Agricultural Innovation and Agricultural Innovation Systems

1. Agricultural Innovation and Agricultural Innovation Systems Module 1.1 Training for mid-carrier professionals

2. 2 Examples of Agricultural Innovation from participants experiences: questions What was the change that occurred? How did it occur? Who were involved in bringing about the innovation? What has been the impact of the change? What made the innovation successful?

3. 3 Questions What is innovation (definition in broad sense)? Who are involved in innovation processes? Why are only very few research results contributing to innovation? What is the difference between a research result, a new technology, an invention and innovation? When do we speak of an �innovation�?

4. 4 What is Agricultural Innovation? Some definitions: Innovation is the application of knowledge of all types to achieve desired social and economic outcomes Innovation is the process by which actors master and implement the design and production of goods and services that are new to them, irrespective of whether they are new to their competitors, their country, or the world innovation refers to the activities and processes associated with the generation, production, distribution, adaptation and use of new technical, institutional, organizational and marginal knowledge

5. 5 Agricultural Innovation: some characteristics Effective service systems for rural innovation are a prerequisite for competitive agriculture for smallholders Innovation: uncertain, complex, emerging processes Innovation results from interaction between multiple actors Often innovation combines technical, organizational, social-institutional and other sorts of changes Or: innovation is the successful mix of changes in hardware (technology), the software (the mindset) and the orgware (organizational and institutional setting)

6. 6 Agricultural Innovation: some characteristics (2) Developmental agenda is guiding, not research agenda Drivers for innovation include research but also changes in markets, regulations, climate, values and institutions, etc. Innovation comprises radical and many small improvements and a continuous process of upgrading. Capacities of different stakeholders are diverse: capacity strengthening for innovation

7. 7 What is an Agricultural Innovation System (AIS)? An agricultural innovation system is the complex of actors and their interrelations that contribute to the process of generating, disseminating and applying knowledge. The delimitation and boundaries of the innovation system (scale and scope) are the choice of the user of the concept.

8. 8 What is an Agricultural Innovation System (2)? An innovation system a network of organizations, enterprises, and individuals focus on bringing new products, new processes, and new forms of organization into social and/or economic use institutions and policies affect their behavior and performance totality and interaction of actors involved in innovation extends beyond the creation of knowledge encompass the factors affecting demand for and use of knowledge in novel and useful ways

9. 9 Agricultural Innovation System examples Examples innovation systems: National Agricultural Innovation System of Malawi Potato Innovation System in Kisoro district in Uganda Dairy Innovation System in Nyandarawa South Conservation Agriculture Innovation System in Chipata District in Zambia Groundnut Innovation System in Lilongwe District in Malawi

10. 10 Why the Agricultural Innovation System concept? Agriculture isolated with weak forward and backward linkages Liberalization of the agricultural economies ? less isolation Relative dominance of biological sciences ? different technology base & less attention for management Fragmented production structure Relative dominance of public sector in generating & diffusing knowledge

11. 11 Why the Agricultural Innovation System concept? (2) Diffusion of new knowledge in agriculture problematic due to large numbers of producers and illiteracy Application of new knowledge in agriculture problematic due to: risks (no safety net available); and institutional constraints such as lack of land tenure, credit, transport, and markets

12. 12 Other system concepts in agricultural innovation National Agricultural Research System (NARS) focuses on the generation of knowledge Agricultural Knowledge and Information System (AKIS) focuses on the generation and diffusion of knowledge Agricultural Innovation System (AIS) focuses on the generation, diffusion and application of knowledge

13. 13 Characteristics of the AIS approach (1) Innovation central and not research Provides wider set of relationships in which research is embedded Importance of both technology users as well as producers Allows focus on developmental issues: poverty alleviation and empowerment AIS is just framework, using existing tools Additional to bullet point 2: It focuses on innovation (rather than research) as its organizing principle Last bullet point added, relates to economic development Additional to bullet point 2: It focuses on innovation (rather than research) as its organizing principle Last bullet point added, relates to economic development

14. 14 Characteristics of the AIS approach (2) Matches better with the non-linear concept of innovation Breaks with the idea that research is the only source of knowledge Encompasses technological, institutional, organizational, and managerial aspects of innovation Uses ideas from various disciplines ? multi-disciplinary Focuses on the system�s outcome Additional to bullet point 2: It focuses on innovation (rather than research) as its organizing principle Last bullet point added, relates to economic development Additional to bullet point 2: It focuses on innovation (rather than research) as its organizing principle Last bullet point added, relates to economic development

15. 15 Characteristics of the AIS approach (3) Gives more attention to the context (policy and institutional) within which innovation takes place Is more holistic, including the final step in the innovation process (i.e. application) Stresses the importance of linkages among the different actors It recognizes innovation systems as social systems (or as intelligent living organisms) that can learn and adapt and hence evolve over time Connectivity within innovation systems is not static, nor one-directional or one-dimensional.

16. 16 Criticism on the AIS approach Innovation system concept of little relevance to agriculture in developing countries Concept is too complex ? it creates more confusion than that it clarifies AIS theory lacks scientific rigor It shifts the focus (and hence resources) away from (public sector) agricultural research

17. 17 Conclusions

18. 18 Puzzling and fascinating �