The purpose of this piece of work is to investigate, through a literature review, the role of intermediaries in agricultural and rural development. In the first place, a general view of the roles of intermediaries, (focusing on the two main types of intermediaries, i.e. facilitators and brokers), as depicted in literature, is provided. Following, the emergence of facilitators and brokers in agricultural literature is explored based on the turn from reductionist to systemic science as well as from the expert syndrome to participatory development. Such changes pose a major challenge to the dominant Transfer of Technology extension model and allow for the rise of a facilitation model; this is further reinforced by the sustainability rhetoric and practice. As a consequence the understanding of ‘intermediation’ has to be transformed from exploitation to exploration, i.e. from information dissemination to co-learning facilitation or from old to new KIBS. A number of examples from agriculture-related literature (and practice) illustrate such an argument. This review points to the fact that, at least as far as agriculture-related theory and practice are concerned, intermediaries as co-learning facilitators signify rather new roles requiring specific and, to a large degree, unexplored skills. Given that that there is still a number of issues threatening the efficacy of intermediaries (facilitators and brokers), it is argued that there is an urgent need for facilitation and brokerage to be better described, operationally defined and well-evaluated so as to allow for both a better interpretation and guidance of practice
In this paper, presented at the 12th European IFSA Symposium (Workshop: "Generating spaces for innovation in agricultural and rural development") in 2016, the authors assess the integration of new entrants to small-scale farming into agricultural knowledge and innovation systems (AKIS), in...
La FAO a adopté une approche multidimensionnelle pour aider les exploitants familiaux pauvres à faire face aux difficultés qu’ils rencontrent au quotidien et renforcer leur capacité de création de revenus, afin de réduire la pauvreté rurale. La FAO aide les...
The privatization of agricultural research and extension establishments worldwide has led to the development of a market for services designed to support agricultural innovation. However, due to market and systemic failures, both supply side and demand side parties in this...
Research, extension, and advisory services are some of the most knowledge-intensive elements of agricultural innovation systems. They are also among the heaviest users of information communication technologies (ICTs). This module introduces ICT developments in the wider innovation and knowledge systems...
La Red Nacional de Programas de Desarrollo y Paz, Redprodepaz, ha venido reflexionando sobre la importancia y el gran papel de la educación en la apuesta del Desarrollo Humano Integral y Sostenible liderada por los Programas y ha reconocido su...