The paper is one of a series of research papers that are designed to timely disseminate research and policy analytical outputs generated by the USAID funded Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy (FSP) and its Associate Awards. The FSP project is managed by the Food Security Group of the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at Michigan State University (MSU), and implemented in partnership with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the University of Pretoria (UP).
The food security research project (FSRP) aims to contribute to effective policy dialogue, capacity building, and ultimately an improved agricultural policy environment in Zambia, through collaboration with government and the private sector. It achieves these objectives through in-service capacity building, applied analysis, and policy outreach. A hallmark of the Michigan State University/FSRP approach is the “joint products” approach, whereby training, applied research and outreach are undertaken collaboratively with in-country stakeholders and government counterparts.
The food security research project (FSRP) aims to contribute to effective policy dialogue, capacity building, and ultimately an improved agricultural policy environment in Zambia, through collaboration with government and the private sector. It achieves these objectives through in-service capacity building, applied analysis, and policy outreach. A hallmark of the Michigan State University/FSRP approach is the “joint products” approach, whereby training, applied research and outreach are undertaken collaboratively with in-country stakeholders and government counterparts.
The food security research project (FSRP) aims to contribute to effective policy dialogue, capacity building, and ultimately an improved agricultural policy environment in Zambia, through collaboration with government and the private sector. It achieves these objectives through in-service capacity building, applied analysis, and policy outreach. A hallmark of the Michigan State University/FSRP approach is the “joint products” approach, whereby training, applied research and outreach are undertaken collaboratively with in-country stakeholders and government counterparts.
The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Grain Legumes (Legume Innovation Lab; LIL), supports ten multi-disciplinary collaborative research and institutional capacity strengthening subcontracted projects working in 13 Feed the Future countries in Africa and Central America and the Caribbean involving scientists at 10 US universities, 3 USDA/ARS research centers, and 23 developing country national agriculture research systems and universities.
From November 1, 2012 to June 30, 2015, Michigan State University subcontracted Washington State University together with the University of Rwanda (UR) in order to deliver a gender sensitive Masters of Science in Agribusiness program at UR. The project had three specific objectives, to strengthen the human and institutional capacity of UR in teaching and applied research in agricultural sciences; to promote and support women's access to graduate education in agricultural sciences; and to extend UR's knowledge about, and women's expertise in, agricultural sciences to the community.
This article therefore analyses whether agricultural advisors representing companies that do not sell pesticides (independent advisors) are more likely to recommend reduced pesticide use than agricultural advisors who represent companies with an economic interest in selling pesticides (supplier-affiliated advisors). However, we would not necessarily expect a crude relationship between economic incentive and higher pesticide recommendations. After all, advisors have to justify their recommendations to their customers, the farmers.
In this paper is presented insights from a co-design process with private farm advisers and ask: What enables farm advisers to engage with digital innovation? And, how can digital innovation be supported and practiced in smart farming contexts? Digital innovation presents challenges for farmers and advisers due to the new relationships, skills, arrangements, techniques and devices required to realise value for farm production and profitability from digital tools and services.
Agriculture Innovation System (AIS) thinking and approaches are largely perceived as a sine-qua-non for the design and implementation of effective and sustainable agriculture development programmes. AIS has gained popularity in the agriculture innovation literature and has been embedded in policy documents of agriculture sector institutions in many countries. However, there is much less evidence of AIS thinking influencing the behaviours of research and extension institutions and staff ‘on the ground’.
Digitalisation is widely regarded as having the potential to provide productivity and sustainability gains for the agricultural sector. However, there are likely to be broader implications arising from the digitalisation of agricultural innovation systems. Agricultural knowledge and advice networks are important components of agricultural innovation systems that have the potential to be digitally disrupted.