Fair agricultural innovation for a changing climate

Agricultural innovation happens at different scales and through different streams. In the absence of a common global research agenda, decisions on which innovations are brought to existence, and through which methods, are taken with insufficient view on how innovation affects social relations, the environment, and future food production. Mostly, innovations are considered from the standpoint of economic efficiency, particularly in relationship to creating jobs for technology-exporting countries. Increasingly, however, the realization that innovations cannot be successful on their technical prowess alone calls for a broader investigation The aim of this chapter is to address this lack of attention concerning fairness by focusing on three major stages of agricultural innovation: goal setting, research and development, and empowerment strategies. To do this, was analyzed two approaches for an ethical assessment of innovation systems: one using the insights from Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) and the other applying theories of justice. To compare both perspectives, the study shows their contributions to addressing five major social challenges we have identified and which are manifest in the agricultural concerns that are worsened by climate change: (i) availability, (ii) accessibility, (iii) participation in science, (iv) arbitration and rectification measures, and (v) long-term sustainability