the social and economic implications of technical interventions on livelihoods, productivity and poverty;
- Providing a framework for defining strategies, policy options and objectives for research and development;
For further information, contact Jim Ellis-Jones, Brian Sims, or Dave O'Neill.