Assessing Barriers and Opportunities for Large-scale Dissemination and Adoption of Technology Packages through an Integrated Approach

Dessalegn, Bezaiet; Dhehibi, Boubaker; El Awady, Abbas; Salem, Shaban Ali; AbdAllah, Eman

Assessing Barriers and Opportunities for Large-scale Dissemination and Adoption of Technology Packages through an Integrated Approach

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2025-12-31

Contributes to SDGs

SDG 12 - Responsible consumption and production

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Bezaiet Dessalegn, Boubaker Dhehibi, Abbas El Awady, Shaban Ali Salem, Eman AbdAllah. (31/12/2025). Assessing Barriers and Opportunities for Large-scale Dissemination and Adoption of Technology Packages through an Integrated Approach.

Abstract

The Integrated Desert Farming for Resilient Livelihoods (IDFRL) project aims to address the systemic challenges of desert agriculture in five governorates of Egypt. The project promotes a holistic, integrated approach to adoption of technologies rather than focusing on isolated interventions. This study assesses the scalability of the "bundled" technology packages which combine high-productivity seed varieties – including fodder, bio-fertilization, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), residue processing, and intercropping to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Required data was collected using a participatory method including farmer surveys, stakeholder consultation workshops, and expert ranking. The study documents significant socio-economic gains resulting from adoption of these integrated practices including yield increases of 16.1% for wheat and 17.9% for barley, while the introduction of non-traditional fodders like Panicum and Azolla boosted livestock productivity by up to 18%. Despite such clear benefits, the study identifies critical multi-layered barriers that impede large-scale dissemination. At the farm level, high input costs and insecure land tenure limit financial liquidity and long-term investment. At the institutional level, a chronic shortage of specialized desert agricultural engineers and a lack of localized maintenance services for solar and irrigation infrastructure create significant bottlenecks. To shift from successful localized pilots to system-wide scaling, this paper proposes a strategic roadmap. Key recommendations include establishing "neighborhood models" and living laboratories to facilitate social learning, activating agricultural cooperatives for input distribution, and vertical alignment of national water and energy policies to support resilient, low-carbon farming systems in desert areas.