Since 1975, CIMMYT's Wheat Training Program has conducted experiments on improved barley, wheat and triticale technologies in farmers' fields in the high valleys of the States of Mexico, Hidalgo and Tlaxcala, Mexico. These experiments have been conducted for the primary purpose of familiarizing participants in the training program with rainfed wheat, barley and triticale agronomy and techniques of on-farm experimentation. The experiments have also served to develop and to some extent, demonstrate improved technologies for wheat and barley production in the area. The CIMMYT Economics Program has cooperated with the Wheat Training Program since 1975. In that year, a small study was conducted on the circumstances of barley producers in the area, in order to provide information for more closely focusing experimentation on the problems of typical farmers. The study also provided price and cost information for economic evaluation of the experimental results. In 1979, the Economics Program began its own training program, enphasizing the role of economists in agricultural research. A major part of this training consists of field work to design and execute farner surveys to provide information for agricultural research decision making. The survey of fanrer practices and problems in barley production described here was carried out in 1979 in one highland valley by the Economics Program and the "beat Training Program, with a number of objectives in mind.