Key questions

While there have been many initiatives and studies touching on multistakeholder innovation approaches, little research has been done into what each of the partners contributes, how these processes are initiated and unfold in different social and institutional settings, what their drivers are and how hybridisation of different kinds of knowledge actually takes place. So far, claims on the successes and limitations of innovations – as outcomes of multistakeholder innovation processes – have rarely differentiated between types of innovation (social and/or technological), the contributions made by the multiple partners to the process and the intentionality of the innovation processes. On a practical level, traditional and emerging ARD actors and funding agencies want to understand better what possibilities they have to contribute to designing and orchestrating such processes, and under which conditions these processes can be successful or not. It is important to examine the diversity of IS processes and outcomes, as there is no single blueprint for innovation design that would apply to all places and conditions. Finally, there has been little effort to develop and apply a coherent assessment framework that allows systematic, comparative documentation and assessment of these processes and outcomes. Beyond assessment, researchers and other stakeholders are eager to learn from and share systematic evidence about how innovation can be stimulated and how the integration of knowledge from different sources can be optimally supported.

This project addresses specifically the following key questions about the functioning of agricultural/rural innovation systems and the role of traditional knowledge and local creativity in the innovation processes:

1. How does the dynamic structure and conduct of an agricultural/rural innovation system affect its performance, and how can this be assessed in an operational, collective manner?
2. How can the knowledge and skills held by key stakeholders of a given innovation system be mobilised so that they contribute effectively to overall knowledge generation and innovation?
3. How can formal ARD organisations take part in and enhance multistakeholder innovation processes?
4. Which constellations of stakeholders, arrangements and policy instruments are most effective in supporting agricultural/rural innovation processes aimed at addressing the needs and demands of the rural poor?