Rethinking technology transfer in the agriculture sector : the case of the Philippines

The concept and practice of technology transfer in the agriculture sector in the Philippines need rethinking. The common notion of technology transfer in the agriculture sector is based on the traditional view of innovation in which technologies and techniques are assumed to flow essentially unchanged from one location to another in a linear fashion. The technology transfer approaches of interveners in the agriculture sector have been generally top-down. While these approaches have achieved some degree of success, they have not been sufficiently far-reaching to spur the growth of the rural economy. This thesis questions the linear and top-down orientation of technology transfer both as explanation and as prescription in the context of the agricultural research and extension system in the Philippines.