Methodological Issues in Comparative Agro-Economic On-Farm Research Assessments of Organic Versus Conventional Farming Techniques

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Abstract
Organic farming is often suggested as a remedy to address farmers’ problems in developing countries. However, little is known about the comparative performance of organic versus conventional farming techniques. Publications on the potential of organic farming are often anecdotal and the research methodology used often raises doubt. Little has been published on methodologies. This paper describes methodological experiences of comparative research of organic versus conventional farming techniques in Kenya. Key characteristics of the described methodology are the comparative approach, on-farm research and the focus on a limited number of organic techniques (composting, liquid manure. double digging, storage protection and organic pest control) and their conventional equivalents (cattle manure and fertilizers, fertilizer (C.A.N.), shallow tillage, pesticides for storage protection and pest control). Criteria for selecting organic farming techniques and agro-ecological study areas are elaborated. The importance of comparable sets of farms and use of recommendation domains for their selection are explained. The experimental designs and methodology of data collection are presented. Inclusion of farmers’ perspectives in the evaluation of the different techniques is presented as a key element of the methodology. The paper concludes with an overview of the main methodological lessons learned.

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