Survey results identified key barriers, such as lack of time, limited equipment, and difficulties tracking and analyzing results, as well as strong interest in collaborating with researchers. These findings helped clarify where research and extension can add value, guiding future farmer-centric programs. A key issue identified through the survey was that farmers face significant time and resource constraints, which limits their ability to document, track, and analyze experiments despite widespread engagement in experimentation. This finding suggests some benefit in identifying support roles for research and extension that reduce the burden of experimental complexity and complement existing farmer practices, rather than trying to replace them. By documenting how farmers experiment and identifying barriers that limit learning and collaboration, the project supports the development of research and extension approaches that help farmers progress towards their sustainability goals (e.g., improve input use efficiency, build soil health) while maintaining productivity.
Farmers benefited from this project by having their on-farm experimentation practices formally recognized, validating their role as active contributors to agricultural innovation, rather than passive recipients of research. Extension educators and researchers benefited from a clearer, evidence-based understanding of how farmers experiment, what limits their ability to do so, and where support would be most valuable. This project contributes to public trust in agricultural research by promoting collaborative models that respect farmers’ knowledge, data ownership, and decisionmaking. These approaches support more transparent, inclusive, and socially responsible agricultural innovation systems that ultimately benefit food security, environmental quality, and rural communities.
