When crop researchers target the poorest marginal environments, farmer participatory breeding puts them on the ground, as geographic information systems provide a bird’s eye view.

That international agricultural research has helped farmers and boosted food production is beyond doubt. But has it helped everyone? In particular, has it helped the poorest farmers in marginal areas? Yes, but it could do more, according to Mauricio Bellon, Director of the Diversity for Livelihoods Program of Bioversity International. He has just published a review examining the technical challenges and tools available to target poor farmers in marginal areas.