Participatory tools for variety selection with family farmers

Abstract

Participatory methods contribute to empowering and strengthening family farmers and stimulating local processes of social organization and development. This paper aims to show the potential of participatory tools for participatory selection processes, proposing a methodological itinerary and a new tool. Participatory selections of plant sponge gourd, forage watermelon and cassava was selected. The participatory tools used were storm of ideas, wooden skewers and classification matrix. It verified that the sequence of application of tools influences the results achieved, and it suggested that the first one to applied is the storm of ideas. It verified that each group of farmers establishes their own selection criteria for the same species, which reinforces the importance of participatory processes for the management and conservation of agrobiodiversity. The proposed new tool, wood skewers, was efficient and effective for the selection made by farmers in the field and could use for other purposes.