Operationalizing inclusive innovation: lessons from innovation platforms in livestock value chains in India and Mozambique

International Workshop on New Models of Innovation for Development, Manchester, UK, 4-5 July 2013

Swaans, K., B. Boogaard, R. Bendapudi, H. Taye, S. Hendrickx, and L. Klerkx

Introduction

• Growing local and informal markets for high value agricultural commodities; providing opportunities for the poor, but also challenges

• VC approach to reach development outcomes, but due to market failures, limited participation of the poor

• Innovation platforms (IPs) as mechanism for inclusive innovation• IPs are spaces that allow different type of individuals & organizations to come

together and address issues of mutual interest through knowledge exchange and generation and putting this into use.

Question: how best to operationalize innovation system approaches? Aim to investigate the formation and functioning of IPs to draw lessons

on factors and conditions that play a role in making them effective

Principles of well functioning IPs

IP is the ‘real world’ implementation of IS approach to stimulate innovation and learning among actors, and enable reshaping of relations and institutions

• They are inclusive and follow participatory processes

• There is a common vision and an agreed set of operating modalities

• Members are committed and have adequate incentives to participate

• Diversity of members capabilities, capacities, resources, skills, knowledge, interests and needs are acknowledged

• There is efficient and effective communication, knowledge and information sharing

• Joint identification of challenges and opportunities and options to address them through collective action

• There is an appreciation for learning by doing and M&E

Analytical framework

IP formation

• Inclusion & representation

• Vision and tasks/roles

• Inventory knowledge/skills

• Constraints & opportunities

• Organization & governance

• Resources

IP functioning

• Participation & ownership

• Information flow

• Use diversity of knowledge

• Capacity building

• Systematic process

• Facilitation & management

• Resource mobilization

Outcomes

• Interactions/relations

• Practices/activities,

• Production and income

Context

The imGoats project

• imGoats increasing income and food security through goat VCs in India and Moz.

• livelihood option for dry-land regions; add hoc, risky, informal

Both countries:Low input – low output system

Limited knowledge goat management practices

• Transform production and marketing in sound & profitable enterprise

• Targets poor goat keepers (producer groups); other VC actors

Implementation of the IP

Source: Van Rooyen & Homann-Kee Tui (2009)

DevelopmentProcess

Activities & Outputs

Time

Establish IP and define roles and responsibilities

Workshop

Workshop

Workshop

Workshop

Workshop

Activities implemented by

members

Activities implemented by

members

Activities implemented by

members

Project D

riven

Stakehold

er Driven

Activities implemented by

members

Sustainability M&E

M&E

M&E

M&E

Set Impact Indicators

Outcomes

No. goats increased by at least 1-2 animals per household in India; also anecdotal evidence of increased herd size in Moz. (>10).

Producers in India selling more animals (from 1 to 2 on average; also higher price). Mozambique, producers interested in selling, but insecure local demand.

• Reduced goat mortality: animal treatment, goat management practices (role CAHWs)

• Feeding: communal grazing areas, new forages/techniques

• Goat markets: tried with mixed results; alternative strategies explored

Methodology

Objective and questions To identify and better understand the factors and conditions that

play a role in making IPs effective• How were the IPs intended and how were they implemented in practice? • What went well and not well?• What were the key challenges and lessons?

Methods• Comparative case study• Review project documents, IP process reports, outcome mapping and

project team reflections• Reflection by authors on factors, conditions, challenges, and lessons

IP formation

• Inclusion and representation: rather inclusive; members representative of VC actors and producer groups ; limited set of VC actors

• Vision, tasks/roles: visioning by partners; producers did not link platform with commercialization (esp. Moz.); tasks/roles VC actors unexplored

• Inventory of knowledge/skills: initial assessment producers/CAHWs through partners’ experience, later baseline studies; knowledge limited (change regular sales difficult); no assessment among other VC actors

• Constraints & opportunities: rather participatory; focus production (health, feed) and marketing (goat fairs); key constraints closely interlinked

• Organization & governance: partners took lead in facilitation & management; mechanisms established to hand over to local actors

• Resources: project funding; transport issue in Moz. due spread out locations project villages

IP functioning

Participation and ownership• CAHWs and

government staff actively engaged

• Producers’ participation inconsistent

• Difficult to involve traders and women

Mozambique:

IP relied on limited number of traders; vulnerable; VC hardly existing

IP functioning

Information flow• Information flow market to production improved, but far

from optimal; system seems more responsive in India compared to Moz.

• Flow from IP to PGs good; weak in bringing issues back to IP• CAHWs link with producers; project staff with other VC actors

India: PG meeting

IP functioning

Use diversity of knowledge/skills• IP tapped into knowledge/skills of VC

actors• Especially in India, knowledge/skills

from veterinarian and pharmacist• Diversity within each group largely

unexplored (except model farmers Moz.)

Capacity building• Importance of training and exposure

and exchange visits• Mainly focused on producers and

CAHWs (but also project staff)• IP meetings acknowledged as form

of capacity buildingIndia: FGs being trained

Mozambique: gender training

IP functioning

Systematic process• Problem solving

iterative process (simultaneously; technical, organizational, institutional elements)

• in Mozambique stronger reflection on IP process

Mozambique

India

IP functioning

Facilitation & management• Multiple and diverse tasks (including

reconstruction of the chain)• Start handing over facilitation, but

capacity local actors still weak (easier for facilitation compared to innovation brokering)

• Contribution research highly appreciated

Resource mobilization• Extra meetings to get support

community leaders and producer groups

• No clear strategies (nor resources) for continuation

India: CAHWs

Mozambique:

IP president

Discussion

1. Actors – rules and regulations need to be adapted to include the poor; representation critical issue; intermediaries play critical role

2. Innovation – not new, but new in context; flexible approach to support incremental change and bundles of innovation; needs incentives

3. Learning – trough interaction/doing; also demonstration/exposure; reflexive learning by challenging critical constraints; role of research

4. Relations – nurture informal social relations to foster innovation; ensure consistency to reduce risk; innovation brokers (different levels)

5. Institutions – formal institutions to support the process; importance of informal institutions such as norms/values (e.g. gender), trust

6. Scope – analysis context & development challenge critical before implementation; actors need to feel mutually dependent; take into account diversity of actors; may affect entry point

Conclusion

Overall, innovation platform is a promising model to stimulate innovation and stakeholder interaction for pro-poor growth, but…

1. Resource intensive – importance of cost-effective models and building innovation capacity

2. Requires a careful assessment of and adjustment to the (institutional) context

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Better lives through livestock

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Establish linkage with Veterinary College

Establish linkage with Animal Husbandry Department

Training of CAHW on fecal sample collection and submission

CAHWs organizing and facilitating IP meetings

Regular transport of goats to Udaipur for sale

Gender study

Training of CAHWs on facilitation for IP meetings

Planning of health camps & discussion on sales

Value chain analysis

Discussion on increased levels of abortions reported

Identify VC constraints and agree on issues to address

Discussion on main animal health issues

goat fairs

Aug 2011 2012 2013

Establish linkage with agricultural training center

Demonstration of crop residue urea treatment

Strengthening linkage with pharmacist for drug supply

Training of CAHWs and goat keepers at Veterinary College and agricultural training center

Ongoing testing of fecal samples by Animal Husbandry Department and treatment adapted accordingly

Exploratory visit to Udaipur to assess market

Discussion IP functioning & sustainability

Training of BAIF project staff

Demonstration of crop residue urea treatment & azolla

IP India

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Baseline study

Feed and fodder issues discussed

Fodder tree plantations

Plantation of fodder trees

Discussion with veterinary services on identification communal grazing areas

Suggestion to raise fee to sustain IP

Discussion with veterinary services to set up goat fairs

Research on communal pasture areas

Training project officers (followed by CAHWs) on communal pasture area management

Meeting with community leaders on relevance platform

Research on consumer preferences

meeting with commercial producer to discuss goat sales

Meeting with community leaders on communal grazing areas

Research on IP performance

Training course project officers (followed by CAHWs) on gender

Gender study

Training of IP secretariat on facilitation skills

Agreement on transport IP members

Additional training session for CAHWs on commer-cialization

Value chain analysis

IP president facilitates meeting alone

Re-election secretariat

Election IP secretariat

Identify VC constraints

Discussion IP benefits & sustainability

Prioritize issues to address

Agree on price/Kg goat

IP secretariat, veterinary services and CARE meet with traders at various locations to explore market

May 2011 2012 2013

IP Mozambique

Reflection IP process

Discuss issues with setting up communal grazing areas

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Goat fairs

Goat fairs

Goat fairs

Baseline study