Summarizes W. Gerald Matlock, "Problems and solutions in agricultural technology change or transfer," International Journal for Development Technology, June 1984.
INTERPAKS, Summarizes the main issues involved in acquisition of technology for production in Africa. Focuses attention on the areas of concern covered which are of importance for each sub-sector of production in industry and agriculture.
INTERPAKS, This paper is concerned with the transfer of post-harvest technologies to small farmers as part of the total rural development effort. Post-harvest systems needs to be tailored to the needs of the people it serves. Professional development technicians and politicians are now paying increased attention to small farmer problems, characterized as having limited access to productive services, technical assistance, income and political influence. The job of improving the welfare of small farmers through the transfer of technologies to reduce post-harvest losses is difficult; the small farmer is not usually a likely candidate to adopt innovations, assuming they are available and appropriate, since he cannot afford the inherent risk. Recent studies also suggest that low adoption rates are the result of the new technologies being appropriate for small farm situations and hence an alternative approach - that of adjusting production and distribution technology to the social and economic system of a given rural area - is gaining some acceptance. The problem of increasing income and food production, and improving nutritional levels on small farms, must be approached from a base of existing farm systems, in terms of applying appropriate, practical post-harvest technological innovations, In addition, an improved agricultural extension or technical assistance systems is considered essential for transferring the appropriate pos-harvest technologies to small farmers. Several step are suggested as a means to solving this problem, and a possible plan of action is outlined.
cited reference, In colonial Africa, scientific institutions were researching into ways of making life easier for expatriates, e.g., tropical medicine and the production of crops for export. With independence, the British handed over most of the research institutes and educational establishments to the new states, while the French retained a strong presence. There is now a severe shortage of trained scientists in black Africa, and heavy dependence on international assistance and transfer of knowledge. It is argued that more enduring structures for scientific and technological cooperation must be developed. (original)
Via online. 12 pages., Author proposes a development-related framework for the "digital divide" that is broader than the notion of what the global south "lacks."
