Agricultural Administration最新文献

Impact assessment of research activities is a complex task and this is true, in particular, with respect to potential effects of the International Agricultural Research Centres (IARCs). These centres have been created to enhance the living standards of the poor in developing countries by focusing upon agricultural research. This paper points to the broad range of possible IARC impact areas and to the problems to identify, measure and evaluate them. Thus, a concise framework for IARC impact assessment is given.

Notwithstanding the dismal failure of rural organisational strategies adopted for poverty eradication and socio-economic transformation in developing countries, the plethora of alternative paradigms proposed have almost always implied as sacrosanct the fundamental socialistic ideology of collectivism and various forms of it. This paper dismisses this formula as artificial and lacking in realism, but adopts, as an alternative, an ‘entrepreneurial approach’ to the poverty problem. It introduces a concept of co-operation that stresses entrepreneurial sovereignty, individualism and decision-making, all of which are features that are markedly missing in conventional co-operative models.

The experience of a small interdisciplinary farming systems research team is used to examine farming systems research approaches and evaluate location-specific work for regional development. The various baseline surveys completed by the team are described and assessed. Attention is drawn to the value of focused surveys whose results can be quickly incorporated into research programs. The team's gradual integration of village and experiment station work is documented in detail and used to emphasize the advantage of early involvement of farmers in the development of an experimental model. The development path of a particular model is followed to demonstrate that direct farmer involvement encourages flexible views of technology on the part of researchers; this flexibility is essential if technology is to be developed for wider geographical areas. The paper concludes by emphasizing research problems following the inclusion of alternative development approaches in a single research agenda for small teams, and argues that location-specific work has a legitimate role to play in research for regional development.

The last decade has seen remarkable advances in microcomputer technology, and many farmers in Britain are now asking whether it is time for them to purchase an on-farm system. The costs and benefits of owning a microcomputer are difficult to estimate, especially the latter. A variety of methods have been adopted to analyse these costs and returns, most of which has been suspect or inadequate. A more reliable method for determining whether a farmer should purchase a microcomputer system, based on recognised investment evaluation procedures, is presented here.

On the basis of critical observations, surveys, evaluation and research studies it has been found that the level of adoption on the part of Indian farmers of technical know-how released by research organisations has been far from satisfactory. In this paper the various approaches adopted for the transfer of technology in India after its independence, i.e., 1947, till today are briefly, but critically, analysed. An alternate strategy is suggested without making major changes to the present technology transfer system, which may be useful not only to India but to other developing countries also.