The Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D) concept
was proposed to respond to the failures of Agriculture Research and
Development (ARD) systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. The key element of
implementation and success of IAR4D was action sites called
agricultural Innovation Platform (IPs) and their counterfactual sites.
Social Network Analysis (SNA) is used to explain social relationships
and partnerships. This study explored the patterns of agricultural
partnerships among stakeholders in the highlands of Rwanda under IAR4D.
Data were collected in action sites that included Mudende, Gataraga,
Remera and Rwerere; and in their counterpart counterfactual sites that
comprised of Bigogwe, Nyange and Gacaca. Results showed that in action
sites, stakeholders were linked to different and diversified partners.
Furthermore, many stakeholders were connected to several partners
through agricultural partnerships, hence creating complex social
networks with high density and degree of distribution. In the
counterfactual sites, however, stakeholders were exclusively linked to
the same kind of partners, and one stakeholder was connected to one
partner through probably non-agricultural partnerships. These facts
demonstrated that IAR4D created dense interfaces, significantly
improved the networking system, and delivered technologies and
innovations.Le concept de Recherche Agricole Int\ue9gr\ue9e pour le
D\ue9veloppement (IAR4D) a \ue9t\ue9 propos\ue9 comme solution
aux \ue9checs des syst\ue8mes Recherches Agricoles et
D\ue9veloppement (ARD) en Afrique Sub-Saharienne.
L\u2019\ue9l\ue9ment principal de la r\ue9ussite et du
succ\ue8s d\u2019IAR4D \ue9tait l\u2019\ue9tablissement des
sites d\u2019action appel\ue9s Plateformes Agricoles
d\u2019innovation (IPs) ainsi que leurs sites t\ue9moins.
L\u2019analyse du R\ue9seau Sociale (SNA) est utilis\ue9e pour
expliquer les rapports et les relations sociaux des acteurs et des
partenaires. La pr\ue9sente \ue9tude avait pour objectif
d\u2019explorer les structures des relations socio-agricoles parmi les
acteurs et les partenaires dans les hautes altitudes du Rwanda soumises
\ue0 l\u2019IAR4D. Les donn\ue9es ont \ue9t\ue9
r\ue9colt\ue9es dans les sites d\u2019action comprenant\ua0:
Mudende, Gataraga, Remera et Rwerere ainsi que dans leurs contreparties
sites t\ue9moins incluant Bigogwe, Nyange et Gacaca. Les
r\ue9sultats ont montr\ue9 que dans les sites d\u2019action, les
acteurs \ue9taient associ\ue9s aux partenaires de natures
diff\ue9rentes et un acteur \ue9tait li\ue9 \ue0 plusieurs
partenaires a la fois. Dans les sites t\ue9moins par contre, les
acteurs \ue9taient li\ue9s aux partenaires de m\ueames natures
que ceux-ci et un acteur \ue9tait rarement li\ue9 \ue0 plus de
deux partenaires. Ces faits ont montr\ue9 que l\u2019IAR4D a
cr\ue9e un r\ue9seau socio-agricole tr\ue8s dense et
sophistiqu\ue9 et ainsi a consid\ue9rablement am\ue9lior\ue9 le
r\ue9seau socio-agricole. Par cons\ue9quent, l\u2019IAR4D peut
\ueatre recommand\ue9 pour le transfert the technologies and des
innovations agricoles