Imperialism and the Transfer of Agricultural Techniques
Author(s)
Yudelman, Montague
Abstract
Technological change in agriculture is part of the dynamics of agricultural development; change takes place at the farm level when farmers use new inputs in the production process. If there is no indigenous capacity to produce those inputs, then they have to be imported. Disinterest in colonial development slowed technology, and only in the late 1940s were substantial public resources made available for research and agricultural development. These resources were the first substantial grants to these countries, and were in many respects the forerunner of subsequent external aid programs. The 1960s saw considerable progress in the spread of new inputs and the introduction of new technologies, particularly the rapid expansion of production for export. Nevertheless, a significant weakness was the failure to develop institutions that could produce the skilled, indigenous manpower to undertake the research and participate in management and direction of agricultural growth. Despite this weakness, the transformation of the agricultural economy of the region was remarkable. This could not have been accomplished without the importation of technology and adapting it to local needs.
