APPLIED RESEARCH: GENERATION VIS A VIS ADOPTION OF TECHNOLOGIES

Abstract

The slow or non-adoption of research generated technology could be due to a lack of relevance of these technologies to the commercial systems where they are expected to be used. The results from applied research on the components of whole production systems may interact with other components (not included in the experiment) when returned to the whole system. Also non-experimental variables, which give the background to an experiment, should simulate the conditions under which the experimental results will be eventually used. It is therefore necessary that a good bioeconomic and social description of the real system be obtained. There is a need to test isolated results in complete systems and this can be done by constructing physical or mathematical models. The final test must be however at farm level and "on farm" testing is suggested as the final stage of a research and development programme. The research worker, in conjunction with the extensionist, must be responsible for this testing.