difficult to imagine a greater return from the improved 

 use of science and technology than the application of 

 technology in the production, preparation, and 

 preservation of food at the village level. 



Increases in food production depend on the adoption 

 of selected technologies by millions of consumers and 

 producers, and governments must facilitate the 

 continuous transfer of technologies that would be 

 useful in particular circumstances. No one project, no 

 matter how ambitious, will ever "solve" a developing 

 nation's food problem. 



High energy prices and the difference in 

 capital/labor availabilities have forced the use of 

 labor-intensive agricultural technologies in developing 

 countries. Yet this does not eliminate the great need 

 for labor-saving and toil-saving technology (e.g., 

 animal traction and carts, hand grinders, drying ovens, 

 pressure cookers, and pumps). Indeed, sight should 

 never be lost of the individual users who ultimately 

 decide whether a particular technology is "appropriate" 

 to their needs and goals. 



Most people depend on others for at least part of 

 the food they consume, and some form of market 

 organization is used to bring producer and consumer 

 together. The role of governments in making markets 

 possible, in regulating markets, or in substituting 

 government activity for direct markets varies greatly. 

 But, regardless of the type of marketing system used, 

 food producers need incentives to maximize production. 



Inappropriate price structures may be one of the 

 more serious obstacles to the effective transfer of 

 technology pertaining to food, climate, soil, and 

 water. Most countries want to pursue policies that 

 will result in low-cost food to the consumer for both 

 political and humanitarian reasons. Yet a low-cost 

 food policy may mean that farmers are insufficiently 

 motivated to increase the amount of food produced over 

 that consumed by their immediate families and close 

 associates. Substantial literature exists 

 demonstrating the remarkable response of food producers 

 under guite different conditions to appropriate 

 incentives (Schultz 1978). Of course, no matter how 

 productive agriculture might become, food cannot be 

 sold to people who cannot afford it. Thus progressive 

 income distribution and programs to improve the income 

 of the very poor are important in increasing purchasing 

 power, while at the same time improving the farmer's 

 incentives to increase productivity. 



Food is a principal U.S. export and the question 

 arises as to whether U.S. interests would be damaged by 

 successfully undertaking initiatives that would help to 

 increase food production in developing countries. In 

 this regard, two forces are at work which typically 



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