| Mission |
Technology and Agrarian Development is a chair-group focusing on the social integration of agriculture, science and technology. The main study area is bio-sciences and plant-biotechnologies in relation to agricultural production and farmer participation. A major concern of the group is how, in agrarian societies,technology transfer and societal developments interact. The central aim is to understand the ways in which material and social milieus shape technological choices, such understanding leading to the better exploitation of the range of choices open to technologists and society, with the possibility of opening up and pursuing new and less-travelled paths. The education provided by TAO clarifies the social shaping of agricultural technologies by teaching appropriate concepts and methodologies, using examples of the TAO research projects. TAO's research focuses on agricultural technologies such as plant improvement, pest control, virology, geographic information systems or on technological arrangements like plant genetic resources management, contract farming, seed systems and the organisation of agricultural research and teaching. Besides research and teaching the chairgroup looks for possibilities of reshaping(bio)technological developments by bringing different groups of actors together in reorganizing the links between (bio)technology suppliers and client groups. |
