| Popis: |
In the densely populated Rwandan highlands, farmer groups of two organizational types participated in research on intensifying valley agriculture. ‘Cooperatives’, farming collectively, and associations of farmers who cooperate on specific tasks both successfully integrated rice into their production systems. The latter in particular innovated so as to realize economies of scale, while expanding to accommodate new members. In contrast, the ‘cooperatives’ proved better able to maintain the diversity of their farming systems. They were also more persistent and ultimately more successful experimenters with the difficult but scale-neutral technology of green manuring. These findings are considered in the light of current debate on agrarian reform in which the ability of small farmers to realize scale economies is a key issue. |
