Enabling Transfer of Intermediate Technologies - A Rural Business Project Case in Rural Colombia

Abstract

This paper examines the enablers in technology transfer processes as revealed in a development project conducted in rural Colombia. In this rural region, a main business activity is the conversion of waste products from fish production to food pellets for trout and tilapia. Although technology transfer is essential to advance rural enterprises in such economies, little is known about the interaction between rural cooperatives and the entities that can provide technological assistance - universities, governments, and non-governmental organizations. The empirical literature, derived from studies of technology transfer in developed economies, emphasizes the importance of various features that facilitate the transfer of technology: geographic and cultural proximity between participants, the recipients' absorptive capacity, and a clear understanding of the technology's source, market maturity, and financial implications. This paper contributes to this literature with its identification and examination of additional features (i.e. enablers) that are particularly relevant to technology transfer in rural regions of developing economies. The paper, which reports on a three-year case study conducted in the Cauca region in southern Colombia, identifies three enablers in technology transfer that can help compensate for the technology recipients' unfamiliarity with the technology appropriate for their business activities.