Transcript Doing things differently: Post-Harvest Innovation Learning

Doing things differently:
Post-Harvest Innovation Learning
Alliances in Tanzania & Zimbabwe
Brighton Mvumi, Mike Morris, Tanya Stathers, William Riwa
http://www.nri.org/PHILA/
Background (1)
• Common denominator for research team was the
problem of storage insect pests:
– livelihoods of rural households in sub Saharan
Africa undermined by storage insect pests;
– many farmers rely on imported organophosphate-based pesticides to protect stored
grain; safety and efficacy of these chemicals in
doubt;
– households using traditional control materials
are faced with inconsistent and often poor
results;
Background (2)
• Appropriate technology (hardware) solution:
– Diatomaceous Earths (DEs), inert fossil dusts,
can be admixed with grain
– Function by causing insects to dehydrate & die
• Research established that:
– DEs (imported & local) efficacious as grain
protectants in range of Agro-Ecological Zones;
– DEs readily usable by diverse smallholders in the
different locations;
– food stocks (maize, sorghum, beans & cowpeas)
successfully protected for periods of > 8 months.
Background (3)
• Getting DEs into use amongst rural HHs
requires a multitude of changes in the
institutional setting:
– Farmers & extension staff have to fully
understand the limitations and dangers of
existing protectants,
– Advisors have to be influenced & to recommend
policy and regulation changes,
– Registration authorities need to be persuaded to
‘buy into’ and support research findings,
– Private sector needed to step forward and
champion the registration process
The Problem
• Why do things differently?
– Conventional approaches to technology
transfer within small-scale farming systems
have frequently failed – DEs yet to take off;
– HH food security remains precarious for many
people in the rural areas and food production
levels show little or no increase;
– PH service provision & research focus on
technology; less on understanding delivery
system constraints, distinguishing between
needs & priorities of different HHs, exploring
farmers’ own research capabilities;
The Opportunities (1)
• Innovation system thinking, which
recognises that:
– new products and processes are brought into
use, not just by the activities of researchers , but
through the activities of a number of widely
different actors and organisations;
– translation of ideas into use requires
• appropriate technologies,
• compatible mindsets and
• favourable institutional settings
The Opportunities (2)
Innovation system from farmer’s perspective
The Opportunities (3)
• Learning Alliances (LAs) provide for alignment
of the key components of innovation:
– hardware – appropriate technologies; can be
indigenous or imported;
– software – action research to develop compatible
mindsets and adaptive capacity;
– system-ware – to address constraints in the
institutional settings, outside the remit of
conventional research approaches.
Learning Alliance functions (1)
• Information sharing amongst membership:
– stakeholder workshops, documentation, ICTs
& regular communications, website etc.
• Action research (case studies) to:
– develop specific understanding of supply-side
& demand-side issues;
– develop compatible mindsets between
partners, and local adaptive capacity –
learning by doing
Conventional
Research
Action
Research
vs.
Learning from evidence
(rational, universal,
best practice, linear)
Learning from practice
and interaction (intuitive,
contextual, adaptive,
interactive, experiential)
Both approaches used in Case Studies, but
action research develops ‘in tune’ mindsets
After: Barabara Adolph
Learning Alliance functions (2)
• LAs are influenced by and seek to
influence the institutional environment –
the rules & play of the game – including:
– policy agendas, content & implementation;
– R & D programmes;
– staffing arrangements;
– access to and use of ICTs
• Management of information sharing, action
research & advocacy functions.
Achievements (1)
• PHILA members are relating & learning
together in new ways
– PHILA established in Tanzania & Zimbabwe
– New CS tools & techniques shared & adopted
– ICT training & promotion
– New awareness & understanding of the need
for institutional learning & change (i.e.
system-ware & software)
Achievements (2)
• Practical insights & recommendations for
service provision developed, based on:
– Study of public service providers & research
– Studies of public service & NGO service
provision
– Participatory planning exercises in 4 districts
– Farmer & extension staff exchange visits
– Enquiry visits to explore farmer diversity
– Review of policies, their formulation &
implementation
Achievements (3)
• Understanding of ability of different
stakeholders to access & utilise information:
– Individuals in many farming households in
multiple locations familiar with better storage
practices (e.g. application DEs, ASD etc)
– Exchange visits explored farmer-to-farmer &
farmer-extension staff learning
– Empowerment studies throwing light on
demand-led approaches
– Study of agro-chemical companies & public
service providers
Persisting Challenges (1)
• Establishing LAs involves high front-end
transaction costs
– donors do a lot of policy pushing but are slow
to pick up implementation costs
• Innovation is essentially about changing
institutional & social relationships
– but is often confined to hardware; information
is misconstrued as knowledge; knowledge
management defined as technology uptake
Persisting Challenges (2)
• Conflict inherent to rule (/inst.) change
– The elite will resist rule changes; use ‘poor’
communication to exclude other players etc.
– private sector players, typically busy & costaware, are often reluctant to participate, have
competing interests.
• LAs need to build on existing platforms
(parallel structures are out) which do not
flag learning
– building trust is better than subversion, but time
consuming & usually costly.
Persisting Challenges (3)
• LAs are about changing the dynamics
within and between organisations, but
– rely heavily on the skills & energies of
individuals
– documenting process learning is difficult
• If they are to have sustained impact, then
– LAs need to influence policy makers and
other key stakeholders
– LAs need to secure buy-in (membership) from
policy makers and other key stakeholders
The Future
• LAs offer a strategic approach to providing
services which are demand-led, clientoriented, empowering etc., but
– continued support from the R&D communities
and donors, essential;
– commitment of statutory authorities (e.g. line
ministries, local government), essential;
– involvement of private sector, essential; and,
– representation of diverse farmer-types,
imperative
Thank You