Smaller is Often Better: A Revival of Interest in Research and Development in Cost Effective Smaller Scale Machines for Equitable Rural Economic Development

Abstract

In the last few years there has been a revival of research and development (R&D) interest by the international agricultural and rural development community in the spread of smaller scale equipment and markets in customs services. This paper briefly reviews mainstream debates since the 1960s and evidence of a current revival of interest. It takes a case study of the recent rapid spread of mini tillers in the Nepal mid hills to show that this was the outcome of a long and complex R&D process. However, one of the central features of the history was the engagement of engineers with the reality of daily life of smaller farmers, small and medium entrepreneurs in local rural contexts. The case study illustrates that the R&D practice stretched over many years. The paper closes with five reflections, the importance of: 1) ongoing field work by engineers, economists, and anthropologists, 2) long term R&D interest in the complexities of local rural economies, 3) informal and artisanal R&D, 4) a policy/project/resources commitment to equitable economic development in rural areas, and 5) the individual.