The aim of this chapter is to analyse how successfully smallholders test–apply new soil fertility concepts and to understand the diverse adaptive strategies they rely on. Through in-depth interviews and participant observation in western Kenya, we analysed success stories in the form of use-as-you-learn applications, i.e. “experiments”, following a participatory research initiative. The nature and prevalence of smallholder use-as-you-learn “experiments”, referred to here as tryouts, is a useful indicator of future application of research concepts and technologies, whether they can be gainful and sustainable. Smallholder experimentation can work best when integrated into research agendas or in cases when researchers dedicate themselves to participatory research full-time and long enough. This chapter concludes that co-research initiatives are crucial for successful soil fertility research and also shows that the hunt for signs of success of research among smallholders is a crucial beginning point for any scaling-out initiative.

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