Agriculture technology transfer: A multicriteria analysis for decision making

Abstract

Farming activities have changed extensively due to world food production pressure, increasing land occupation for agriculture and livestock. Standardization and simplification of these production systems have been reflected in the degradation of natural resources and compromised land environmental functions. In this sense, integrated production systems are suggested as technologies to mitigate such environmental adverse impacts. However, implementing such systems can be complex due to their different components (crop, livestock, and/or forestry) to be used in rotation or succession. In this context, an appropriate technology transfer method is essential to understand conditions in which farmers are inserted and hence increase the acceptance and appropriation of a given technology or innovation. Therefore, our study aimed to classify the prioritization of livestock activities in an important watershed in the region of Sorocaba city, São Paulo State (Brazil), to receive technology transfer actions to help integrated system implementation. The study was conducted using multicriteria decision analysis in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. Our findings showed that the analyzed livestock area has a limited technological profile, and the farmers have little access to technical information. Thus, we conclude that institutional and technical actors should strengthen relations with cattle farmers to facilitate technology transfer.