Webinar: “Building horizontal networks of trust – research into the motivations of crop users to join tricot as on-farm researchers”

9 December 2025

Why do farmers choose to participate as citizen scientists in tricot on-farm trials and how can their motivations support more equitable, trust-based collaboration? Drawing on participatory video in Nigeria, a motivation survey in Rwanda and Nigeria, and co-designed farmer feedback sheets, our research shows that farmers are primarily motivated by learning, personal growth, recognition, and contributing to their communities rather than material rewards. These findings highlight how reciprocal feedback and farmer-led storytelling can transform farmers from “data producers” into co-researchers, building horizontal networks of trust within breeding programs.

Date: Thursday 11 December
Time: 14:00–14:30 (CET)

Summary

In this webinar, you will learn:

• What motivates farmers to join tricot on-farm trials as citizen scientists
• How participatory video and co-designed feedback tools capture farmers’ voices and experiences
• Why learning, recognition, and community contribution matter more than material incentives
• How farmer-led storytelling and feedback can shift roles from “data producers” to co-researchers
• How these insights can help design more equitable, trust-based breeding programs and product profiles

About the speakers

Béla Teeken is a Social Scientist and Gender Specialist at IITA working on scaling on-farm testing in Nigeria for 1000FARMS. His work focuses on understanding farmer participation, equity, and inclusive innovation systems in breeding and seed delivery.

Anna Müller is a Senior Scientist at the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT and leads the 1000FARMS Work Package “Inform Product Management”. She conducts research on the motivations of farmers to join tricot as on-farm researchers, with a focus on how these insights can inform product profiles and breeding decisions.

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