Mechanisms
facilitating agricultural innovation in France: the case of Mixed
Technological Networks (Réseaux Mixtes Technologiques)
Pascal BERGERET
Ministère de l'Alimentation, de l'Agriculture et de la Pêche, France
In
France innovation policy for agriculture and the agri-food sector is
based on a close partnership between public bodies and farmers'
professional organizations. The linear, top down model of innovation
has worked efficiently after the second World war and up to the 1980s.
It resulted in intensive agricultural systems and optimized food
processes, providing cheap and safe food to the population. This model
is no longer adapted to new challenges now facing agriculture and the
food industry, which require more complex and inclusive approaches to
innovation. The RMTs (Mixed Technological Networks) exemplify the kind
of new tools that could be put into place in the frame of the new
paradigm which is emerging nowadays in the field of innovation policy
Internationalization of Land-Grant Universities in
the US: The results of an online survey
Barbara S. HUTCHINSON, Bethany RUTLEDGE
University of Arizona, United States of
America
The USDA International Science and Education (ISE)grants programme, formally initiated in 2005, seeks to improve the ability of higher education institutions in the U.S. to conduct international collaborative research, extension, and teaching programmes. By 2008, the ISE Programme has provided support for 55 projects to academic institutions throughout the U.S. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of online surveys of the award grantees, as well as Directors of International Agriculture programmes, documenting their perceptions of the short- and long-term benefits of ISE- funded projects, and offering insights into the state of internationalization at U.S. Land-Grant universities (those with Colleges of Agriculture). Besides providing leaders of internationalization efforts with concrete evidence of effective programmes and strategies, the results of the surveys suggest profitable uses of U.S. Federal funds for strengthening internationalization at higher education institutions. Key findings identified travel support that strengthens and promotes research
collaborations, faculty exchanges, and study tours for faculty and students as the most successful use of ISE funding. In addition, seed funds for collaborative research projects and support for globalizing
course and curriculum development, including distance education
opportunities, were also strongly supported. At the same time, funding
levels for these grants, as well as limits on grants per institution, are
seen as restricting the reach of the ISE Programme. The authors also noted
a lack of recognition of the importance to incorporate information
technology and management applications as integral parts of the ISE
projects to ensure continued networking opportunities and access to
project results by all collaborators, no matter their geographic
location.
Developing mixed knowledge innovative system,
technical, institutional and traditional information, for capacity
building and empowerment of multi-stakeholders networks in rural
Africa
Khady KANE TOURE1, Danièle
CLAVEL2
1IFAN Ch . A. Diop Université
Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar Senegal; 2CIRAD BIOS Agropolis
Montpellier France
The food challenge and the sustainable management
of natural resources in Africa involve capacity building of all
stakeholders in rural areas. The challenge is to enable local development
actors to adapt their practices in a global context in crisis both
economically and ecologically. This big challenge will require the
development of innovative approaches and tools for new learning and
communication approaches that will include new communication technologies
and information while remaining respectful of the existing social and
cultural context. Thus, the innovation needs to be co-constructed from
local know-how and scientific and technical information. Information and
communication between all those involved in development need to be revised
and strengthened, in order to be more interactive and more efficient. The
APPRI workshop held in Ouagadougou In 2008 allow to identify best bet
co-learning models such as the ‘Peasants' University’ developed in Africa
and Brazil as a place to unify partnership initiatives bringing together
research, rural development officers, farmer organizations, producer
groups, and rural communities and municipalities. These Peasants'
Universities would be places of learning where a common vision is shared
for implementing development and environmental improvement activities,
particularly intended for small family farms. Another model, the
‘Innovation caravan against hunger’ developed in Cameroon and involving
the whole chain of stakeholders, notably producers, scientists and policy
makers, was found relevant as communication method to enhance consultation
among various actors and innovation sharing.
Interactive knowledge construction during the collaborative building of an agricultural Community Information System
Philippe LEMOISSON, Michel PASSOUANT
CIRAD, UMR TETIS, France
The
design and building of multi-partners information systems like
‘Observatories’ highlights new learning processes associated to the
paradigm shift from knowledge transfer to interactive knowledge
construction. In this paper we exhibit an innovative model where
arguments for the role of conversational processes in the building of
consensual knowledge can be theoretically grounded, and examine a
participative building approach in the light of this model.
We
first sketch out the main features of a participative approach named
‘Co-Obs’ which has been adopted by Tetis in the design and building of
‘Observatories’, and outline the conversational processes which occur
all along its steps.
We then
take inspiration from Popper’s epistemology and adopt a starting point
considering three “worlds”: i) the physical world where events exist
independently of us, our thoughts, and our language, ii) the world of
subjective knowledge where the binding of experiments takes place in
the realm of memory, iii) the world of objective knowledge expression
mainly based on language.
In
order to better understand the nature of conversational processes, and
their role in the building of consensual experimental knowledge, we
successively take lessons from Psychology, from Neurophysiology and
from the Sciences of Education. This leads to the proposition of an
integrative model linking the world of subjective knowledge through
conversational processes both to the physical world and to the world of
objective knowledge expression.
We
finally re-examine the ‘Co-Obs’ approach under the light of our model
and give theoretically grounded arguments explaining how interactive
knowledge construction is empowered by the conversational processes
during the participative steps, as well as the positive lever effect
which can be expected upon collective action.
Using the tools in the toolkit: building research
capacity with knowledge sharing methods from the CGIAR, FAO and KM4Dev
Vanessa MEADU1, Klaus
GLENK2
1World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF),
Kenya; 2Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Aberdeen, UK
Building Ecosystem Services Research Capacity in
Semi-Arid Africa (BESSA) is a project targeted at helping African
environmental analysts, researchers and key stakeholders to develop skills
for undertaking environmental and socio-economic assessments for potential
Payments for Environmental Services schemes. A major BESSA activity in
2009 was a face-to-face training workshop involving international experts
and African researchers over a two-week period. The workshop was a unique
opportunity to apply and explore innovative methods for knowledge sharing,
as promoted by the Consultative Group for International Agricultural
Research Information and Communication Technologies – Knowledge Management
programme (CGIAR ICT-KM), the FAO and the KM4Dev community, via the
Knowledge Sharing (KS) Toolkit (www.kstoolkit.org). Methods included
ice-breakers, speed-geeking, peer assists, network mapping, and after
action reviews, as well as role-playing games and hands-on fieldwork.
These methods were coupled with more traditional lectures based on how
suitable the content was to each technique. By complementing the formal
classroom lectures with sessions that took a radically different approach
to learning, participants and trainers became actively and
enthusiastically engaged in the learning process. Techniques such as peer
assists and social network mapping allowed participants to generate new
knowledge and understanding about the social and political contexts for
their work in order to improve linking research and knowledge to action.
Using feedback from the participants and trainers, taken during and at the
end of the workshop, we highlight some key lessons learned about how best
to use these techniques, and their suitability and adaptability to
different learning contexts.
Learning innovations through extension training on
preparation of sweet potato (_Ipomoea batatas_) snacks among selected
women in Nigeria
Stella Olusola ODEBODE
University of Ibadan Ibadan, Nigeria
This study examined specific learning innovations
through the extension activities of the Women-In-Agriculture unit of the
Agricultural Development Programme in Nigeria. Stratified sampling
technique was used to select three out of six (South-East, South-West,
North-West) geo-political zones. Five states were selected from each
geo-political zone. Both qualitative and quantitative methods of data
collection were used to elicit information from the respondents. Fifteen
sweet potato growing states were purposively sampled, and in-depth
interviews were conducted for 15 directors of the Women-In-Agriculture
units in all these states. Eight sweet potato processors were sampled and
interviewed during a field survey over 15 states, making a total of 120
processors from three geo-political zones. A focus group discussion was
conducted for each of the female groups. Descriptive and inferential
statistics were used to analyze the data. The socio-economic / demographic
characteristics that were significant in determining the level of
extension training activities in sweet potato snacks’ preparation across
these geopolitical zones included educational level, secondary occupation
of processors and benefits derived from sweet potato processing at p≤0.05
level of significance. Furthermore the extension activities of the
Women-In-Agriculture unit involved arrangement of literacy classes for
women, identification of farming problems, advice on agricultural
problems, training on home management and nutrition, provision of
information and dissemination of innovative information on farming
systems. In conclusion, women participating in the Women-In-Agriculture
programme enjoyed a number of advantages over the non-participants because
they had a greater knowledge and easier access to training and
technologies through Women-In-Agriculture extension agents. Therefore, the
Federal, State and Local governments should ensure that all agricultural
programmes include women at both the planning and execution stages
Methodological
innovation in communication processes to foster co-production and
exchange of agricultural knowledge in Burkina Faso: taking into account
socio-cultural aspects
Eric PASQUATI, Pierre GIRARD
FARM (Foundation for World Agriculture and Rural Life), France
The
paper we offer will be a critical analysis of technocratic approaches
in the design and implementation of information systems related to
rural development in Africa, including the application of information
and communication technologies (ICT). The heterogeneity of actors
involved, in terms of access to communication infrastructure, level of
formal education and socio-cultural values, creates difficulties in
communication. Even as the basis for establishing trustful
relationships and therefore prior to a smooth and effective
communication, socio-cultural aspects have often been neglected by
initiatives applying ICT to rural development in Africa. Nevertheless,
recognizing the influence of ICT use on the local organization and
social values, it is possible to identify socio-cultural aspects that
must be taken into account to define strategies for the application of
these technologies to be best suited to local conditions. The
suggestions presented in this paper result from the authors' field
experience related to operational and research activities of the
Foundation for World Agriculture and Rural Life (FARM) in partnership
with the Union of Farmer Groups for Marketing Agricultural Products
(UGCPA) in the region of Boucle du Mouhoun , Burkina Faso.
The paper is divided in three parts: a reminder of the gap between the
world of research and the reality on the field – scientists on the one
hand, farmers on the other hand – , a critique of technocratic
approaches which often neglect socio-cultural issues in the
understanding of local realities, and finally suggestions for
methodological innovation in the design and implementation of
communication processes to focus on co-production of agricultural
knowledge.
Université Virtuelle Environnement &
Développement durable, France
The Virtual Environment and Sustainable
Development University (UVED) is one of seven Thematic Digital
Universities (UNT) created at the initiative of the French Ministry of
Higher Education and Research.
UVED aims to stimulate, coordinate, fund and
support the production, sharing, dissemination and promotion of digital
learning resources in domain of the environment and sustainable
development (ESD) by providing scientific, technological and pedagogical
validation.
UVED aims to be a significant player in training
in ESD by putting ICT at the service of educational innovation.
Indeed, the objective of UVED lies not only in
developing the knowledge base and skills related to the area but also in
positioning itself at the Master level towards the integration of research
results and the development of new training tools and teaching approaches
adapted to the complexity of environmental problems. Such an approach
requires the development of innovative learning tools and processes. UVED
put a special effort in developing learning methods through problems,
interactive and interdisciplinary case studies, role playing, learning
cards approaches.
UVED was thus designed to promote and experiment
teaching methods and innovative learning process.
The UNT provide a space for innovation and can be
a tool of educational reform and a lever for the development of the
University today and tomorrow.
1FIANTSO Madagascar, Madagascar; 2University of Fianarantsoa, Madagascar
Not attending
La recherche-action pour le développement (R.A.D.)
est une approche aidant à initier et à construire des partenariats. Elle
encourage le co-apprentissage et l’innovation pour un changement durable.
Elle sert à faire un diagnostic commun et à développer des activités
conjointes. A Madagascar, les femmes sont peu représentées dans les
organismes de développement et aux instances de décision. Les femmes et
les hommes malgaches ont des rôles différents et assument des
responsabilités et tâches définies par le genre. D’où, leurs besoins et
intérêts distincts, leurs opportunités d’accès et de contrôle aux
ressources, dont l’information, la formation et autres services de
renforcement de compétences, inégaux. Cette disparité selon le genre est
surtout visible dans le domaine du Foncier dans certaines régions de
Madagascar, où les femmes n’ont pas droit à la succession, à
l’appropriation de terres à cause des règles coutumières instituant la
suprématie des hommes. C’est le cas des communes de Mijilo, Ambila,
Marofarihy, région Vatovavy Fitovinany, où Fiantso Madagascar a œuvré sur
la question « Comment appuyer les acteurs locaux dans la gestion foncière
pour favoriser l’accès des femmes à la propriété foncière ». Le choix de
RAD s’inscrit dans la décentralisation et l’implication de la société
civile dans le dialogue sur les politiques de développement intégrant du
genre et mettant en place des mesures correctives en faveur des catégories
marginalisées. Le partenariat entre ICRA, FORMGED et Fiantso a permis
l’acquisition de compétences sur R.A.D. appliquée à plusieurs niveaux dont
la mise en place de ERRC (Equipe Régionale de Renforcement des Compétences
/ Equipe interinstitutionnelle), ERGF (Equipe régionale genre et foncier).
Notre expérience démontre que RAD facilite l’accès des femmes au foncier
et la reconnaissance culturelle et sociale du droit de la femme au
foncier. Les résultats innovants suivants sont à partager : changement de
mentalité et de comportement à tous les niveaux, institutionnalisation des
structures (CRL, CDC, CFR, ERGF) , partenariat constructif, organisation
fonctionnelle.
Innovative e-Agriculture Initiatives and Learning from North-East India
Raj SARAVANAN1, C. KATHIRESAN2, T. INDRA DEVI1, H. SUPRIYA DEVI1, K. KAMALA DEVI1, L. LIZAMONI CHUNGKURANG1
1Central
Agricultural University, College of Horticulture and Forestry,
Pasighat-791 102, East Siang District, Arunachal Pradesh, India; 2Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Hyderabad, India
India’s
North-East is endowed with rich natural resources for the development.
