Agricultural Technology in the Developing World: A Solar Udraft Aerator for Aquaculture and a Meta-analysis of the Adoption Literature

Agricultural technology can play an important role in the effort to eliminate food insecurity and global poverty. This thesis presents an evaluation of a technology at the design stage, and a meta-analysis of the factors that influence adoption of technologies at the dissemination stage. First, a case study of a project to design an aerator for aquaculture ponds in Bangladesh is discussed. The project is not found to be successful, but the evaluation methodology employed may be generalized to other agricultural technologies. The case study also yields observations about the value and role of laboratory, research station, and on-farm trials in agricultural technology development. Next, some considerations for the dissemination phase are discerned through a meta-analysis of 218 adoption studies. Barriers to adoption of various types of technology are identified and recommendations are made for adoption researchers and policy makers.M.A.S