Technological Choice in the Wake of Migration

Abstract

This chapter analyses the strategic technological decisions which Chinese rice farmers take to manage their farmland in a context of rural-urban migration. Based on ethnographic field research, it does so mainly through the example of one left-behind woman and her choice of harvesting technologies. Proposing a repertoire perspective on technological choice, the chapter sheds light on the diverse socio-technical factors behind such decision-making. It argues against a linear perspective of technological development, showing why it makes sense for farmers to simultaneously draw on a repertoire of old and new technologies, rather than simply opting for mechanization in order to compensate for the migrated labour. This also provides additional insights into the complex relationship and causalities between agricultural technology and migration.