Assessing, Prioritizing, Monitoring, and Evaluating Agricultural Innovation Systems

This chapter examines processes to inform decision making and manage innovation at four generally defined levels of the innovation system for agriculture; policy, investment, organization, and intervention and also identifies methods relevant at each level for assessing, prioritizing, monitoring, and evaluating innovation processes so that practitioners have the information needed for decision making and for managing limited resources effectively. At the policy level, international and cross-sectoral comparative analyses may be used and combined with multistakeholder policy dialogues and foresighting studies to inform on future development issues. At the organizational level, methods include multi-institutional and organizational performance assessments involving innovation surveys and network mapping. At the level of specific programs, assessment tools for strengthening the involvement of end-users or farmers in value chains include gender analysis and support for self-organizing networks, as well as other methods relevant for effective performance management, accompanied by reporting arrangements that ensure accountability