The creative process that leads to farmers’ innovations is rarely studied or described precisely in agricultural sciences. For academic scientists, obvious limitations of farmers’ experiments are e.g. precision, reliability, robustness, accuracy, validity or the correct analysis of cause and effect. Nevertheless, we propose that ‘farmers’ experiments’ underpin innovations that keep organic farming locally tuned for sustainability and adaptable to changing economic, social and ecological conditions.
El objetivo del presente trabajo consistió en destacar la importancia de la innovación como alternativa para resolver la situación de baja tasa de pariciones en los sistemas de cría de becerros en México. Para ello, se analizó información publicada en diversas fuentes, así como obtenida en visitas a distintas unidades de producción
El objetivo de la presente investigación fue analizar la estructura y el funcionamiento de la cadena productiva de carne bovina en el municipio de Tecpatán, Chiapas, México. Se aporta información cualitativa y cuantitativa orientada a comprender y consolidar las alianzas entre actores de la cadena productiva
Farmers’ experiments can be defined as the autonomous activities of farmers to try or introduce something new at the farm, and include evaluation of success or failure with farmers’ own methods. Experiments enable farmers to adapt their farms to changing circumstances, build up local knowledge, and have resulted in countless agricultural innovations. Most research on the topic has been conducted in countries of the south.
Organic farming is recognized as one source for innovation helping agriculture to develop sustainably. However, the understanding of innovation in agriculture is characterized by technical optimism, relying mainly on new inputs and technologies originating from research. The paper uses the alternative framework of innovation systems describing innovation as the outcome of stakeholder interaction and examples from the SOLID (Sustainable Organic Low-Input Dairying) project to discuss the role of farmers, researchers and knowledge exchange for innovation.
El presente trabajo tiene por objetivo proponer aspectos fundamentales para la adopción tecnológica en el sistema bovino de doble propósito. Esta propuesta plantea que el proceso de innovación tecnológica se inicia con la descripción del objetivo de la unidad de producción y su situación actual, con énfasis en el área que se pretenda aplicar. Enseguida, se debe identificar, correctamente, la necesidad que se pretende resolver y la alternativa tecnológica más pertinente. Cualquiera que sea el factor que detone la necesidad de tecnificación, la inversión realizada debe ser rentable
En el presente artículo se propone una metodología para evaluar la factibilidad de subsidio económico en sistemas de producción —usando indicadores locales de sustentabilidad— en la Región Constitución, Calakmul, Campeche (México). A partir de encuestar a productores, tomadores de decisiones y técnicos locales, se construyó una lista de 17 indicadores de sustentabilidad para evaluar los sistemas de producción del chile jalapeño (Capsicum annum L.), y maíz (Zea mayz L.).
Using Nepal as a case, this paper illustrates how farmers and their supporting institutions are evolving and co-producing climate sensitive technologies on demand. Drawing upon the hypothesis of induced innovation, the authors examine the extent to which resource endowments have influenced the evolution of technological and institutional innovations in Nepal’s agricultural research and development. This study reveals that Nepal has developed a novel multilevel institutional partnership, including collaboration with farmers and other non-governmental organizations in recent years.
This paper comparatively analyzes the structure of agricultural policy development networks that connect organizations working on agricultural development, climate change and food security in fourteen smallholder farming communities across East Africa, West Africa and South Asia.
Agricultural mechanization in developing countries has taken at least two contested innovation pathways—the “incumbent trajectory” that promotes industrial agriculture, and an “alternative pathway” that supports small-scale mechanization for sustainable development of hillside farming systems.