GETTING TECHNOLOGY AND THE TECHNOLOGY ENVIRONMENT RIGHT: LESSONS FROM MAIZE DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

Julie A. Howard, Lawrence Rubey and Eric Crawford ()

No 11558, Staff Paper Series from Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics

Abstract: This paper examines two questions: (1) what were the most important factors that led to differential rates of adoption of maize technology by farmers in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi from 1910 to 1995? and (2) what do these experiences suggest about strategic investments in institutions and organizations needed to create a sustainable environment for technology development and adoption in the future? The analysis suggests that productivity increases are facilitated by (a) technology innovations throughout the agricultural system, (b) integration of technological innovations with changes in policies, organizations, human capital and infrastructure related to extension, input and output markets and processing services, and (c) coordination of these innovations across different stages of the agricultural system.

Keywords: Crop Production/Industries; Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 20
Date: 2000
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:midasp:11558

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.11558

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