The Papa Andina network employs collective action in two novel approaches for fostering market chain innovation. The participatory market chain approach (PMCA) and stakeholder platforms engage small potato producers together with market agents and agricultural service providers in group activities to identify common interests, share market knowledge and develop new business opportunities.
African agriculture is currently at a crossroads, at which persistent food shortages are compounded by threats from climate change. But, as this book argues, Africa can feed itself in a generation and help contribute to global food security. To achieve this Africa has to define agriculture as a force in economic growth by: advancing scientific and technological research; investing in infrastructure; fostering higher technical training; and creating regional markets.
This article starts by describing the evolution of innovation in agricultural research and cooperation for development, including an historical overview of agricultural research for development from green revolution to the re-discover of traditional knowledge. Then the authors analyze participation in innovation processes and make a comparison of innovation systems and platforms targeting the agri-food sector in developing countries. A particular focus is reserved to the European regional networks and to the experience of the USAID Middle East Water and Livelihoods Initiative.
Little is known about effective ways to operationalize agricultural innovation processes. The authors of this article use the MasAgro program in Mexico (which aims to increase maize and wheat productivity, profitability and sustainability), and the experiences of middle level ‘hub managers’, to understand how innovation processes occur in heterogeneous and changing contexts. Their research shows how a program, that initially had a relatively narrow technology focus, evolved towards an innovation system approach.
This publication provides a collection of papers, commentaries, expert opinions and reflections on state-of-the-art innovation systems thinking and approaches in agriculture. It is the direct output of a CTA and WUR/CoS-SIS collaboration which had its genesis in an expert consultation on ‘Innovation Systems: Towards Effective Strategies in support of Smallholder Farmers’.
Este libro se centró en la construcción de los 17 focos de ciencia, tecnología e innovación que abarcan las demandas de la agenda nacional de investigación,
The present study aims to characterize a new type of business ventures-agtech companies. Researchers conducted 3 interviews with the owners of agtechs located in Agtech valley and then by using a quantitative approach, collected secondary data of 74 firms from the Brazilian largest agricultural technology Science Park. This article contributes to the literature by characterizing the emerging type of new technology-based ventures within the agribusiness context.
En México y en el mundo, la incorporación de la comunidad científica (entre ellos los ecólogos) a la generación de conocimientos que coadyuven a solucionar los graves problemas ambientales, y avanzar hacia la sustentabilidad, requiere de una visión diferente en la investigación. Más aún, se requiere de herramientas novedosas para acoplar el trabajo de la comunidad científica con el resto de la sociedad.
Este folleto explica que es el hub: la infraestructura fisica del hub consiste en un sistema de investigación (plataformas de investigación), implementación (módulos demostrativos) y difusión (áreas de extensión). Esta infraestructura forma la base para la construcción de una red de actores de la cadena agrícola - agricultores, técnicos, científicos, centros de investigación, iniciativa privada, prensa y funcionarios públicos, entre otros- hacia el objetivo en común, innovación en el sistema de producción para llegar a un sistema más sustentable, productivo y rentable.
La presentación explica qué tipo de indicadores se pueden usar para valorar la extensión rural.