Catalysing innovation: from theory to action
This paper (PDF) by KIT looks at the process of agricultural innovation and the realistic contribution agricultural research can make. To be able to analyse the process of agricultural innovation, three elements are distinguished: 1) opportunity assessment to identify ‘entry points for change’; 2) experimentation, leading to ‘tested and tried promising new practices’; and 3) bringing into routine use, for ‘impact at scale’. The authors comment that any intervention aiming at impact at scale would do well to work on these three elements simultaneously. Attention should be given to building the ‘capacity to innovate’ to contribute to future results. Based on the analysis of the agricultural innovation process, a number of recommendations are formulated on how agricultural research can contribute to impact at scale, such as: i) Avoid the notion of ‘research results ready to use; and ii) Be open to good ideas from as many diverse sources as possible and draw on the expertise and opinions of many actors.