The Adoption of Agricultural Technology - Food Security Group

compatibility of the technology with the farming system and, if anyproblems are detected, to use this information to refine the technology.We will consider below some of the parameters associated with an analysisof farming systems: the allocation of labor among various enterprises in thesystem, the management of other crops planted in the same field or inrotation, the biological conditions of the field, the soil conditions, andclimatic factors. In addition, we will examine the concept of risk. Much ofthis type of analysis is useful only if it is done with reference to a specificfield, so it is important that the survey be organized to collect thisinformation on particular fields and for particular years.Laborinthefanning systemA basic element of farming systems diagnosis is the development of a laborcalendar that gives an idea of how farm household labor is allocated overthe year. It is essential to know if the labor demands of a new technologyconOict with a particularly busy time of the year for farmers or rather takeadvantage of a period when labor is available. It is important to rememberthat this labor profile is determined not only by operations on the targetcrop but also by demands from various other enterprises in the farmingsystem. Thus it may seem that farmers should be able to do an additionalweeding on the target crop, for instance, but actually at that time they arebusy planting another crop.An adoption study is not the place to develop a complete labor profile. Thisshould have been done previously, in the earlier stages of research. Butquestions can be ,asked about the availability of labor and/or competingactivities during those periods of peak labor demand for the technologybeing promoted. Simply asking the farmers their perceptions of the laborrequirements of the new technology also can be useful (Box 18).Othercrops inthe systemlntercropping and relay cropping are common practices in many farmingsystems. New varieties or practices for one crop may thus have to becompatible with the presence and management of other crops. This mayaffect the choice of variety (e.g., does the new maize variety support theintercropped climbing beans?) or management practice (is the new weedcontrol method compatible with the intercrop?). In some cases, whatappear to be "weeds" are actually volunteer or sown species that may beused as food or fodder. The adoption study should pay attention to thedegree to which recommended practices are being used for the target cropin various intercropping systems. Significant differences may Signal thenecessity to target the recommendations better.-36Crop rotations are also an important part of farming systems, and theacceptance of the recommended technology may be affected by practices or