Enhancing sustainable agriculture through farmer research networks: a pathway to co-learning and innovation

Smallholder farming communities face numerous challenges in securing food production sustainably, often stemming from poor levels of adoption, or uptake, of researcher-led interventions and innovations. Farmer research networks (FRNs) have emerged as a promising approach to address these challenges by involving farmers in the research process through co-development and implementation of research, fostering collaboration, and facilitating knowledge sharing through extended networks. FRNs offer an opportunity to promote agroecological practices and this has been demonstrated through the evaluation and adoption of botanical pesticides. Through this approach FRNs have been an effective route to reducing synthetic pesticide use, promoting more sustainable farming practices, and enhancing community resilience. Future potential opportunities for FRNs include enabling farmers to adopt interventions that optimise the contribution of natural enemies for pest control and pollination services by improving agricultural landscapes, expanding the cultivation of useful plants, and conducting research with FRNs on beneficial insects and soil health.