These recommendations are a compilation of 2 regional studies at sub-Saharan Africa level which focused on research and technology transfer in the field of rainwater harvesting irrigatio nmanagement on one hand (section 3), and effective policy recommendations on the use of rainwater for off-season small-scale irrigation on the other (section 4). The regional studies upon which this transnational study is based come from the analysis of national studies in Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
According to the literature on regime transition, niches are sources of innovation that may lead to the transformation of the dominant regime, if processes at other level of the system – the landscape and the mainstream regime - are supportive. A focus on actors involved in the transition process and the analysis of their specific role in knowledge networks can help assessing the robustness of a specific niche and its growth potential. Knowledge systems, and in particular the dynamics of local and expert knowledge, have in fact a key role in innovation models.
In Bangladesh, strengthening agricultural innovation calls for facilitation of interactive communication and a wide range of mediation tasks within (and between) stakeholders operating in different social spheres. This paper examines how a public-sector agricultural extension agency has attempted to change its roles in implementing a major agricultural extension project in order to strengthen agricultural innovation.
Conventional approaches to agricultural extension based on top–down technology transfer and information dissemination models are inadequate to help smallholder farmers tackle increasingly complex agroclimatic adversities. Innovative service delivery alternatives, such as field schools, exist but are mostly implemented in isolationistic silos with little effort to integrate them for cost reduction and greater technical effectiveness.
This article summarizes current research on public entrepreneurship and presents a detailed case study of a successful entrepreneurial change in a public sector organization. A five-step change process used to enhance entrepreneurial behaviors was implemented in a public sector organization and the qualitative and quantitative results demonstrated substantial performance improvements over 4 years (i.e., quantitative performance in some areas was more than 10 times greater).
Aujourd’hui, l’agriculture familiale fait preuve de dynamisme. Pour prouver qu’elle est un modèle à défendre, il faut convaincre les États de mener des politiques volontaristes et souveraines de rénovation de l’agriculture. Une politique efficace devra identifier les forces et les faiblesses de l’agriculture familiale, lutter contre l’accaparement des terres, encourager les jeunes paysans et les paysannes. Prendre en compte les différentes dimensions de l’agriculture familiale est nécessaire pour mener à une transformation efficace.
The interactions between bottom-up initiatives and top-down structures in the implementation of regional development policies and projects are complex in theoretical and practical terms. Using concepts such as transformative social innovation, adaptive governance, and bridging institutions, we developed an analytical framework to enhance understanding of the processes by which local top-down and bottom-up forces enhance sustainable rural development by co-developing bottom-linked governance.
This article examines the meaning, practices and potentials of ‘transformative agroecology learning’ as a collective strategy for food system transformation. Our study is based on our qualitative and action research with the European Coordination of Via Campesina to develop the European Agroecology Knowledge Exchange Network (EAKEN). This network is linked to the global network of La Via Campesina and builds on the strong experiences and traditions of popular education in Latin American peasant movements.
A partir de experiencias de investigación-transformación en sistemas agrícolas en Cuba, el trabajo examina áreas relevantes en una concepción de desarrollo rural sustentable, como el fortalecimiento y la diversificación de los sistemas agropecuarios y las economías locales, la articulación de actores y participación en los procesos de desarrollo, que evidencian el movimiento desde un enfoque eminentemente tecnológico hacia una propuesta más social e integradora
Cassava is an important source of food and income in Uganda. However, it cannot be marketed over a long time and distance, thereby reducing incomes and food security to growers, consumers and traders. This in turn leads to less investments and hence low productivity. To address this challenge, the project of Extending the Shelf life of Fresh Cassava Roots for Increased Incomes and Postharvest Loss Reduction proposed to set up two packhouses in order to test their commercial viability.