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Criteria for Agricultural Innovations: Supporting Smallholders and Family Farms

Explore what constitutes innovation, key issues, and examples for small farms. Learn criteria for successful agricultural innovations. Discover innovating for social change.

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Criteria for Agricultural Innovations: Supporting Smallholders and Family Farms

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  1. CRITERIA FOR AGRICULTURAL INNOVATIONS FOR SMALLHOLDERS AND FAMILY FARMS IN REU Andrew Fieldsend andrew.fieldsend@aki.gov.hu 10 September 2018

  2. CONTENT OF MY PRESENTATION • What is (and is not) innovation? • Some innovation-related key issues; • Innovations suitable for small and family farmers; • Examples of criteria for agricultural innovations; • Additional concluding comments. 10 September 2018

  3. WHAT IS INNOVATION? • The [successful]implementation of something new or improved in products (goods or services), processes, marketing or organisational methods. • It means applying ideas, knowledge or practices that are new to a particular context with the purpose of creating positive change. • Such novelties and useful changes could be substantial or cumulative. • OECD (2005) 10 September 2018

  4. ... ALSO SOCIAL INNOVATION • The social mechanisms of innovation; • innovation takes placewithin specific social and cultural contexts and networks ofsocial relations. • The social responsibility of innovations; • technological innovation is increasingly met by concern about, forinstance, their potential risksfor human safety and the environment. • The innovation of society; • the need for society to change as a prerequisite for solvingproblems such as poverty orpollution. • OECD (2005) 10 September 2018

  5. WHAT IS INNOVATION NOT? • An invention that has not been put into practice; • Stopping doing something, even if this improves performance; • Purchase of identical models of installed equipment; • Minor updates to existing equipment; • The change in the price of a product; • Regular seasonal and other cyclical changes. • OECD (2005) 10 September 2018

  6. SOME INNOVATION-RELATED KEY ISSUES • How to observe and measure innovation outcomes – what is the impact and what is the type of impact? • Ambiguity: are there ‚winners’ and ‚losers’? • The distinction between innovation (process) and innovations (outcomes); • Driving forces and relationships between innovation actors. How do they interact? • Degree of change induced in practice: incremental or radical? 10 September 2018

  7. MORE INNOVATION-RELATED KEY ISSUES • Does it correct observed failures in the system or allow a shift in the system? • The type of knowledge driving innovation: tacit or codified (or both); • Demand-driven or supply-driven innovation? • What are the ‚hard’ (e.g. the product) and the ‚soft’ (learning process, network creation) aspects of the innovation? • Context-specific characteristics – is the innovation replicable and transferable? 10 September 2018

  8. INNOVATIONS FOR FAMILY FARMERS • Our focus should be on innovations (not (proven) technologies); • They can be social, institutional, technical or organisational; • They can be applicable to plant, animal, forestry, fisheries and/or food production; • These innovations must be ‚accessible’ and ‚affordable’ for small farmers; • For example, precision agriculture currently tends to be more suited to large farmers. • Should support sustainable intensification. 10 September 2018

  9. SOME CRITERIA FOR AGRIC. INNOVATIONS • What is the type of innovation (social, institutional, technical or organisational)? • Is the innovation especially suitable for smallholders? Why? How? • ‚Internal’ factors for successful adoption; • For example, are technical or managerial skills needed, does the innovation depend on existing farm infrastructure, is it farm size dependent? • ‚External’ factors for successful adoption; • For example, is technical support needed such as from advisory services, is external financing needed, is IT infrastructure necessary? 10 September 2018

  10. MORE CRITERIA FOR AGRIC. INNOVATIONS • Is the innovation economically viable for the farmer and how does it add value? • Does a market for the output exist? • How many people are needed to implement the innovation? • How widely has the innovation been applied? Is it replicable further? • Is it derived from tacit or codified (academic) knowledge, or both? • Are there any patenting issues? 10 September 2018

  11. ADDITIONAL CONCLUDING COMMENTS • Small farmers expect to see tangible benefits from innovations such as higher incomes, reduced costs and sustainable livelihoods; • A ‚SMART’ (specific – measurable – attainable – replicable – timely) approach may be appropriate; • Any database of innovations needs to be accessible, user-friendly and regularly updated; • The broad range of support agencies need to be inspired by the range of innovations described; • Small and family farmers need to be especially inspired! 10 September 2018 11

  12. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION  10 September 2018 12

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