TY  - JOUR
AV  - restricted
A1  - Prasad, V L
A1  - Bezkorowajnyj, P G
A1  - Nigam, S N
A1  - Hanson, J
A1  - Romney, D
TI  - Multiple actor orientation: a case study of groundnut in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.5367/oa.2011.0054
JF  - Outlook on Agriculture
SN  - 0030-7270
PB  - IP Publishing
N1  - This report is an output of a research project funded by
the UK Department for International Development (DFID)
for the benefit of developing countries. The views
expressed are not necessarily those of DFID. The authors
are grateful to Dr Malla Reddy of RDT for his support in
implementing the project and Dr Norman Clark for his
comments and suggestions on the manuscript.
N2  - As part of a three-year project focusing on improving the livelihoods of
poor livestock keepers by improving the availability of fodder, new groundnut
varieties were tested, incorporating participatory rural appraisal (PRA), rapid rural
appraisal (RRA), focus group discussions (FGDs) and field days as learning
platforms. These approaches had limitations in addressing the complexity of the
groundnut farming system and therefore constraints to the uptake of improved
varieties continued to elude solution. The potential of a multi-stakeholder approach
to gain a broader view of how novelty and innovation occur in a farming system
was then recognized. Interactions among a range of actors including, among others,
traders, oilseed merchants and private seed companies, were facilitated within a
process of action and reflective learning. As a result, new constraints to innovation
in groundnut varieties were identified and ways of overcoming them were noted.
Documentation and analysis of the type and quality of linkages between the actors
in the system helped to catalogue the process, and the platform thus created provided
the actors with an opportunity to learn from each other. The lessons and
implications are discussed.
KW  - groundnut varieties; farming innovation; fodder; rural poverty; stakeholder linkages; Andhra Pradesh
Y1  - 2011///
SP  - 251
ID  - icrisat3929
EP  - 258
VL  - 40
IS  - 3
ER  -