International technical interventions in agriculture and rural development: Some basic trends, issues, and questions

TitleInternational technical interventions in agriculture and rural development: Some basic trends, issues, and questions
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication1988
AuthorsAxinn, GH
JournalAgriculture and Human Values
Volume5
Issue1-2
Pagination6-15
Date PublishedDecember 1988
LanguageEnglish
Keywordsethics; international development; rural development; small proportion; unintended consequence; veterinary medicine
Abstract

This paper presents some of the basic trends, issues, and questions regarding the last four decades of international development cooperation in agriculture. The impact of technical cooperation tends to account for only a small proportion of change; the bulk of the variance being caused by internal, rather than external, forces and events. The paper reviews both multilateral and bilateral technical cooperation, and then illustrates with the case of U.S. universities in international technical cooperation. It goes on to question the difference between "development" and "merely change," and asks who are the real beneficiaries? Finally, the paper suggests the following factors affecting continuity and change as forces to be analysed with respect to any attempt at technical cooperation: biological, physical, cultural, social, economic, administrative, political, and diplomatic. The world experience of the past four decades confirms that without consideration of such a human ecology of continuity and change, well-meaning interventions in international technical cooperation are likely to have unintended consequences for both "donors" and "recipients."

Notes

This article from Agriculture and Human Values, 5 (1-2) listed independently.

URLhttp://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02217172
DOI10.1007/BF02217172
Journal Abbreviation

Agric Hum Values

ISSN

0889-048X; 1572-8366

Short TitleInternational technical interventions in agriculture and rural development

Collection Topic: