Enhancing livelihoods of livestock-dependent poor people through increasing use of fodder: India and Nigeria
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Item Applying innovation system principles to fodder scarcity: Experiences from the Fodder Innovation Project(Working Paper, 2013-12-31) Vamsidhar Reddy, T.S.; Puskur, Ranjitha; Hall, A.; Sulaiman, R.Item Assessing impact of research for development initiatives that use innovation systems perspectives: Lessons from the Fodder Innovation Project in India(Presentation, 2011-10-14) Puskur, RanjithaItem Role of brokerage in evolving innovation systems: A case of the Fodder Innovation Project in Nigeria(Journal Article, 2011-04) Madzudzo, E.This paper looks at brokerage functions in a project on building innovation capacity through improved networking. Innovation capacity influences how actors respond to changes in their environments. In such dynamic environments well connected sets of actors are at an advantage in that they can combine skills to address the emerging opportunities and challenges. However, policy and cultural barriers especially in African innovation systems raise the transaction costs of networking leading to weak connectivity among actors thus poor innovation capacity. This paper uses case studies from West Africa to illustrate that actors that play brokerage functions are critical in navigating around or dismantling the barriers and thus enhance innovation capacity. This paper assumes that innovation capacity rather than innovations per se is lacking in African agriculture. The paper is a product of an action research based study of Key Partner Organizations and the coalitions of stakeholders they formed around fodder innovation themes in Nigeria. We show that brokerage negotiates innovation barriers and improve networking. The paper concludes that brokerage roles are context-specific; policies that facilitate eclectic brokerage functions are critical. This paper is shedding light on the broadened scope for actors playing boundary roles, e.g. extension organizations under more relaxed organizational and policy contexts. There are few studies on brokerage and boundary work particularly in African agriculture. This study is a grounded discussion on the brokering functions in African rural development. It uses data from similar programmes to qualify observations and conclusions from the Fodder Innovation Project (FIP) case study.Item Enhancing livelihoods of poor livestock keepers through increasing use of fodder: India and Nigeria. Final Report Phase I (2003-2006)(Report, 2006-07-31) International Livestock Research InstituteItem Fodder research embedded in a system of innovation(Conference Paper, 2006-02-15) Bezkorowajnyj, P.G.; Prasad, V.L.; Dhamankar, M.; Roothaert, Ralph L.; Olufajo, O.O.; Romney, Dannie L.A 3-year project implemented in India and Nigeria addressed the issue of improving livelihoods of poor livestock keepers by improving availability of fodder. The original approach focused on testing of new crop varieties to be scaled up through partners using mechanisms such as farmer-to-farmer exchange and field days. As the project evolved, it became clearer that the systems were much more complex than originally thought with a wide range of actors involved. Although fodder technology is obviously a requirement to reduce fodder shortages, many of the problems are embedded in the institutions and policies that determine how technology is developed and delivered. To help address these issues, an innovation systems approach is proposed with a focus on building capacity within the system.Item More Fodder, Better Livelihoods: The Fodder Innovation Project (Phase 2)(Brochure, 2010-04-13) International Livestock Research InstituteItem Why some forage development initiatives get it right, while others achieved much less success(Poster, 2010-04-14) International Livestock Research InstituteItem Seed System Innovations in the Semi-Arid Tropics of Andhra Pradesh(Book, 2007) Ravinder Reddy, C.; Tonapi, V.S.; Bezkorowajnyj, P.G.; Navi, S.S.; Seetharama, N.Item Re-assessing the fodder problem(Journal Article, 2010-03-15) Dhamankar, M.Small-scale farmers depend largely on their animals and need to feed them well. Technology based innovations have been the mainstream solution to improve the fodder problem. But making farmers find relevant information and networks appears to be as much effective for innovation.Item Renforcement des capacités des systèmes d’innovation agricoles : Des outils, des principes ou des politiques ?