Multiple barriers to technology change in rural Uzbekistan : a development perspective : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Development Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Abstract

Technology transfer in rural Uzbekistan is constrained by a complex of interrelated barriers. These barriers to technology transfer include the economic, political and social dependencies created during the period of Russian Soviet rule. These created dependencies are shown to coalesce with the repressive nature of the post-Soviet regime. This thesis examines the nature of the multiple barriers to technology transfer that exist for a specific development project working in Khorezm, Uzbekistan. By adopting a dependency theory perspective, complemented by Black feminism, three interconnected facets of technology transfer are discussed. Farmer priorities and preferences are analysed in light of the unique regulatory framework of agriculture in Uzbekistan. These preferences are compared to the opinions of farmers on acute problems in Khorezm. Finally the intersection of farm decision making autonomy, negative incentive systems and the economic system are considered. This is then positioned within a model of multiple barriers to technology transfer, which tests the ability of dependency and Black feminist theories to 'travel' beyond their intended locations. The field research conducted for this thesis adopted an ethnographic approach, placing a primacy on the locally articulated views of farmers in Khorezm. It was assumed that farmers had the best understanding of the manifold challenges to affecting change in the farming systems of Uzbekistan. To access these opinions a variety of individual and group-based methodologies were used, including focus groups, decision trees, informant-structured interviews and simplified H-Forms.