Compositional dynamics of multilevel innovation platforms in agricultural research for development

Abstract

Innovation platforms (IPs) form a popular vehicle in agricultural research for development (AR4D) to facilitate stakeholder interaction, agenda setting, and collective action toward sustainable agricultural development. In this article, we analyze multilevel stakeholder engagement in fulfilling seven key innovation system functions. Data are gathered from experiences with interlinked community and (sub)national IPs established under a global AR4D program aimed at stimulating sustainable agricultural development in Central Africa. Our findings show that all innovation systems functions required multilevel action, but that fulfillment of specific functions demands for strategic involvement of specific stakeholders at specific levels. We observed that a research-and dissemination-oriented sequence in the functions was prioritized in AR4D IPs and argue that such a sequence may be different in other types of (business) IPs. Our findings provide an incentive to think function oriented about compositional dynamics (stakeholder groups * levels) in innovation processes, rather than striving for equal stakeholder participation.

Can the power of platforms be harnessed for governance?

“…These platforms show a great deal of promise, although questions have been raised about whether they can realize their full potential (Schut et al 2016(Schut et al , 2018. They have enjoyed success in introducing agricultural innovations and removing barriers to market access (Kilelu et al 2013;Hounkonnou et al 2018), yet may encounter structural barriers (Lamers et al 2017), debilitating power dynamics (Cullen et al 2014;Schut et al 2016) or scaling challenges (Schut et al 2018). Some platforms become innovative and collaborative, while others slide back into a more traditional technology-transfer role (Schut et al 2016).…”

“…Some platforms become innovative and collaborative, while others slide back into a more traditional technology-transfer role (Schut et al 2016). Success factors include the effective organization of stakeholder participation (Lamers et al 2017) and platform maturity (Pamuk et al 2014).…”

Do multi-stakeholder platforms work? : contributions of multi-stakeholder platforms to the performance of research for development interventions

“…Among these process drivers, stakeholder participation (hereafter participation) has often been identified as a key indicator (Faysse, 2006;Amerasinghe et al, 2013;Lamers et al, 2017;Larmarange et al, 2015). Stakeholders' interest and participation in…”

Comprendre la contribution de la recherche à l'innovation collective par l'exploration de mécanismes de renforcement de capacité

“…Par ailleurs, un processus d'innovation est ponctué d'étapes au cours desquelles les besoins en nouvelles connaissances diffèrent (Hall et Andriani, 2003) ainsi que la nature des acteurs à impliquer (Lamers et al, 2017). Quels rôles peuvent ou doivent jouer les chercheurs au cours de ces étapes ?…”