(Journal Article, 2009-09-01) Hall, A.; Sulaiman, R.; Beshah, T.; Madzudzo, E.; Puskur, RanjithaL’une des évolutions les plus notables en matière de développement agricole est la manière dont la réflexion dans ce domaine s’intéresse davantage aux systèmes d’innovation plutôt qu’à la recherche en elle-même. Le problème récurrent de la pénurie de fourrage : bétail dans le nord du Nigeria. Une des principales critiques adressée à la recherche agricole, et exprimée par toute une génération de praticiens du développement rural et de penseurs systémiques, est que la recherche ne parvient pas à répondre aux besoins en constante évolution des agriculteurs. Ils soulignent également que si la recherche est un moteur de développement des technologies, l’adoption de celles-ci sur le terrain reste faible. Le centrage sur l’innovation plutôt que sur la recherche a pour avantage de mettre plus fortement l’accent sur l’application des connaissances et des technologies plutôt que sur la simple production de celles-ci. Même si cette logique est de plus en plus largement acceptée au sein du monde de la recherche sur le développement, il semble qu’il reste encore à définir comment la notion de système d’innovation peut être traduite dans la pratique. Le challenge à ce niveau est la nature, extrêmement spécifique au contexte, des capacités à développer. Les chercheurs explorent actuellement divers moyens de favoriser le développement de ces capacités spécifiques au contexte.Item Desarrollo de la capacidad de sistemas de innovación agrícola : ¿Instrumentos, principios o políticas?(Journal Article, 2009-09-01) Hall, A.; Sulaiman, R.; Beshah, T.; Madzudzo, E.; Puskur, RanjithaUno de los cambios más notables en materia de desarrollo agrícola ha sido la creciente aceptación de las teorías de sistemas innovadores, en lugar de limitarse a la investigación. Persiste el antiguo problema de la escasez de forraje: ganado en Nigeria septentrional. Una persistente crítica de la investigación agrícola, expresada por una generación de profesionales del desarrollo rural y teóricos de sistemas, ha sido que la investigación no ha respondido a las cambiantes necesidades de los agricultores; y también que, si bien la investigación es eficaz para desarrollar tecnologías, la adopción de éstas ha sido débil. Al centrarse en la innovación y no en la investigación, el énfasis pasa a la aplicación de conocimientos y tecnologías, en lugar de limitarse a su producción. Aunque, al parecer, esta lógica es cada vez más aceptable entre los investigadores del desarrollo, hay menos claridad sobre cómo la idea de un sistema de innovación puede traducirse en la práctica. La dificultad reside en la naturaleza de las capacidades a desarrollar, que son específicas para cada contexto. Actualmente, los investigadores están considerando varias maneras de promover el desarrollo de tales capacidades.Item Agricultural innovation system capacity development: Tools, principles or policies?(Journal Article, 2009-09-01) Hall, A.; Sulaiman, R.; Beshah, T.; Madzudzo, E.; Puskur, RanjithaOne of the most notable changes in the field of agricultural development has been the growing popularity of thinking in terms of innovation systems rather than just focusing on research. Addressing the scarcity of fodder: livestock in northern Nigeria. A persistent criticism of agricultural research, voiced by a whole generation of rural development practitioners and system thinkers, has been the unresponsiveness of research to the changing needs of clients. It has also been observed that while research is good at developing new technologies, the adoption of these technologies has been weak. Focusing on innovation rather than research shifts the emphasis to the application of knowledge and technology rather than just their production. Although there seems to be growing acceptance of this logic in the development research community, what seems to be less clear is how the idea of an innovation system can be translated into practice. The challenge in this is the highly context-specific nature of capacities that need to be developed. Researchers are now exploring a number of ways to nurture the development of these context-specific capacities.Item Innovation Systems in Agriculture and Rural Development(Journal Article, 2009-06-30) Beshah, T.Much has been written on innovation systems (IS), especially in industrialized economies, and recently in developing countries contexts (Muchie et al., 2003; Hall 2005; Spielman et al., 2006; World Bank 2007). However, with few exceptions (e.g., Hall 2005; Hall et al., 2007; World Bank 2007), literature on IS does not adequately explain how system thinking enhances innovation or how IS can be initiated and facilitated. Another gap is the fact that “innovation” itself is promoted rather than its embeddedness within a system that in turn operates within certain institutional and policy contexts. Even though there is consensus on the importance of innovation for economic development, the systemic mechanism through which it can be enhanced is not given equal attention. These and other grey areas limit the promotion of the concept of IS, and in a worst case raises suspicion on its value addition for research and development.Item Systèmes d’innovation au service du développement agricole et rural(Journal Article, 2009-06-30) Beshah, T.Les systèmes d’innovation (SI) ont inspiré de nombreuses publications, notamment dans les pays industrialisés et, plus récemment, dans le monde en développement. Toutefois, à quelques exceptions près, la littérature dédiée aux SI n’explique pas de manière appropriée comment utiliser l’approche