While facilitators of technology-lentred approaches tend to preoccupy themselves with "what farmers do not do" and on "how to get them to farm differently", a people-centred approach seeks to help farmers understand what they do and why as a source ofinspiration for continuity and change. This must be our point of departure when looking at partnerships, or at the role that "outsiders" play in promoting learning that is founded on local experience. Critics of externally led rural development rightfully raise serious concerns over the influence of outsiders in local development. We call special attention to the moral and ethical obligations that an externally based organiser - be it a farmer from another community or someone from a nearby city or another country - is as transparent as possible about her or his worldview, motivations and agenda in seeking a partnership for change.
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