Effective approaches and instruments for research and innovation for sustainable agri-food systems

The study was designed to answer the following three key questions:

(1) What types of investment instruments have been tested to support innovation in agri-food systems in the Global South, and how can these be categorized into a working typology?

(2) What is the evidence on how well different instruments have supported SAI's multiple objectives (e.g. social equality and environmental) at scale and what contextual and design factors affect their success or failure in achieving these objectives (e.g. type of value chain, who participates)?

(3) What advice can be given to innovation investors and practitioners about the instruments selected for different objectives and contexts, and how can selected instruments be designed to achieve better impacts?

For this study, the focus was on instruments – defined as arrangements for financing or disbursing support to those engaged in research and/or innovation (i.e. research performers). The process of gathering data included a rapid, purposive review of gray and peer-reviewed literature. In addition, interviews were conducted with various key informants to draw on their experiences, obtain useful documents, and to identify additional websites, individuals and organizations to explore.