Agricultural Resources Information System (AgRIS): An e ...

13.3 In developing countries, the productivity and incomes of the
SMFs have stagnated or even decreased. SMFs, traditionally the
backbone of much of developing countries agriculture, are under
threat (IFPRI, 2002) 52 . Farmers, in particular SMFs, must be
able to choose agricultural practices and technologies from the
full range of approaches available for tackling their problems:
agro-ecological methods, conventional research methods, and
molecular biology research methods. The slack in adoption of
technology by Small and Marginal Farmers (SMFs) is largely due
to inaccessibility or unavailability of credit, extension, and
information rather than any inherent incapability in them.
Converting millions of poor farmers to the use of new
technologies has been a colossal task. Agricultural extension
services, which could help reduce the risk of on-farm
investments, do not reach the poor systematically.
Extension, New Delhi, India.
52 International Food Policy Research Institute (2002) : “Achieving Sustainable Food Security for All by 2020 – Priorities
and Responsibilities”, May 2002
66