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Agroecological researchers and advocates often make assumptions about the social impact and dissemination of their work: researchers may assume that their work has impact through postresearch dissemination, while advocates may assume that new agroecological practices can be effectively spread through existing social networks.Here, we test these assumptions by quantifying the effects of an agroecological research project on farming practices and the social network in a village community in Papua New Guinea. The project aimed to test the effect of applying banana peel compost, chicken manure and NPK fertiliser on sweet potato yields. Local farmers were involved in the research as project garden owners or research assistants. Using stochastic actor‐oriented modelling, we tracked changes in farming practices and the social network.Over the course of the research project, more people started to use food waste on their farms, while animal manure and NPK fertiliser were not frequently adopted. Farmers also took up practices that were not directly researched, such as mulching and planting the specific variety of sweet potato that was used in the project. This suggests that local farmers created meaning from the project, despite the researchers not intending to give advice until the end of the project.The research project also affected the community's social network. Research assistants became more often sought‐after for advice, while knowledge about the project did not flow far from those directly involved. These results indicate that who gets involved in a project may have social consequences, and show the importance of understanding existing social networks before they are relied upon for spreading farming practices.Overall, this work challenges often‐held assumptions about the social impact and dissemination of agroecological research, provides insights into the types of agricultural innovations more likely to be accepted among farmers, and explores how new practices may most effectively be promoted within a community. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Local people's voices need to be included in research and planning processes using inclusive and innovative methods. • We used participatory photography to capture local perspectives on resources, changes and adaptations in Papua New Guinea. • Results show that villagers are facing rapid social-ecological changes, including growing populations, more cash crop diseases and land shortages. • People have adapted by shifting to well yielding crop species, setting up small businesses and aiming to get an education. • Results can be used in future research and planning processes in Papua New Guinea. There is a need to include local people's voices in research and planning processes to better understand what they see as opportunities and challenges for their future. This is necessary because of the intrinsic importance of public participation, and because it can help produce more useful and implementable adaptation plans. We apply participatory photography in a Papua New Guinean smallholder farming community to explore local perspectives on resource management, drivers of change and adaptive strategies. Twenty-four farmers of different clans, genders and ages took photos of items important to their livelihoods, focusing separately on the past, present and future. We discussed the photos and their meanings in individual and group interviews, encouraging farmers to lead the conversations. Results show that farmers are shifting from relying mainly on natural capitals to using financial, social and physical capitals, and that this causes changes in people's well-being. Villagers see cash crop diseases, land shortages and lack of training as their main challenges. So far, people have adapted to changes by shifting to crop species that still yield well, and setting up small businesses and projects to have additional sources of income. Farmers see education as key to their future as it would allow for better land management and diversification of livelihoods. The participatory photography process provided triangulation of scientific studies, gave insights into farmers' perceptions, and highlighted adaptive strategies and the complexities of realising them. Overall, the results can be used in future research and planning processes in Papua New Guinea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Swidden agriculture (a type of small-scale agriculture) is crucial to the livelihood and food security of millions of people in tropical regions. Social-ecological changes, including population growth and anti-swidden policies, are putting pressure on the existing swidden system to increase agricultural productivity in a sustainable way. Enhancing soil fertility is a promising option for increasing crop yields and extending lifetimes of agricultural fields, thereby reducing the demand to clear new land. However, there is limited information on how swidden farmers can best maintain soil fertility. Our aim was to investigate whether using locally available fertilisers can increase soil quality, crop yields and lifetimes of swidden fields. We established experimental gardens on the land of swidden farmers in the Lowlands of Papua New Guinea, where the majority of the population depends on swidden agriculture. Gardens were set up on two types of sites; five were established on new sites that had just been prepared for gardening by cutting and burning vegetation after a fallow period, whereas another five were prepared on garden sites that were just being fallowed. We applied three treatments; i) compost consisting of decaying banana peels, ii) chicken manure, and iii) NPK fertiliser to different plots within each garden; and tracked soil quality and yields of sweet potato over 12 months (three post-intervention cropping periods). We also conducted in-depth interviews with local farmers to understand their perspective on soil management. Few farmers typically used compost, chicken manure or NPK fertiliser. Many were keen to try these fertilisers, provided they had more information. The performance of treatments depended on the type of garden with chicken manure increasing tuber yields in fallowed gardens but not new gardens, and banana peel compost also increasing tuber yields in fallowed gardens although not significantly. NPK fertiliser was the best option because it was the only fertiliser that increased yields in both new and fallowed gardens, produced tubers of similar quality and taste to control plots and was financially profitable. Treatments affected yield through increasing available nitrogen and reducing soil moisture. We also found that farmers fallow their gardens despite adequate sweet potato yields, so whether using fertilisers can enhance the lifetime of fields will depend on additional factors such as labour input needed. Our work shows how swidden agriculture can potentially be adapted so that it continues to be a sustainable way of farming and living. [Display omitted] • Locally available fertilisers improved soil quality and enhanced the yields of swidden farmers. • Fertilisers improved yield through increasing available nitrogen and reducing soil moisture. • Treatment with NPK fertiliser produced the highest yields and good quality crops. • Farmers in Papua New Guinea showed great interest in applying fertilisers provided they had more information. • Soil management practices can help swidden farmers adapt to social-ecological changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]