9 pages, In agricultural research for development adoption of new technology tends to be cast in categories: adoption, partial adoption, dis-adoption or non-adoption. While these may serve for pragmatic classification and measures for project success or impact they fail to properly acknowledge the ongoing and independent efforts of farmers (and others) in experimentation and integration of knowledge across a range of sources. This paper explores responses to practices for cattle management introduced during a research project, at project close, and five years after the project has finished. We consider the perceptions and application of new knowledge by farmers, extension staff, and policy makers. By taking a longer-term view, we demonstrate how farming households adapt and integrate knowledge from different sources into their daily practice, influenced by local institutions and changing cultural expectations, as well as external researchers. We also consider the influence of changing government priorities and incentives in steering farm-management decisions. Results suggest that a focus on measures to build capacity and empower farmers with information to adapt and respond to change, regardless of project activities, is a much more important goal and indicator of impact than measuring adoption.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 127 Document Number: D11239
Notes:
Online from the Social Sciences Research Network., Literature review, observations, and recommendations involving the effectiveness of self help groups of rural women for empowering them in terms of thrift and financial management. Case studies indicate the impact of credit availability.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 139 Document Number: D05918
Notes:
Via website of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Geneva, Switzerland. UNCTAD Current Studies on Science, Technology and Innovation, No. 9. 84 pages.
Address reviews the theories and misconceptions which have provided the intellectual and idealogical underpinning of misguided agricultural and rural development policies. It then discusses major misguided policies which were supported by these intellectual traditions which have been shown to reduce agricultural growth and harm the welfare of the rural poor.
