In 2013, the Collaborative Crop Research Program of McKnight Foundation, initiated support for farmer research networks (FRNs). FRNs were envisaged as a general approach to networked participatory research aimed at supporting the agroecological intensification of smallholder farming in ten countries in Africa and the Andes region in South America. The 30 FRNs ranged in size from 15 to more than 2,000 farmers. Rather than imposing a rigid FRN model, the programme used principles to guide action and reflection.

This paper reports on insights gained from facilitated learning from 2013–2019 and focuses on subsets of diverse FRNs. FRNs are more a means than an end. They aim at applying agroecological principles to local contexts while building a knowledge base and for farmers. Networks are essential for achieving this at a meaningful scale. By connecting complementary individuals and organizations, they can tackle specific problems and seek transformative change, potentially improving the quality of rural life through a multiplicity of roles.

At a technical level, they can support data collection and management with large numbers of farmers, enabling the aggregation of large quantities of data from and about many different farming contexts. But this does not happen without strong social relations, technical support, and a commitment to agriecological transitions. The vision of agroecological farming is not well aligned with the standard recommendations farmers have received, which promote one-size-fits-all, input-oriented solutions. The FRNs established to date are beginning a journey that will require sustained commitment from diverse stakeholders and funders.