Social Capital: An Exit Path from Poverty. An ICRISAT Success Story

Social capital is the ability to develop and use social networks and their resources. Studying social capital is central to understanding how the farming community adopts and benefits from improved agricultural technologies. Four case studies conducted in India by ICRISAT researchers have shown that social capital is crucial for successful uptake, diffusion and impact of innovations

Linkages among measurable Criteria and Sensitivity analysis for Research Priority Setting: Learning from the experiences of ICRISAT

The research priority-setting exercise conducted by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in the early 1990s was driven by a determination to build an objective and transparent basis for its medium term plan (MTP) for 1994-1998 (ICRISAT, 1992). Like other members of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), it faced the challenge of a changing external environment where funds for research were declining, and therefore, a pursuit of a focused research agenda was imperative. This change motivated stronger accountability and a search for an objective research priority setting and resource allocation process. Significantly, it prompted awareness among scientists and research managers about the impact and payoff of research......

Impact of Agricultural Research: Post-Green Revolution Evidence from India

Agricultural research systems all over the world are acclaimed for their significant contributions to food and nutritional security and poverty alleviation. There is empirical evidence of agricultural growth induced by the Green Revolution technologies having benefited the rural and urban poor through reduction in food prices. Although the impact in terms of poverty reduction has multiplied over the years and spread geographically, there is a need to accelerate these impacts in order to improve the livelihoods of the poorest of the poor and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). India is one of the success stories of the Green Revolution. The Indian experience has convincingly proven that appropriate technologies, supported by facilitating public policies and efficient institutions, can transform smallholder agriculture. Umpteen studies have revealed that these three major sources of agricultural growth are highly interactive and dynamic. They evolve in the contextual realities of an agricultural sector and respond to internal and external developmental changes. However, the question now arises as to how modern technologies and institutions interact in the era of privatization and globalization. The ways and means of harmonizing national agricultural policies with international agreements on trade, exchange of resources, property rights, etc, should be evolved for accelerating the flow of technologies to millions of smallholders. Research impacts are not uniform across different sub-sectors of agriculture owing to differences in the degree of market orientation, efficiency of input and service delivery systems, dominance of smallholders, etc. Sector-specific institutional and policy constraints need to be understood and addressed in order to enhance the flow of technology to farmers and to realize large-scale impacts. Similarly, greater attention should be paid to understanding institutional constraints to the dissemination and adoption of technologies promoting sustainable use of natural resources. The same holds true for the technologies for livestock, horticulture and agro-processing which are capital intensive. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) have a long tradition of research partnership in agricultural science. Both accord high priority to tracking adoption of technologies by farmers, assessing their impacts and learning from this experience. Social scientists from both the organizations have allocated considerable resources towards this work and brought out a number of publications. This volume is an addition to this series, wherein both macroand micro-level studies pertaining to different sectors of Indian agriculture have been covered in detail, with evidence mostly stemming from the post-Green Revolution period

Research evaluation and impact analysis of biological nitrogen fixation

Although viable Rhizobium inoculation technology for cultivated legumes has long been available, there has been little sustained adoption of this technology in tropical regions. Reasons contributing to this include inadequate demonstration of the technology, presence of adequate native rhizobia, high soil mineral nitrogen levels which suppress nitrogen fixation, inadequate quality control of Rhizobium inoculum and difficulties of inoculating under tropical conditions. In order to ensure a better adoption rate of existing or emerging biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) technologies, it is proposed that future research and development efforts better focus on the research-adoption-impact continuum. The salient features of this approach are described in this paper, using the example of recently developed nodulation variants in chickpea as a potential means of increasing BNF in this crop. It is suggested that previous experience with Rhizobium inoculation technology is amenable to ex-post impact analysis to analyze bottlenecks, and that ex-ante impact analysis should be built into on-going or planned BNF research, to better ensure that technology adoption occurs

Research Evaluation and Priority Assessment at the International Crops Research Insitute for the Semi-arid Tropics(ICRISAT): Continuing cycles of Learning to Improve Impacts

This chapter documents the research priority assessment methods used a the ICRISAT. Research evaluation and priority assessment have evolved to provide continuous cycles of learning to improve impacts. Prior to 1992, research priorities were established based on consultative meetings with ICRISAT and National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) scientist to identify key productivity constraints and propose research themes and approaches to address them...

