Download - Improving R4D at IITA

Improving R4D at IITA

Dr Dave Watson

20th September, 2007

Ibadan, Nigeria.

The Techno-policy model of

agricultural development

Linear model of science-technology-development

Reductionist:

Superior technology = adoption

More profitable = adoption

Improved management practices = adoption

Enabling environment (research, development, policy, private sector, creditors, knowledge systems etc.):

Corporatist policy communities

Carrot (financial incentives)

Stick (mandatory requirements)

Well-defined and reasonably predictable impact pathways

What was deficient about this

model?

Nothing!!!!!!!!! – aside from significant

environmental, food safety and animal welfare

externalities etc.

Incredibly successful in Western Europe,

North America, Australia and New Zealand

Successful in much of S. America and Asia

IITA’s traditional role

A Linear Vision of Science: The traditional

CGIAR paradigm (based on Ekboir, 2001)

FarmersDevelopment &

extension agencies

Basic

research

Knowledge flow

Technology development Adoption

Formal research in established

CGIAR institutions (IITA)

Strategic

research

Applied

research

SSA?

What happened to the Green

Revolution in SSA? Key differences

Complex heterogeneous development contexts: One size didn‟t fit all

Disabling policy and institutional environment: Variable NAREs (some strong/some very weak)

Agricultural taxes (outputs and inputs)

Under investment in rural infrastructure

Limited private sector involvement/development

Limited access to credit and poor credit worthiness

Bio-physical: Soil fertility, soil erosion, soil structure

Low and erratic rainfall

Diverse range of pests and diseases

The case of SSA

Outcomes:

Many „superior‟ CGIAR technologies and practices remained on-the-shelf

Many „superior‟ CGIAR technologies were promoted but abandoned

Did SSA simply lack long-term financial and political support for agricultural development?

Structural Problems

Linear approaches to agricultural development were

not easily transferable to SSA:

1. Inherently „superior technologies/practices‟ …….

Do not spontaneously diffuse

Are not automatically adopted

Do not always lead to predictable agricultural/livelihood impacts

2. Individuals/small groups do not have the power to

determine a development/impact pathway

Changing rules of engagement

Changing donor relations

Demands for positive and quantifiable livelihood

impacts

Changing roles of traditional actors

CGIAR Centres moved down-stream

New actors entered (INGOs and LNGOs)

Impact and Accountability

Basic

research

Knowledge flow

Farmers

NAREs +

INGOs and

LNGOs etc.

Technology

development Adoption

Formal research in

CGIAR institutions (IITA)

Strategic

research

Applied

research

Positive

changes in

livelihoods

Impact

Non-linear approaches to science

and development

Growing acknowledgement of:

Complex problems with complex solutions

Many potential solutions for heterogeneous contexts

The need for multi-stakeholder partnerships

Innovation systems

Recognition that:

Success was highly dependent on performance of CGIAR partners and the suitability of new technologies to local contexts

Non-linear Vision of Science

Knowledge flow

Innovation systems that develop, or fail to

develop, solutions to identified context

specific problems

Researchers

in IITA

Impact

Farmers &

communities

Greater focus on

applied research

and knowledge

brokering

NAREs + INGOs

and LNGOs etc.

Positive &

negative changes

in livelihoods

?Answers Questions

Why the need for R4D?

What is R4D?

Research focused on providing solutions for

identified development needs

R4D is:

Demand (opposed to supply) driven

Responsive to changing needs/contexts

It evolves/adapts (new partners and approaches)

Judged by outcomes and not products

Current Strengths of IITA’s

R4D Approach

Widely endorsed:

FAO, World Bank, CGIAR, EPMR and many donors

Crop improvement and plant protection in mandate crops using “conventional” breeding and biotechnology tools

Yield potential

P&D resistance

Drought tolerance

Nutritional quality

High value crops

Agro-food systems/value chain approaches

Value-addition (processing and marketing etc)

Current Weaknesses of R4D

Approach at IITA Neglect of many traditional partners (NARs)

Biased towards development and the expense of research

Lack of key expertise in key areas

Focus on output markets at the expense of input markets

Natural resource management (particularly soil fertility management and soil degradation)

Analysis, synthesis and documentation of lessons learned from both past and present research activities

Too many bases to cover

Improving R4D at IITA (1)

Geographical Current focus on SSA is sensible:

Diversity of crops (current & potential)

Heterogeneity of development contexts

Heterogeneity of food and livelihood systems

Occurrence of poverty

Focus of donor investment

Africa wide focus for germplasm health and transfer

Most populous countries?

Greatest impact (numbers)

Neglect some of the poorest communities


What should IITA focus on?

Key food systems/value-chains & improvements in

subsistence-based livelihoods

Systematic assessment (actual & latent opportunities)

Proactive – rather than reactive – interventions

Scaling-up successful pilot interventions

Outcome Mapping and Case Studies

Planning, re-adjustment and institutional learning (internal)

Best practices and principles (external)


Why focus on food system/value-chain

activities? Development

Greatest potential to unlock market-based opportunities

Productivity & competitiveness of poor producers

Value-addition

Marketing

Potential spill over into local economy

Research

Learning important lessons from pilot and up-scaling activities

Sustainable natural resource management


Why focus on subsistence-based livelihoods? Development

Increased food security (quantity and quality)

Improved natural resource management

Research

Learning important lessons

Better understanding and characterisation of:

Complex livelihood systems

Vulnerability, poverty and food insecurity

Sustainable natural resource management


With whom? Strong multi-stakeholder partnerships with:

ARIs – knowledge brokering

The private sector: Knowledge brokering (corporate)

Critical investments for sustainability (corporate and SMEs)

Value-chain expertise (corporate - including monitoring & evaluation)

Key in exit strategy (corporate and SMEs)

INGOs, LNGOs, CBOs, producer, processor and retail groups –extension and PTD

NAREs – R&D, extension and PTD

Donors – (bi-directional alignment of IITA and donors‟ priorities)

Policy-makers (bi-directional alignment of IITA and decision-makers‟ priorities)


How to work with internal colleagues & partners? Action-research mode

Innovative Partnerships (new partners and new ways)

Learning Alliances (creating and brokering knowledge for

innovation)

Systems-based approaches

Food & farming systems analysis (holistic-integrated-dynamic)

Value-chain analysis

Simultaneous (multi-partner and multi-node) interventions

Innovation Systems

Actor Network Theory (ANT)

Understanding interactions and outcomes

Cassava Food Systems

Interventions: An example

What does IITA aim to achieve?

Market-based Consumption

Value-

addition

through

processing

Increased

productivity,

competitiveness,

profitability and

stability of

cassava

production

Increased

income for

commercial

cassava

processors

Increased

income for

commercial

cassava

producersSubsistence

cassava

producers & the

displacedAgronomy

Improved

cassava

processing

&

marketing

Cassava

Breeding

Biotechnology

Food

Security

Processed cassava Fresh cassava

Sustainable NRM

Policy

advocacy

Donor

advocacy

Private

Sector

Partners

NARES

Partners

ETC.

IITA

Conclusions

“Work with whoever it takes to get the job done!”

What can be done and with whom?

Strategic focus!!

Opportunistic?

How best to do it?

Action research (food or livelihood systems framework)

Experiment, learn, reflect and refine

Communicate lessons (good and bad)

Communicate principles and best practices

Thank You