Abstract

SUMMARYImpact assessment hinges on reliable indicators of technology uptake, but this poses particular challenges for new agronomic practices in emerging economies. This paper presents a triangulation approach to assess technology diffusion and illustrates it by assessing the extent and dynamics of zero tillage wheat in South Asia's rice-wheat systems. Various diffusion indicators from three different data methods (secondary data, supply-side surveys, demand-side surveys) are contrasted for two different locations (India's Haryana State and Pakistan's Punjab province) for the period 2000–2004. Such multi-indicator, multi-site and multi-year triangulation enhances the robustness of the inferences and provides the necessary perspective. The three sources coincide in terms of diffusion of zero tillage wheat having increased since 2000, but in particular the empirical surveys show a much slower uptake and subsequent stagnation in the Pakistan Punjab study area. The paper thereby reiterates the need for empirical ground truthing of technology uptake and the need for robust and complementary diffusion indicators.

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