Desertification affects large tracts of our planet’s land mass, but the common perception is that developing countries face bigger challenges than developed ones and require external help, particularly in the fields of agricultural production and water management. The transfer of technologies in these fields has therefore become a central issue in the global efforts to arrest desertification and mitigate droughts. While there is no doubt that technology should reach the farmers that are those most in need of new technologies, agricultural technologies cannot be transferred from one site to the other without being adapted to the local conditions. The latter process can be a rather complicated task in view of the almost infinite variations in soil, climate and water quality, to name just a few. Therefore, only fully trained personnel can ensure that the technology that is transferred to the end user is appropriate to the environment in which it will be implemented.
In this session we intend to critically examine some aspects of the process of technology transfer as commonly implemented and present some interesting case studies. Among the topics that will be at the core of the session: