This paper outlines the main concepts and methodology that the SOLINSA project uses in its study of learning and innovation networks. This project aims to identify barriers to the development of Learning and Innovation Networks for sustainable agriculture (LINSA). In such networks, social learning processes take place, and knowledge about sustainable agriculture is co-produced by connecting between the different frames and social worlds of the stakeholders with the help of boundary objects. Studying such processes at the interface between different knowledge spheres of research, policy and practice requires a specific methodology. A transdisciplinary reflective learning methodology addresses the complex question of understanding learning and innovation. The paper highlights the challenges of this approach that involves stakeholders already in the phase of defining the research objectives and strategies. Results from a first round of application of the conceptual and methodological framework will be presented and discussed.
The paper has been presented at: "Agriculture in an urbanizing society. International Conference on Multifunctional Agriculture and Urban-Rural Relations, Wageningen, 1-4 April 2012".
These proceedings include all the papers presented during the AISA workshop either as oral (keynote) papers (5) or as posters (26). It also includes the edited text resulting from the Living Keynote process, an innovation in itself.
The AISA workshop...
The purpose of this paper is to re-examine the role that benchmarking can play in rural and agricultural innovations. Although generally known as 'traditional sector', rural activities are far from static but rather driven by old and new challenges pleading...
The purpose of this piece of work is to investigate, through a literature review, the role of intermediaries in agricultural extension and rural development. In the first place, a general view of the roles of intermediaries, as depicted in literature,...
This report is concerned with the ‘who?’ ‘what?’ and ‘how?’ of pro-poor extension. It builds on the
analytical framework proposed in the Inception Report of the same study (Christoplos, Farrington
and Kidd, 2001), taking it forward by fleshing...
This review studied a selection of projects from the Research Into Use (RIU) Africa portfolio: the Nyagatare maize platform in Rwanda; the cowpea platform in Kano state, Nigeria; the pork platform in Malawi, the Farm Input Promotions (FIPS) Best Bet in Kenya,...