There is general agreement on the need to develop appropriate technologies that respond to farmers’ needs and opportunities. However, much research output is dominated by technical considerations, and often does not include key information that farmers need in order to make informed decisions on uptake. Such information includes: economic viability, risks, resources required, local availability of inputs, mechanisms for realising the benefits of technologies at a group level, and the availability and characteristics of markets. Some of the information needed by farmers is tacit and highly contextual, such as managing social organisation. In that case users require advice on how to generate the relevant knowledge for themselves, e.g. through experimentation or interaction (such as contacting potential buyers for their produce, or experimenting with different ways of sharing assets).