Ex-ante technology assessment for inclusive poverty reduction and sustainable productivity growth in agriculture (TIGA)

Abstract

The manual presented here is based on the experience and draw out the collected lessons learnt with regard to the design and implementation of the Ex-ante technology assessment and farm household segmentation for inclusive poverty reduction and sustainable productivity growth in agriculture (TIGA) project in the South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

As such, this builds on and expands existing guidelines and documentation for agricultural technology assessment. It adds the perspective of technology assessment of including the cross section of segments of the rural poor characterized by varying degrees of overlapping human capabilities and agro-ecological potentials rather than the technology-driven approaches that tend to favor those with better adoption capabilities. The manual also gives the reader a well-documented experience of bottom-up approach for technology assessment. The ultimate goal of the manual is to contribute to the inclusion of all poor small farming communities in agricultural technology innovations by presenting the improved way of understanding of the interactions between technology needs, farming systems, ecological resources and poverty characteristics in the different segments of the poor, and to link these insights with productivity enhancing technologies in order to guide action to overcome current barriers to technology access and adoption.