Empowerment of Women and Pathways to Development in the SAT of India : Insights from Gender-based Social Analysis

This paper highlights the dynamics and pathways of development of rural women and men in the semi-arid tropics (SAT) of India. It chronicles a series of studies undertaken at ICRISAT which aimed at understanding the gender perspectives in agricultural research, inclusive of gender concerns for empowering men and women in the marginalized and vulnerable regions of SAT. The �ndings from the case studies show that empowering rural women (in particular) point towards recognizing the power of individuals (agency), enhancing their skills to change the context in which they live and thereby bringing about equitable and sustainable change and development. The distinctive view of empowerment in this study encompasses networks of relationships which help bring about change and improvement in the physical, economic, socio-cultural and political well-being of women (particularly formal and informal social networks). A sequential analysis is implemented using a series of related case studies conducted over a period of almost two decades (1992 to 2011) and complemented by analysis harnessing the VLS longitudinal household panel data. For example, how does technology uptake lead to empowerment particularly for marginalized groups including women and tribals? What stimulates gender-equitable change

Uptake of improved technologies in the semi-arid tropics of West Africa: why is agricultural transformation lagging behind?

During the last 3 decades, donors and governments have invested in the development and dissemination of new technologies in the semiarid tropics of West Africa. Though a wide range of improved technologies has been developed, adoption remains low without a significant impact on crop productivity, rural income and poverty. Agricultural transformation that occurred in East Asia has not yet occurred in the semiarid tropics of West Africa. This paper uses data from a regional survey of rural households (n=983) in 3 countries in West Africa (Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger) conducted in 2000-01, to identify the determinants of uptake of improved technologies. Limited productivity gain is found to be a major constraint to the uptake of technologies. In addition, poorly functioning institutions, lack of information or poor exposure of farmers to agricultural innovations, and poor functioning or missing markets have also hindered the uptake of many new technologie

Empowerment through Technology: Gender Dimensions of Social Capital Build-Up in Maharashtra, India

This paper explores how and to what extent women and men have benefited from the build-up of social capital in technology uptake, and the role of women in this process. Using a case study on Groundnut Production Technology (GPT) in Maharashtra, India, a systematic documentation of the process by which farmers – both men and women - as well as the whole community became empowered through the build-up of social capital is presented. The focus of the paper is on collective action as a mechanism to stimulate gender-equitable change processes. Our evidence suggests that the technology uptake process was enhanced with the build up of social capital, whereby men and women from all class and caste groups came together for improving their livelihoods. Collective action was enhanced with the increased involvement and participation of women. Strong kinship ties were developed among diverse classes all over the village including landless tribal women, who formed the major labor force for this technology. The paper concludes that social networks played a crucial mediating role in the process of technology uptake. The build-up of social capital played an important role in influencing impacts from the technology because of the ways in which social networks and social relationships facilitated technology dissemination. Gender relations played a significant role in mediating the translation of economic benefits into well being of the individual, the family and community. Finally, it is suggested that further insights into the role of social networks and power relations in the village may be examined in greater detail by establishing the village network architecture, especially marginalized groups

Empowerment through social capital build-up: gender dimensions in technology uptake

This paper explores how and to what extent women and men have benefited from social capital build-up (the ability of men and women farmers to develop and use various kinds of social networks and the resources that thereby become available) in technology uptake, and the role of women in this process. Using a series of three case studies on ICRISAT's Groundnut Production Technology, the process of technology uptake leading to empowerment is systematically documented through three stages of the adoption pathway. The process stimulating gender-equitable change and empowerment was examined through a sequential analysis using two in-depth case studies in three villages in Maharashtra, India, and complemented by a broader quantitative study of the uptake process covering villages in surrounding districts. This analysis illustrated that social capital is important for both adoption and impact to occur. Qualitative information complemented by quantitative measures provides a holistic understanding of the long-term effects and benefits. The findings illustrated that build-up of social capital improves access to resources like credit, information and knowledge about new technology options and practices. Furthermore, it expands choices available to each household member - e.g. selecting and adopting seed technology of their choice, and alternative investment options - and influences the distribution of benefits from the technology because of the ways in which social networks and social relationships facilitate technology dissemination. Mobilizing social capital through participation of men and women in groups/networks that crossed caste, class and gender barriers mediated the successful adoption and diffusion of technology

Efficiency and sustainability gains from adoption of short-duration pigeonpea in nonlegume - based cropping systems

This study establishes an important connection between farmers' concerns regarding sustainabl e farming and the adopt ion of improved technologies. Results from a formal on farm survey and rapid rural appraisals conducted in a drought prone area in Central India confirm that : (1) farmers are well aware of the effects of intensive cultivat ion of cash crops, such as sugarcane or cotton in irrigated tracts, in terms of reduced yields and increasing use of inputs; (2) appropriate crop/varietal adoption and manag -ement practices are consciously implemented to maintain long- term productivity levels for existing and desi red cropping systems; and (3) farmers strive to increase or ma intain soil fertility by inc luding nitrogen-fixing l egume s i n c rop rotat ions - i n this case, shor t -dur a t ion pigeonpea. Wide spread adoption of short -duration pigeonpe a has made farming profitable in the short term-via cultivation of a second crop in the post rainy season-and farmers expect to sustain productivity in the long run via crop rotation to maintain soil fertility