AgriFoodTech start-ups are coming to be seen as relevant players in the debate around and reality of the transformation of food systems, especially in view of emerging or already-established novel technologies (such as Artificial Intelligence, Sensors, Precision Fermentation, Robotics, Nanotechnologies, Genomics) that constitute Agriculture 4.0 and Food 4.0. However, so far, there have only been limited studies of this phenomena, which are scattered across disciplines, with no comprehensive overview of the state of the art and outlook for future research.
The Newsletter of the Tropical Agriculture Platform (TAP) provides regular updates on activities by TAP and its partners, on the projects and on upcoming events. This issue specifically refers to the period from August 2023 to February 2024.
En la actualidad, las tecnologías digitales forman parte de nuestra vida cotidiana, y la constante búsqueda de factores innovadores se ha vuelto indispensable para adaptarse al futuro. La innovación involucra la creación de algo nuevo y diferente, ya sea resolver un problema preexistente de una manera original, enfrentar un desafío inexplorado utilizando una solución comprobada, o bien, aportar a una problemática completamente nueva con una respuesta novedosa (FAO, 2023a).
Addressing 21st century development challenges requires investments in innovation, including the use of new approaches and technologies. Currently, many development organisations prioritise investments in isolated innovation pilots that leverage a specific approach or technology rather than pursuing a strategic approach to expand the organisation's toolbox with innovations that have proven their comparative advantage over what is currently used.
How do innovations move from the edges to the core of what an organization does? For maximum impact, innovations must cease to be innovative and become institutionalized and normalized.
For most development organisations and funders, innovation remains a sprawling collection of activities, often energetic, but largely uncoordinated. To a dregree, this has also been the case for Iceland's development co-operation. Iceland, a comparatively small but energetic player in the international development co-operation system, provided the equivalent of 0.28% (roughly 67 million Euro) of it 2021 gross national income towards Official Development Assistance.
The OECD InDeF team developed a portfolio approach to innovation. A portfolio approach takes a balcony view on innovation which helps organizations align innovation processes, resources and performance with organizational objectives and enables them to track innovation with a view to scaling. Coached by the OECD team, Enabel colleagues in Benin, Morocco and Palestine piloted this portfolio approach by reviewing their current innovation supporting activities and investments against a set of key criteria.
The overarching research question developed in the Conceptual Framework conveys the core objective of SALSA (What is the contribution of small farms and of the related food businesses to sustainable FNS in a wide range of foos systems?) by highlighting that the research follows a systemic approach.
Mission-Oriented Innovation Policies (MOIPs) are one approach that can advance the required transformations. As our colleague Philippe Larrue noted in a 2021 paper, MOIPs are "a co-ordinated package of policy and regulatory measures tailored specifically to mobilise science, technology and innovation in order to address well-defined objectives related to a societal challenge, in a defined timeframe".
América Latina y el Caribe (ALC) se caracteriza por aplicar una estrategia de desarrollo que depende de manera notable de la explotación de sus recursos naturales. Debido a que la población de la región aumenta de forma sistemática, la presión sobre los recursos naturales ha tenido un incremento marcado.