Agricultural and Livestock Technology Transfer Preferences in Tunisia
The major challenge for policy makers to increase productivity in the agricultural sector is to improve the adoption rate of innovative related livestock technologies for farmers. For example, at the national level in Tunisia, the technology transfer system is essentially driven by public authorities through its various support structures, in particular the General Directorate of Agricultural Production (DGPA), the Regional Commissions for Agricultural Development (CRDA), the agricultural Training and Extension agency (AVFA), and the Oce of Livestock and Pasture (OEP).
The current system of technology transfer presents important deficiencies related to the lack of means in the extension institutions, such as the AVFA, to the lack of coordination between the various actors of the technology transfer system, particularly the profession and research, and the lack of a targeted transfer strategy that takes into account the specificity of regions and the sociodemographic and economic characteristics of farmers.
The main purpose of the study Agricultural Technology Transfer Preferences of Smallholder Farmers in Tunisia’s Arid Regions was to assess the effectiveness of technology transfer methods/sources as perceived by farmers in the Tunisian arid farming system. In particular, this study was designed to record the perceptions of farmers regarding the use and effectiveness of sources and approaches to technology transfer as used by agricultural extension/research; and to record the opinions of farmers regarding the technology transfer process.
The technology transfer model suggests a transfer of critical information from research and development, through extension personnel, to the person on the ground who utilizes such information—the farmer [8]. However, not all farmers are able and willing to adopt new technologies because of the challenges to adoption imposed by various socioeconomic, institutional, and environmental factors.
This study will contribute to the body of literature highlighting the effectiveness of different methods of information transfer to smallholder farmers, such as radio programs and information dissemination from neighboring farmers, SMS messages, field days, and technical, economic, and organizational training. In particular, this study examined the information sources of enhanced agricultural and livestock technologies to small-holder’s farmers in addition to
the effectiveness of the technology transfer methods.
Furter references:
Dhehibi B., Rudiger U., Moyo H.P., Dhraief M.Z. Agricultural Technology Transfer Preferences of Smallholder Farmers in Tunisia’s Arid Regions.
The manuscript has been published in the journal of Sustainability and it is an outcome from the project "Mind the Gap" Improving Dissemination Strategies to Increase Technology Adoption by Smallholder" implemented in Tunisia.
Contact person: Boubaker Dhehibi - Senior Natural Resources Economist ICARDA - [email protected]