Integration of productivity, resource management, and institutional innovations is crucial across different system levels. Traditional research and extension services face challenges in disseminating innovations effectively, leading to the emergence of the agricultural innovation system (AIS) approach. AIS involves collaboration among various stakeholders to improve the technological, managerial, and institutional aspects of agriculture. Intermediary actors play a pivotal role in facilitating innovation exchange and learning processes.
Innovation along the value chain is essential for maximizing the potential of fisheries and aquaculture to enhance food security, drive economic growth, and promote environmental sustainability. At the processing stage, innovations can help preserve quality while adding value by making products more convenient for consumers, reducing post-harvest losses, or utilizing otherwise discarded by-products.
Effective fisheries management, which is crucial for maintaining healthy fish stocks, relies on decisions about species selection, fishing locations, seasons, and catch limits. These decisions must balance social and economic benefits with the preservation of marine ecosystems. Reliable, up-to-date data is essential for making informed choices, but obstacles such as a lack of data standardization, underreporting, and data gaps often hinder this process.
This study aims to 1) describe crises in agri-food systems in the past 10 years, 2) understand their effect on farmers, and 3) address policy options to contain crises, mitigate their impacts in the short-run, and adapt to their presence in the medium- to long-run. The study leverages the context of five value chains – dairy, potatoes, rice, sesame, and sweet potatoes – across three countries supported by GIZ’s Green Innovation Centers (GIC) Project – Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Tunisia.
The “Green Innovation Centres for the agriculture and food sector” (GIC) project, implemented by the GIZ, aims to enhance the agricultural value chains in various countries by promoting sustainable practices and innovations. The “Atingi”-platform, which was created as part of the project, can be seen as a knowledge hub that provides access to the various knowledge outputs of the initiative.