The influence of technology characteristics on the rate and speed of adoption
以肯尼亚梅鲁地区17种奶牛养殖技术为例，分析相对复杂性、相对风险和相对投资对技术采用率与速度的影响，发现复杂性和风险是主要障碍，对农业推广有参考价值。
Abstract This paper analyses the impact of technology characteristics on the rate and speed of adoption. In a case study of the Meru district in Kenya, 17 dairy technologies are analyzed with respect to the influence of relative complexity, relative risk and relative investment characteristics on adoption. Technology characteristics were measured by a scoring approach which involves assessments made by extension workers working in the study area. The study found that the past process of adoption and diffusion was significantly influenced by the characteristics mentioned above. Considering the speed to completed adoption, the influence of relative investment was smaller while relative complexity and relative risk showed significance. The strong influence of relative complexity and relative risk of the technologies on the adoption can be explained by the characteristics of farmers and the farming circumstances. Meru farmers are poorly educated and face shortage of labor making them hesitant to adopt complex technologies. Moreover, the risk of production is high leading farmers to adopt new technologies that reduce risk relative to the traditional technologies. Knowing this, planners in research and extension should advise the development of risk‐reducing technologies with a low complexity as compared to the technologies that should be replaced.