Modeling the impact of potato research on small farmers in Bolivia

Cultivation of the potato plays a considerable social and economic role in Bolivia. In most developing countries, agricultural production takes place under a wide range of agro-ecological and infrastructural conditions. Under this situation, developing and transferring new or improved technologies to small farmers requires both innovative and proven methods. This study focuses on research, development and implementation of potato research programs as carried out by the Bolivian organization PROINPA (The National Potato Research Program).;My approach was to look at evaluation methods that could improve the characteristics of an ideal research system that is responsive to the needs of small scale potato farmers in Bolivia. Based on everything we have learned from past efforts to disseminate potato research, and based on the latest research and scientific thought on technology transfer processes, what would be the ideal way of assessing a research and extension program in Bolivia? This dissertation makes several contributions to answering this question on appropriate evaluation methods. The dissertation inventories both strengths and weaknesses associated with past studies. It contributes to future work by developing a proposal for an "idealized" program evaluation methodology.;PROINPA's work was measured in two ways. First, by flow models that look at the conceptual dimensions of selected potato research and technological development studies generated at PROINPA. It was found that the program has made many great advances in many areas of agricultural potato research. However, adaptation concerns, communications and transfer of technology efforts, have lagged behind or not been emphasized. In PROINPA the incorporation of the farmer orientation perspective (FSR) has made a significant contribution to the advancement of these research methods. However, there is the strong need to develop a real orientation towards a horizontal expansion, in the sense of stimulating the adoption and diffusion of potato research technology from farmer to farmer through emulation.;The second step of the analysis was to document the researchers' views regarding the potato research process and the way that social science issues are applied within PROINPA. The relative importance of the various classes of research (basic, applied, adaptive, internal validation, participative validation and transfer of technology) differs in the program agenda. Efforts to generate applied technologies through participative validation apparently occupy an important role in PROINPA, particularly in generating information to tailor available technology to specific locations and groups of farmers.;Another finding concerned methods used by the social sciences in this area. There was strong familiarity among respondents with qualitative analysis as compared with less familiarity with quantitative analysis. The general finding on evaluation methods is that the researchers are more familiar with production problem diagnostics rather than assessing barriers to technology transfer. PROINPA's actual budget for the implementation of evaluation/adoption studies is perceived as important but not strictly absolute. There was a very strong feeling that it was very much to the advantage of the program for the acquisition of feedback information from farmers on the technologies developed by PROINPA. Finally, researchers attached high importance toward focusing impact studies on agro-ecological issues, production and technological studies, rather than economic, social impact concerns, or gender issues.