It’s funny that we are even discussing “farmer innovation” as somewhat of a novelty at an agricultural research conference. Agriculture took root over 10,000 years ago, as humanity shifted away from its hunter-gatherer origins. In fact, one could argue that farmers were really the first “scientists”, domesticating plants and animals through observation, trial, error, and repetition. While mention of scientists (or natural philosophers as called in antiquity) began to appear close to 3,000 years ago, the earliest research institutions (which were largely observatories) did not arise until early medieval times. So what is the commotion over new knowledge and technologies generated by the producer his/herself? At the Tropentag conference this year, we are focusing on bridging a gap between the growing pool of “knowledge” produced in academia and research institutions and a reality in which resources continue to decline. Obviously, something is missing. Generally, there is an acknowledged failure to transfer research findings to those for whom the findings are most relevant – the farmers – particularly in developing countries. For that reason, at a conference brimming with cutting-edge scientific findings, it is essential to also discuss what farmers themselves bring to transforming agricultural systems. Focusing on Farmers at Tropentag The Thematic Scientific Session on community development and extension attempted to address just that. One presenter, Justice Tambo from University of Bonn noted, “there are some farmers who are just creative.” This came up as he described a farmer in northern Ghana, who found certain crop residues suppress the weed Striga (witchweed), when he planted onions instead of millet. Infesting large swaths of arable land in sub-Saharan Africa, Striga poses such a serious problem that many farmers have been forced to abandon their land. Yet due to a farmer’s own experimentational process, an effective, practical, and context-specific solution has surfaced. Farmer innovation does not replace scientific exploration; both play a role. Tambo suggested Farmer Field Fora and Innovation Platforms as institutional arrangements that allow farmers, scientists, and other stakeholders, to interact, diagnose problems, and find solutions. Ultimately, as another presenter Irune Peñagaricano concluded, “[the farmers] are the ones who will live with this innovation”. Bringing farmer-driven innovation into the scientific process cannot just be a side event, but must be an integral part of research for development. For abstracts of all presenters in the Thematic Scientific Session on community development and extension Click Here Innovative farming practices in the Sahel, photo credit: CCAFS