Farmers’ experiments and innovations: A debate on the role of creativity for fostering an innovative environment in farming systems

Innovation has become the promising concept to overcome problems and enhance agricultural performance in agricultural research and policies. In the past, innovation was mainly seen as being developed by science or enterprises, and only recently the focus has shifted from a linear to a systemic perception, acknowledging that innovation is a dynamic process that implies the participation of a diversity of stakeholders. Consequently the role of multiple stakeholders, including farmers, in the innovation process receives more attention. Farmers’ experimentation is the process by which farmers informally conduct trials or tests that can result in innovations suitable for their specific conditions. Although the role of farmers experiments in the innovative process is increasingly acknowledged, literature on the creative process that leads to farmers’ experiments and innovations is missing in farming systems research. The aim of the authors is discussing this missing link, focusing on how motivations, learning processes and specificities of the workplace farm may influence the creativity of farmers. 

Paper presented at the 12th European IFSA Symposium, Workshop Innovation, knowledge and learning processes: 1.5 Pathways towards sustainability in the agricultural knowledge and innovation system: The role of farmers' experiments and innovations, Newport (UK), Harper Adams University, 12-15 July 2016.