Stakeholder participation, and especially farmer participation, in agricultural research and development has been an important theme underlying many aspects of NRI's work for several years. This has now broadened to a concern with the 'mainstreaming' of participation in the work of development and research organizations to address the natural resource management problems of poor people (for more information see Sutherland et al. (2001) in our selected publications).

• In the southern region of Ethiopia, we have conducted training courses and workshops in participatory appraisal, planning and on-farm trials. These have supported the integration of farmer participatory research within the regular activities of NGOs and research organizations involved in the generation and transfer of agricultural technologies.
  
  
• In Northern Cape province, South Africa, we have trained NGO staff in participatory diagnosis and participatory resource-use planning. Particular attention has been given to the need for inclusive approaches that fully involve women and the poorest.