This review aims to introduce the institutional and policy oriented literature on technological innovation into the context of post harvest engineering. The focus is how rigorous quality and food safety standards in cross-border agricultural and horticultural trade influence technological change up stream in the agri-food chain. The review presents a selection of literature that considers technological innovation as a process, with a specific focus on the enabling and constraining institutional conditions found in developing countries.
The Policy Compendium for Rural Advisory Services (RAS) is a tool that contributes to filling the gap between the rural advisory services (RAS) policy environment and RAS efforts in the field. It helps direct decisions and facilitate successful policy processes and outcomes in extension and advisory services by making knowledge accessible, fostering synergies and promoting policy processes to improve RAS and rural development. It has two purposes.
Le secteur agricole est le premier employeur au niveau mondial et les actifs familiaux forment l'essentiel de cette force de travail. L'agriculture familiale produit plus de 70 % de la production alimentaire et gère une proportion considérable des ressources naturelles. Ce modèle d'agriculture caractérisé par sa diversité et sa résilience, a la capacité de proposer des réponses adaptées aux défis alimentaires, sociaux et environnementaux. La reconnaissance et le soutien aux agricultures familiales sont indispensables pour lutter contre la pauvreté et construire un développement durable.
Lancée par le président brésilien Lula au début des années 2000, Fome Zero est une stratégie globale de lutte contre la faim, intégrant un ensemble de programmes publics d’accès à l’alimentation, de soutien à l’agriculture familiale et de développement d’activités génératrices de revenus, le tout dans un cadre impliquant fortement la société civile. Grâce à Fome Zero, le Brésil est souvent montré comme le modèle à suivre en matière de politique publique de lutte contre la faim. Mais quels sont les aléas du copier-coller de ce modèle ?
Although it is not always acknowledged, power differences between partners fundamentally affect Agricultural Research for Development (ARD) partnerships. In referring to its African-European ARD partnerships, PAEPARD has often alluded to aspects of power without naming them as such. The project was established to create “equitable and balanced partnerships” between: a) researchers and research users, and b) African and European partners.
Inclusion is a key issue for Agricultural Research for Development (ARD). Development goals in and of themselves call for better livelihoods and opportunities for the less privileged actors working in agriculture. They also call for greater equity and balanced representation of the population at an institutional level. This brief focuses on how ARD processes can more sensitively address gender relations and youth issues. Women and young people have distinctive needs and interests which can be less visible within broader “Producer Organizations”, for example.
Chickpea is an important crop in Ethiopia, but yields and grain quality remain poor. To help unlock the full potential, CDAIS has supported the value chain around the northern city of Gondar since 2016, in partnership with the N2Africa project. As a result of new platforms, experience sharing and developing a combination of new organisational skills and behavioural change, research and extension support services stopped telling and started listening, and joined forces in innovating together with farmers.
This tool helps the design of comprehensive capacity development interventions aimed at strengthening mainly functional capacities. The purpose of this tool is to provide an overview of the different options in terms of capacity development modalities that an innovation partnership can consider while developing the action plan.
Wthin the context of ARD, capacity strengthening is seen as a process of continual development, as opposed to one-off training. It enhances interaction, builds trust and creates synergy between research institutions and public and private sector actors, smallholder farmers and development organizations. Strengthening the capacities of these different actors for collaboration enables them to address a whole range of activities, investments and policies, and take advantage of opportunities to make change happen.
Dans le contexte de la RAD, le renforcement des capacités est vu comme un processus de développement continu, et non comme une activité de formation ponctuelle. Ce processus améliore les interactions, instaure la confiance et crée des synergies entre des instituts de recherche et des acteurs des secteurs public et privé, des petits agriculteurs et des organismes de développement.