However, the region has exhibited most backwardness. Low agricultural
productivity, food insecurity, endemic malaria, drug addiction and AIDS
add the problem of the North- East India. The non-income poverty in
terms of inadequate information on advanced farm technologies, market
intelligence and rural development schemes produces the income poverty
in the region. The limited technical manpower, lack of transport and
communication facilities, inadequate financial support to the
technology transfer and less infrastructure facility creates huge
technological gap among rural tribal farming community. Considering the
disappointing agricultural and rural development scenario three
innovative e-Governance initiatives for the agricultural and rural
development namely; e-Arik (e-Agriculture), Model e-Village &
e-Kiosk. The e-Arik project experiments the single window system and
local knowledge managers for the improved agricultural information and
technology delivery to the tribal farming community. Project provides
all time expert consultation on agriculture production, protection and
marketing aspects through ICTs with the combination of the traditional
extension methods. The Model e-Village project implemented in the
selected ten remote tribal villages and provides regular e-awareness
and e-literacy programmes and also experimenting local need based IT
applications in the area of agriculture, health, education, governance
and other areas. The touch screen kiosk project proposes to provide the
flexibility in providing information on farming practices including the
crops, commodities, and enterprises. The touch screen kiosk is under
construction with the static and dynamic content with Adi tribal
dialect audio interface. Based on the three innovative e-Initiative
experiences, this article draws issues and lessons related to ICTs
application for agricultural extension such as; pilot project syndrome,
users unwillingness to pay, infrastructure, connectivity, difficulty in
localisation of content, community participation, management, policy
support, lack of co-ordination, scaling-up and sustainability in
North-East India.
Final communication asked
SARAVANAN-2010-Innovative e-Agriculture Initiatives and Learning from North-East India-IAALD-Congress (slides)
Information seeking and e-learning of farmers’ communities in India through agricultural telecenters: a study
Neena SINGH, R P SINGH
G B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttrakhand state , India
The
study describes information seeking of farmers’ communities in the
Himalayan state of Uttrakhand in India. The work reveals that there is
a growing awareness among the farmers of this state and adjoining
states. 4266 queries were received by G B Pant University of
Agriculture and Technology’s telecenter and farmers helpline in the
period of 2006 -2008 . Farmers sought most information from the toll
free telecenter popularly known as Kissan (farmers) reference to the
Information Center and use of the telecenter helpline was found to be
substantially less.The telecenters function on 3 levels. Findings
reveal that most information sought by farmers was provided in the
local language by level I experts, who are Agricultural Science
Graduates. Level II involves specific queries answered by subject
specialists. The Helpline of universities functions at level II, where
farmers can directly seek information from subject experts. Maximum
information was sought in the month of September followed by October
and November. These months are crucial for Rainy and Winter season
crops, therefore requiring maximum attention of farmers in protecting
their standing rainfed crops and planning winter crops. 1252 queries
were received during 2006 on various subjects, which gradually
increased to 1315 in 2007 and 1721 queries in 2008. Most information
was sought on subjects like Agronomy and farmers’ fairs. Substantial
information was also sought on plant diseases,cultivation of
vegetables, and seeds availability. Subject like solar energy, crop
insurance, and silk production have been found to be the least popular
among the farming community. The study further indicates that most
information was sought on crops that provided quick cash rather than
complicated subject like use of solar energy or silk production. Most
farmers in India are involved in small or marginal farming, therefore
prefer growing cash-crops as a source of income for their livelihood.
Using information to empower farmer based organizations in the Kwahu North District of Ghana
Margaret SRAKU-LARTEY
Forestry Research Institue of Ghana, Ghana
The
Presbyterian University College, Ghana (PUCG), a private university
with three campuses all located in rural areas of Ghana, has an
outreach centre which has started to disseminate agricultural
information to provide knowledge to farmers and farmer based
organizations in the Kwahu North district. Often referred to as the
bread basket of Ghana, this District has tremendous potential to
contribute significantly to the improvement and well-being of the
Ghanaian economy through improved agricultural productivity and rural
development. However a major factor constraining this vast agricultural
district is the inaccessibility of the area to the rest of the country
resulting in the lack of scientific information and technical knowledge
available to these farmers. Forms of communication such as radio,
internet, and telephones are virtually unavailable, thus making it
difficult to get relevant and up to date information to farmers in this
vast area. This paper discusses efforts being made by the university to
empower farmers by providing them with information and knowledge on
various aspects of agricultural development. Information is a vital
component in the agricultural production process but its value is often
underestimated and overlooked. Using training as a medium of
information dissemination, the university is able to provide farmers
with information on production processes, land acquisition and credit
facilities among others. Farmers have demonstrated that information
does have a positive impact on production and development resulting in
a changed mindset. Due to new knowledge acquired as a result of the
provision of information, farmers are now poised to go into commercial
farming using modern methods and are now willing to access national and
international markets.