Scaling up agricultural intensification technologies: a path towards improving production systems

Abstract

Currently, the production system has been characterized by being composed predominantly of small farmers, mostly from developing countries. However, a large percentage does not have access to agricultural extension services, inputs, and credit. This results in the slowing of the agricultural development process for small producers, even when potential technologies already exist for their environment. One way to make agricultural technologies more accessible is through technological scaling. This requires the incorporation of communication and extension processes in order to achieve the adoption of an innovation. In addition, it is appropriate to interrelate these processes with the objective of achieving greater participation from producers. In this way, it is ensured that the information has been transmitted in terms familiar to the producer. Farmer field schools are an educational means that has served to inform, generate interest, and encourage the adoption of technologies by facilitating the training of producers in their usual environment. Therefore, it is necessary to share and promote the knowledge acquired in the field and thus open the way to agricultural innovation. However, many of these projects are still in the pilot phase, and it is necessary to seek their scaling in order to obtain improvements in the production chain.