We often see many technologies and recommendations that are released by research stations, but not adopted by farmers. This is especially true for crop and natural resource management. A few examples are: transplanting of rice in rows; planting of young (10-15 day old) seedlings; deep placement of urea super granule; draining of field before urea application; no pesticide application for the first 40 days after transplanting, and land leveling. Why is it so? Where is the problem? Is the recommendation or technology not suitable for farmers? Are the new recommendations or technologies not profitable to farmers? Is it more risky for farmers to adopt new technologies or recommendations? Do the new technologies need some adjustment or modification before they are acceptable to farmers? Are farmers aware of potential technologies that could solve their problems? Is there adequate understanding of farmers’ constraints while adopting new recommendations and/or technologies? Is the research relevant to farmers’ needs and circumstances? Many of these questions arise due to mismatch between farmers’ actual needs and circumstances and research and technology development. ‘Successful solutions require correct diagnosis’. The needs and opportunity assessment is a powerful tool that can help diagnose farmers’ real problems and constraints and help develop appropriate solutions to them through relevant research and technology development.