systémique pour améliorer l’innovation ou comment initier et faciliter les SI. Par ailleurs, si l’innovation elle-même semble avoir été suffisamment étudiée, son intégration dans un système qui, à son tour, opère dans certains contextes institutionnels et politiques, n’a pas été approfondie. Si l’on reconnaît l’importance de l’innovation pour le développement économique, le mécanisme systémique qui peut aider à renforcer la dynamique d’innovation ne fait pas l’objet d’une attention similaire. Ces zones d’ombre, entres autres, ne permettent pas de juger de la pertinence du concept de SI et, dans le pire des cas, tendent à remettre en cause ses potentialités pour la recherche et le développement.Item Innovation networks to overcome fodder scarcity(Video, 2009-12-02) Puskur, RanjithaAlongside the December 2009 SLP meeting in Addis Ababa, Ranjitha Puskur (ILRI) shares some lessons coming out of the DFID-funded Fodder Innovation Project. Similar to the Fodder Adoption Project, it looks at fodder scarcity and how to address it, but from the perspectives of capacities, policies and institutions. This current second phase of the project, she says, emerged from the realisation that the availability of technologies is not really the limiting factor, policy and institutional factors are the major bottlenecks. She briefly introduces the innovation systems approach that underpins the project: Essentially, the aim is to form and facilitate a network of different actors in a chain or continuum of knowledge production and its use, mobilizing all their various resources and capacities to address a problem. What outcomes and changes has she seen? At the farm level, farmers are changing their livestock feeding and management practices; there is an emerging demand for technologies, inputs and services that, ironically, were earlier promoted without success. "Farmers are seeing the need for knowledge and can articulate demands to service providers." She emphasizes that "getting a network of actors isn't an easy process, it takes time". Different organizations with different interests and motives have to be brought around the table to contribute and benefit. "It needs great facilitation skills and negotiating skills which are not very often core competences of researchers like us." Beyond facilitation of this network formation, "we also see that linkages don't happen automatically" ... we need a facilitating or broker organisation to create them. In her project, they work through key partner organisations: "This works well, but they needed much support and mentoring from us." She concludes with two final observations: Policies are a very critical factor and it is important to engage policy makers from the outset, ensuring that we know what they really want, and that the evidence base is solid. Traditional project management approaches don't seem to work in such projects: We need nimble financial management, and very responsive project management. "Very traditional logframes and M&E systems seem very inadequate." More information opn this project: http://www.fodderinnovation.org/Item Reframing technical change: Livestock fodder scarcity revisited as innovation capacity scarcity - A conceptual framework(Book, 2007-06) Hall, A.; Sulaiman, R.; Bezkorowajnyj, P.G.This document, divided into three sections, develops a conceptual framework for a project on livestock fodder innovation – the Fodder Innovation Project (FIP). Livestock is important to the livelihoods of poor people in many regions of the developing world. A generic problem found across this diverse range of production and marketing contexts is the shortage of fodder. This paper argues that to address this problem it is necessary to frame the question of fodder shortage not from the perspective of information and technological scarcity, but from the perspective of capacity scarcity in relation to fodder innovation. To support this position the first section presents case studies of experience, from an earlier fodder innovation project, that suggest that while fodder technology is important, it is not enough. There is a large institutional dimension to bringing about innovation, particularly with respect to the effectiveness of networks and alliances needed to put technology into use. The second section begins by reviewing the evolving paradigms of agricultural research and innovation over the last 30 years or so and explains the emergence and relevance of the innovation systems concept to agricultural development. It then presents a framework for exploring fodder innovation capacity, with particular emphasis on the patterns of interaction needed for innovation and the policy and institutional settings needed to enable these processes. The third section reviews the wide range of existing tools available to investigate institutional change. It then recommends that an eclectic approach of mixing and matching tools to the emerging circumstances of the research is the best way forward.Item Fodder Adoption and Innovation Projects (FAP and FIP)(Presentation, 2009-12-01) Puskur, Ranjitha; Duncan, Alan J.