A Comparative Analysis of the Social Impacts of a Technological Delivery System

• Published in: Human organization Vol. 36; no. 2; pp. 193 - 197
• Main Authors: SOFRANKO, ANDREW J., FLIEGEL, FREDERICK C., SHARMA, NAVIN C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, D.C The Society for Applied Anthropology 01-07-1977; Society for Applied Anthropology
• Subjects: Agricultural land; Agriculture; Brief Communications; Crop economics; Crop production; Crops; Farmer/Farmers; Food crops; Integrated agricultural systems; Modern/Modernity/Modernism/ Modernist/ Modernists/ Modernizing; Modernization; Production technology; Production/Productivity/ Producer/ Producers; Technology/Technological/ Technologically; Tobacco; Urban agriculture; Work/Works/Working
• ISSN: 0018-7259; 1938-3525
• DOI: 10.17730/humo.36.2.y6m5138m3152u053

Interview responses from tobacco growers (48 from the Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh, India & 35 from the Brong Ahafo & Ashanti Districts, Ghana) were compared with matched samples of nontobacco farmers (30 from each area) to assess the impact of commercial production systems on the modernization process. In addition to questions regarding individual use of technology & perception of job status, Rs were administered a twenty-four-item (Cromback alpha=.79) modernity index. Individual scores from each sample group were totalled & averaged to determine group characteristics. Findings support an anticipated correlative effect in two of the three targeted considerations of impact. Tobacco growers are more likely to adopt & use technological methods on their own nontobacco crops than are farmers with no commercial production involvement. Similarly, tobacco farmers report greater job satisfaction than found in the general farming population. In contrast, the samples showed no significant differences in value orientation, suggesting that exposure to technology has negligible influence on individual modernity. P. Hoye.