Spreading the Gains of Agricultural Innovations in Africa: A Strategy to Scale-up and Scale-out the IAR4D Concept

Spreading the Gains of Agricultural Innovations in Africa: A Strategy to Scale-up and Scale-out the IAR4D Concept
A O Fatunbi, M T Ajayi, A Obi, G O Odularu, A A Adekunle.
84 pages

This book addresses the need to scale the benefits of the IAR4D concept to a wider audience in African agriculture. This is in the light of the benefits it offers and the need to foster quick development of the sector.

The proof of concept studies carried out across the continent in 36 Innovation Platforms/Learning Sites (IPs) have proved conclusively that the IAR4D is a more robust mechanism for dealing with the multifarious problems that farmers confront.

The general objective of the present study is to examine the scope for scaling up the IAR4D and IP concepts as a means to institutionalize and mainstream these concepts into the existing Agricultural Research and Development (ARD) structure in Africa. Specific objectives include;

• Studying the existing theories of scaling concepts and technologies and synthesising a comprehensive report on the theory of scaling as an international public good.
• Understudying successful scaling endeavours for technologies and concepts in other parts of the world and documenting the lessons and the pathways for their success.
• Developing a strategy for the scaling of the IAR4D concept.

This assignment has been based entirely on desktop research to review and analyse official and common-interest literature on the subject. The preliminary indications were presented in Johannesburg on 26 November 2014 at the sub-Saharan Africa Challenge Program Colloquium during the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) celebrations (25-28 November 2014).