Although the extent of deforestation by colonist farmers is sometimes overstated, stabilisation of the Amazon frontier remains a major conservation priority at the international level. One of the main characteristics of colonisation is the high rate of turnover of land holdings. The main environmental challenge is how to reduce this, and thus subsequent incursion into primary forest areas. Few would dispute that appropriate technology development has a vital role to play in this process, but our understanding of the socio-economic and policy determinants of technology adoption and its impact on colonist stability remains incomplete.