Morphological Analysis in Agricultural R&D: A Technologist's Approach to the Definition and Economic Evaluation of Technologies

The research scientist, the planner, and the R&D manager require a methodology that can compose a wide range of technological options within a realistic production system context and subject these options to a comprehensive, multi-parameter economic analysis. A technologically-oriented approach to the generation and ex-ante assessment of technologies is developed for this purpose in an agricultural R&D context. The approach is based on morphological analysis, in which a production process is defined as a series of tasks each of which can be accomplished by one or more alternative techniques. The model is customized for any specific production system using information provided by technology experts. This information is received in the language of the technologist, structured in a way that promotes an holistic view of the system, and processed to answer the needs of the economic evaluator. The model has been well received by technologists in the analysis of about a dozen diverse R&D projects.