Reframing technical change: Livestock fodder scarcity revisited as innovation capacity scarcity - A conceptual framework

This document is an output from the Fodder Innovation Project (FIP) – Phase II funded by the Department for International Development, (DFID), UK.This document, divided into three sections, develops a conceptual framework for a project on livestock fodder innovation – the Fodder Innovation Project (FIP). Livestock is important to the livelihoods of poor people in many regions of the developing world. A generic problem found across this diverse range of production and marketing contexts is the shortage of fodder. This paper argues that to address this problem it is necessary to frame the question of fodder shortage not from the perspective of information and technological scarcity, but from the perspective of capacity scarcity in relation to fodder innovation. To support this position the first section presents case studies of experience, from an earlier fodder innovation project, that suggest that while fodder technology is important, it is not enough. There is a large institutional dimension to bringing about innovation, particularly with respect to the effectiveness of networks and alliances needed to put technology into use. The second section begins by reviewing the evolving paradigms of agricultural research and innovation over the last 30 years or so and explains the emergence and relevance of the innovation systems concept to agricultural development. It then presents a framework for exploring fodder innovation capacity, with particular emphasis on the patterns of interaction needed for innovation and the policy and institutional settings needed to enable these processes. The third section reviews the wide range of existing tools available to investigate institutional change. It then recommends that an eclectic approach of mixing and matching tools to the emerging circumstances of the research is the best way forward

Fodder research embedded in a system of innovation

A 3-year project implemented in India and Nigeria addressed the issue of improving livelihoods of poor livestock keepers by improving availability of fodder. The original approach focused on testing of new crop varieties to be scaled up through partners using mechanisms such as farmer-to-farmer exchange and field days. As the project evolved, it became clearer that the systems were much more complex than originally thought with a wide range of actors involved. Although fodder technology is obviously a requirement to reduce fodder shortages, many of the problems are embedded in the institutions and policies that determine how technology is developed and delivered. To help address these issues, an innovation systems approach is proposed with a focus on building capacity within the system

Strategy for ILRI research on feed resources

The importance of feed in increasing livestock productivity and benefits from livestock is stressed. Four major feed resources are identified: pastures, common property resources, forests, and fallow lands; planted forages; crop residues; and concentrate and agricultural by-products. There is a scarcity of quantitative, countrywide data on the current contribution of these resources to the actual feed budget, and the likely trends in future. Systematic mapping of fodder resources is required, and seen as an integral part of feed research. Research on feed resources needs to contribute to poverty alleviation and production of global public goods, but ILRI also needs to have a competitive advantage in the research field, and the research needs to be cost efficient. Partnerships play a key role in producing synergies from diverse research efforts, and in implementation of research results and output-to-outcome processes. Collaboration between crop improvement and livestock research is seen as a key partnership in achieving the feed-related outputs of ILRI’s Medium Term Plan. Although considerable uncertainty exists in terms of quantitative contribution of specific feed resources to overall feed budget, it seems highly probable that crop residue plays, and will continue to play, a central role in sustaining mixed-crop livestock systems in resource-poor areas

Capacity to innovate: what does that mean??

A presentation prepared by Fodder Innovation Project, ILR