INNOVATION THEORY AND PATTERNS OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT.

The article discusses the effect of innovations on patterns of rural development and in particular on output per acre and on labor input per acre. Data from a sample of 240 smallholdings in five different areas of Malawi are examined. The article indicates that the existence of differing patterns of rural development in these areas. It discusses the implications for rural development policy. The article shows a bias among the smallholders in favor of innovations and a skepticism about the viability of yield increasing innovations.