The role of case studies in farming systems research

This paper discusses the case study method as a useful and cost-effective addition to the range of research tools used in multidisciplinary farming systems research. The case study method provides information that would be hard to obtain by other means, as well as an opportunity for close collaboration between social scientists, natural scientists and farmers. Practical problems include selection and representativeness; data and data collection; analysis and reporting; and follow-up. The argument is illustrated with an example from Santa Cruz, Bolivia.