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The Performance of Low External Input
Technology in Agricultural Development:
A Summary of Three Case Studies
Robert Tripp
Introduction
There is widespread agreement that strategies for agricultural sustainability should
help limit dependence on external inputs. There are many reasons to support low
external input farming, including a concern for environmental sustainability,
increased attention to the conditions of resource-poor farmers, and the conviction
that a better use of local resources in small-scale agriculture can improve farm pro-
ductivity and innovation. The pursuit of low external input strategies requires
access to a wide range of alternative techniques for farm management. These may
be elaborations of traditional practices, introductions from other farming systems,
or innovations devised by farmers or researchers. These alternatives are referred to
here as low external input technology (LEIT). This paper summarizes a study that
assesses the performance of LEIT in three project settings and draws implications
for the role of LEIT in pro-poor agricultural development.
LEIT is the subject of some controversy. On one side, some dismiss it as a col-
lection of hopelessly labour- and knowledge-intensive practices that have little rel-
evance to agricultural development. On the other side, LEIT may be promoted as
the key to small farm survival and the development of human and social capital in
farming communities. This study tries to chart a course through such arguments
by examining the utilization of LEIT in three important examples, attempting to
draw conclusions that have wider relevance. The next section of the paper intro-
duces the three projects on which the study is based. This is followed by an examina-
tion of the labour requirements of LEIT. The next section reviews concerns about
knowledge-intensity, followed by a section examining the incentives for utilizing
LEIT. The degree to which LEIT, once adopted by some farmers in a community,
Reprinted from Tripp R. 2005. The performance of low external input technology in agricultural
development. A summary of three case studies. IJAS 3(3), 143–153, Earthscan, London.