The turn of agrarian sciences and agricultural extension from reductionist and transfer of technology, respectively, towards systemic approaches has transformed agricultural/rural development thinking in the last decades. Nevertheless, the emergence of Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS) has to confront a number of gaps among which the expert – lay knowledge gap is of major importance. This paper aims at exploring such a gap as well as obstacles to participatory development from a critical realist point of view.
The purpose of this article is to investigate the functions of design process outputs (such as design briefs, scale models, visualizations, animations) as boundary objects in the implementation of novel agricultural production system concepts.
This paper briefly analyse the genesis, development and change in public sector-led extension approaches in India showing its temporal pattern, emerging innovations in extension approaches and the way forward. It discusses decentralized, community based, pluralistic extension approaches and their opportunities as well as limitations in changing agricultural and natural resources scenario.
La extensión rural constituye un factor clave en la mejora de la calidad de vida de los pequeños productores. Se llevó a cabo un estudio cualitativo de la problemática de extensión rural en Paraguay, con particular énfasis en el departamento de Caazapá. Para esto se realizaron entrevistas a pequeños productores, extensionistas y referentes institucionales, las cuales fueron desgrabadas y su contenido categorizado.
L'article propose d'utiliser le concept de sécurisation alimentaire pour étudier les actions et processus qui améliorent une situation alimentaire, plutôt que celui de sécurité alimentaire qui se réfère avant tout à la satisfaction de besoins alimentaires. Dans une première partie, ces deux concepts sont précisés et discutés. La sécurité alimentaire est caractérisée selon plusieurs dimensions : disponibilités, conditions d'accès, qualités des aliments, stabilité, mais aussi objectifs sociaux et politiques.
El objetivo de esta investigación fue determinar a través de la información estadística obtenida por el VIII Censo Agrícola, Ganadero y Forestal del año 2007, la importancia que tiene la asistencia técnica en las unidades de producción en México para contar con elementos que sirvan en la toma de decisiones de éste servicio. Se realizó un análisis de la base de datos a nivel nacional y por zonas económicas a través de la obtención de frecuencias relativa
El principal propósito de este artículo es contribuir a una mejor compresión del significado de los valores en las competencias individuales y colectivas; con tal objeto, se realizó una investigación teórica, basada en un amplio marco conceptual, del que se obtienen —y en su momento integran— distintas vertientes de análisis.
The process of knowledge brokering in the agricultural sector, where it is generally called agricultural extension, has been studied since the 1950s. While agricultural extension initially employed research push models, it gradually moved towards research pull and collaborative research models. The current agricultural innovation systems perspective goes beyond seeing research as the main input to change and innovation, and recognises that innovation emerges from the complex interactions among multiple actors and is about fostering combined technical, social and institutional change.
The new challenges facing the European agricultural and rural sectors call for a review of the links between knowledge production and its use to foster innovation, and for a deeper analysis of the potential of the current Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) to react to the evolving context. This paper highlights how the Italian AKIS places itself in the new emerging framework, with a particular emphasis on the incentives guiding the system and the experiences of monitoring and evaluating the national AKIS policy.
This paper presents the processes, general guidelines lessons and experiences pertaining to “good practices” for organizing and forming Agricultural Innovation Platforms in the Lake Kivu Pilot Learning Site, covering three countries (Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo) with widely differing social political environments to address agricultural development challenges.