Only recently has a fundamental fact been realized in development planning: that whatever may be achieved by development projects, ultimately it is people who manage land resources: farmers, other land users, and local communities. Farm systems research was only a stage along the route to this realization. A true participatory approach is based on the sharing of knowledge and views between advisers and farmers, linking scientific advances with the store of local knowledge. Participatory projects by non-governmental organizations have achieved striking local successes, particularly in the area of soil conservation. But this approach can never be scaled up to reach the rural community at large until it is implemented by countries themselves, either through national advisory services or, if these fail, through self-help by farming communities.