Rural extension plays a significant and irreplaceable role in an innovation system that creates, designs, validates, and promotes new ideas, solutions, technologies, and forms of management focused on the resolution of problems and satisfaction of the needs of farmers and rural inhabitants and the organizations that represent them. In view of the above, this document presents proposals for making rural extension a key part of innovation systems focused on rural territorial development.
This presentation was realized for the GFAR workshop on "Adoption of ICT Enabled Information Systems for Agricultural Development and Rural Viability" (at IAALD-AFITA-WCCA World Congress, 2008). It presents lessons learned through linking research to extension, including examples from projects in Nigeria, Colombia, Uganda ,Costa Rica, Egypt and Bhutan.
The question of how social enterprises foster social innovation in rural regions remains largely unexplored. In this paper, was developed the assumption that the embeddedness of social enterprises in rural communities and their ability to connect rural communities with supra-regional networks and decision makers are crucial preconditions for generating and fostering social innovation in the countryside.
In November 2016, a CDAIS capacity needs assessment of a community milk processing centre started a process that has seen clear changes in less than a year. The Burera dairy was selected as one of the country’s ‘innovation niche partnerships’, and the assessment, workshop and associated training allowed participants to better understand the value chain, the issues, problems, and possible solutions. Now, Burera dairy is moving forward, and quickly….
Cassava is an important crop especially in the south of Rwanda. A processing factory was constructed, but it was unable to source enough roots to make it profitable. Since CDAIS became involved, however, actors got together, saw the problems and agreed ways forward. Now a few years later business is booming for all involved, from farmers with a secure market, producers of improved planting material, and the factory itself that produces much more cassava flour and now employs 230 people.
Hoy en día, los saberes locales y las prácticas ancestrales de producción agropecuaria, cobran una singular relevancia; por cu además de permitir la vida de los pueblos originarios y poblaciones rurales tradicionales, han demostrado ser claves para pre ambiente y los recursos naturales; la biodiversidad y los hábitats de especies terrestres y acuáticas, en equilibrio con el entorno. En Paraguay, existe un pleno consenso en que estos saberes tienen su origen y difusión en los conocimientos adquiridos de generación en generación, basados en la cultura de los pueblos guaraníes.
Four types of scaling are discussed in this brief. The first two focus on ways individual technologies or interventions are taken to scale through platforms. The third is when a platform adjusts to address different scales. The fourth is when the innovation platform approach is replicated. This brief is part of the series of ‘practice briefs’ intended to help guide agricultural research practitioners who seek to support and implement innovation platforms.
Face aux limites du système agro-industriel productiviste, des résistances et des alternatives positives proposent de nouvelles façons de penser et de pratiquer l’agriculture.
Extension services are a keystone of information diffusion in agriculture. This paper exploits a large randomized controlled trial to track diffusion of a new technique in the classic Training and Visit (T&V) extension model, relative to a more direct training model. In both control and treatment communities, contact farmers (CFs) serve as points-of-contacts between agents and other farmers. The intervention (Treatment) aims to address two pitfalls of the T&V model: i) infrequent extension agent visits, and ii) poor quality information.
En matière de semences, on oppose souvent un modèle orienté vers le business à un modèle orienté vers l’agriculture paysanne. Ces deux modèles ont des implications socio-économiques différentes, aussi bien en termes d’emplois, que d’autonomie des agriculteurs ou de biodiversité. Les agricultures paysannes des pays du Sud ont-elles le poids et l’influence politique nécessaires pour faire prévaloir leurs modèles semenciers ? C’est la question que nous explorons dans ce dossier.