Dealing with critical challenges in African innovation platforms: Lessons for facilitation

Swaans, K and Cullen, B and Van Rooyen, A F and Adekunle, A and Ngwenya, H and Lema, Z and Nederlof, S (2016) Dealing with critical challenges in African innovation platforms: Lessons for facilitation. In: Innovation for Inclusive Value-Chain Development: Successes and Challenges. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington DC, pp. 303-325. ISBN 9780896292130

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Abstract

There is growing scientific recognition of innovation platforms (IPs) and the role of facilitation in catalyzing agricultural innovation (see Klerkx and Gildemacher 2011; Hounkonnou et al. 2012; Klerkx, Mierlo, and Leeuwis 2012), with increasing documentation of experiences from practitioners (see Hawkins et al. 2009; Nederlof, Wongtschowski, and Van der Lee 2011; Nederlof and Pyburn 2012; Mbabu and Hall 2012). IPs have become increasingly popular, and run the risk of becoming a void concept or misunderstood—for example, because they are taken as merely mechanisms to regulate value chains or to extend new technologies to large numbers of farmers (PAEPARD 2013; Darbas and Sumberg 2013); still, the discussion whether or not IPs are useful and effective is a relevant one. In this chapter, we argue that the success of an IP depends on the attitude and skills of the facilitator. Indeed, one of the most frequent questions from practitioners is: How do we best facilitate IPs?...

Item Type: Book Section
Divisions: Research Program : Innovation Systems for the Drylands (ISD)
CRP: CGIAR Research Program on Dryland Systems
Uncontrolled Keywords: Trade, Market access, Smallholders, Producer organizations, Transport, Wholesale marketing, Retail marketing, Farmers organizations
Subjects: Others > Innovation
Others > Africa
Depositing User: Mr Ramesh K
Date Deposited: 11 Nov 2016 06:12
Last Modified: 22 May 2017 05:58
URI: http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/9778
Acknowledgement: This chapter is an expanded version (with extended methodology) of an article originally published in Knowledge Management for Development Journal 9 (3): 116–135 (2013). The development of ideas presented in this chapter took place during a writeshop on innovation platforms, which was held on May 27–29, 2013 in Nairobi, Kenya, and was funded by the CGIAR Research Program on Integrated Systems for the Humid Tropics. The authors would like to thank Alan Duncan from ILRI for his comments on an earlier draft.
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