La diffusion des innovations techniques

The Spreading of Technical Innovations - Although information is plentiful, its spreading, especially in the field of technical innovations is difficult. Schematically, the farmer needs three kinds of information : general information, economic and technical information and synthesis information. This information is supplied through two different means : written information, through booklets etc. and oral information through conferences, radio, television and cinema. The latter means has not been used much as yet though it will be very important in the future. Some obstacles to the spreading of information are peculiar to the farm sector : atomicity of firms, fear for innovations and resistance to change, mostly due to the high average age of the farmers but also to unsufficient education. To overcome these difficulties, it would be useful to clarify the responsabilities of the parties concerned as for the spreading of information, to reorganize and coordinate this spreading and to create a committee on this problem in order to define the directions to follow.