Rasheed Sulaiman V Centre for Research on Innovation and Science Policy (CRISP)

1. From Technology Dissemination to Promoting Rural Innovation: Implications for Agricultural Extension Rasheed Sulaiman V Centre for Research on Innovation and Science Policy (CRISP) Andy Hall, UNU-MERIT, Maastricht & Rajeswari Raina, CPR, New Delhi) NAARM-21Nov06

2. Structure • Main arguments • Case Study • Lessons • Implications for extension NAARM-21Nov06

3. Main Argument 1 • Changing nature of agriculture • farmers need an integrated set of advice and services • Addressing complex issues needs interaction among a number of actors • (sustainable resource use; pesticides & health; organic farming; quality and standards; enhancing competitiveness; value addition) • Many of these challenges transcend the level of individual farms and need new forms of co-ordination among various actors • (collective management of natural resources, chain management, collective marketing and input supply, organisation building) NAARM-21Nov06

4. Main argument 2 • Extension should play a wider role: • beyond technology dissemination • beyond price/market information + group formation • Include addressing vulnerability and poverty, environmental issues, enterprise development, dealing with markets and farmer organizations, building relations with actors Select References: Farrington et al, 2002, Berdegue and Escobar, 2002; APO, 2006, Neuchatel Group, 2002, Rivera et al, 2001, Leeuwis and van den Ban, 2004; Sulaiman and Hall 2003, 2005) NAARM-21Nov06

5. Main argument 3 • Extension should have links with several actors • Beyond research (public sector research) • Technology users, private companies, NGOs, market intermediaries, financial agencies • But ……..“Institutions”-rules, norms, habits and practices, constrain development of better relationships and partnerships NAARM-21Nov06

6. Main argument 4 • Extension needs new theories/framework to reinvent its new mission- (systems perspectives) • Beyond “diffusion of innovations” • Beyond linear transfer of technology paradigm (R-E-F) • Beyond “technological determinism” • Beyond “invention” and “transfer” to “innovation” • Acknowledges the role of different actors and their interaction • Beyond NARS and NAES to “Agricultural and Rural Innovation System” NAARM-21Nov06

7. Case Study - Linking tribal horticulture producers to markets through value addition Details Tribal horticultural producers getting exploited (perishability, middlemen exploitation, distress sale, low prices) Initiate value addition through developing right technologies and products and ensure a sustainable supply chain Coalition project (Feb 2003) Gajapathi Dt -IDE(I) Lead/marketing - OUAT (technology) - CCD (community) Livelihood and Market analysis NAARM-21Nov06

8. Technological Initiatives • Pineapple- Osmo dehydrated pineapple slices and pineapple juice • Simple user friendly juicer • Pouch sealing machines, metal cork machine, tamarind seeding machine • Training to SHGs at the lab • Field level – Juice damaged due to lack of hygiene and colour of slices not upto the mark • Need for more field level trainings, processing plant • CTD, DST, CAPART NAARM-21Nov06

9. Product testing; Marketing • Tried different packing materials • Labelling-”Mahendragiri” • Consumer study (M/s Jagannath Merchandising Ltd)-quality, packing, pricing • Marketing tie-ups • Aaren Foods-pineapple, tamarind, turmeric and cashew • OMFED- raw and processed products pineapple, lemon, seedless tamarind • Gajpathi Women Self-Help Co-operative Ltd • 2004- 1 mt of pineapple juice and lemon juice to OMFED • 1 quintal seedless tamarind to Aaren • Project ended Dec 2004 • 2006- > 4 tns pineapple juice • SHGs procuring pineapple at higher prices • Women from SHGs engaged in processing • No processing plant yet NAARM-21Nov06

10. So what? The project provides several lessons on promoting rural innovation • Beyond technology development or dissemination; it was on enhancing the capacity of the producers to access, adapt and apply different bits of knowledge in their particular context • Intervention brought together knowledge from more than 20 different actors. • Involves a set of inter-related changes in technology, institutions and policies technological adaptations More trainings, trainings in the field, OMFED rules regarding procurement and payments, SHGs agree to venture into new areas of economic activity NAARM-21Nov06

11. Lessons on HOW to approach developmental issues • Exploring complexities simultaneously through a coalition of actors • challenges the traditional approach of compartmentalising problems and addressing in a sequential mode • Integrating different activities from the beginning and selecting the right kind of partners (markets, intermediaries, users, technology suppliers, grass root organisations) • Lead role by IDEI-looking at the whole value chain-managing the project • Steering committee, frequent meetings, joint search for solution, use of mobile phones • OUAT’s technical skills-adoption of ICAR contract research rules, use of networks provided by others FOCUS ON CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT & NOT TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION NAARM-21Nov06

12. Learning-an important process and outcome • IDEI was applying its previous experience of managing coalitions-working through others • OUAT- new ways of relating lab level expertise to real life situations (adaptations to dryers, addressing hygiene) • CCD- learning on value addition and marketing for its SHGs, though the project ended NAARM-21Nov06

13. Implications for extension • Innovation –process of generating, accessing and putting knowledge into use, happens only when actors with different bits of expertise interact with each other • Invention is not always necessary for innovation • Transferring invention is not enough for innovation • Expertise and not technology • Extension needs to partner with several non-research actors also NAARM-21Nov06

14. Agricultural Innovation System-actors NAARM-21Nov06

15. Technical and institutional innovations • Institutional innovations- new ways of doing things are equally or more important to address complex issues facing agriculture • Technical innovations need not be the starting point for extension • Institutional innovations can flourish only where sufficient flexibility and freedom to experiment exists • Centralised arrangements for funding, implementation, monitoring and evaluation stifle generation of locally relevant institutional innovations NAARM-21Nov06

16. Role of “institutions” • Norms, rules, habits and practices- that determine propensity of each actor to interact with others in the innovation system • Institutional change is important • Current institutions- hierarchy, centralised modes of planning, assessing performance on number of trainings, rewarding only success (reluctance to report failures), working independently, mistrust of others • Lack culture of learning • Institutional learning and change (ILAC) • Process by which new ways of working emerges • What rules and norms have to be changed to do a new task or the old one better success), Innovation - determined by interaction of different actors • Create new platforms for learning • Space to try new approaches NAARM-21Nov06

17. Capacity Development • CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT- deal with evolving sector needs • ILAC not restricted to extension • Stakeholder dialogues • Promoting joint activities • (small projects to big consortia) • How to develop this capacity? NAARM-21Nov06

18. New Frameworks to guide change • “Innovation Systems” • Innovation- process of generating, accessing and putting knowledge into use • Wide range of actors • Nature of interaction and relationships • Institutions • (habits and practices that determine interactions) • Policies and the facilitating environment NAARM-21Nov06

19. Thanks www.innovationstudies.org