Indigenous technology and farming systems research: Agroforestry in the Indian desert

This case study describes a Farming Systems project directed by the author in India with the faculty of Mohan Lal Sukhadia Agricultural University, the agricultural school for the State of Rajasthan. The project dealt with an arid zone where grain is produced in association nitrogen fixing trees. The multiple benefits of this association make it unlikely that farmers will change this production system unless major climatic or infrastructural changes occur. The probable persistence of this pattern has major implications for agricultural research strategies.