Do multilevel agricultural innovation platforms support inclusive innovation? Lessons learned from a case study in the Ethiopian highlands

To facilitate smallholder farmers' inclusion within agricultural change processes, agricultural innovation platforms are increasingly being used. Such platforms, which seek to facilitate farmer interactions with diverse actors, are associated with the concept of inclusive innovation. Despite the rhe...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lema, Zelalem, Bruyn, L.A.L. de, Marshall, G.R., Roschinsky, R., Duncan, Alan J.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Informa UK Limited 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/152103
_version_ 1855529708651806720
author Lema, Zelalem
Bruyn, L.A.L. de
Marshall, G.R.
Roschinsky, R.
Duncan, Alan J.
author_browse Bruyn, L.A.L. de
Duncan, Alan J.
Lema, Zelalem
Marshall, G.R.
Roschinsky, R.
author_facet Lema, Zelalem
Bruyn, L.A.L. de
Marshall, G.R.
Roschinsky, R.
Duncan, Alan J.
author_sort Lema, Zelalem
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description To facilitate smallholder farmers' inclusion within agricultural change processes, agricultural innovation platforms are increasingly being used. Such platforms, which seek to facilitate farmer interactions with diverse actors, are associated with the concept of inclusive innovation. Despite the rhetoric of IPs as inclusive structures, questions persist regarding farmers’ inclusion in decision-making within IPs. This research, based on a livestock innovation case study in the Ethiopian Highlands, examines the role of multilevel IPs in supporting inclusive innovation. Qualitative data collection, timeline analysis of the innovation process and thematic analysis were employed. Results reveal varying levels of farmer inclusion across different phases of the innovation process and IP operational levels. While successful farmer inclusion was apparent in the diagnosis and decentralized learning innovation processes, maintaining inclusivity during the latter phases of the innovation process was difficult, and negatively impacted on farmer-centric outcomes. Decentralized resources, decision-making and reflexive monitoring emerge as crucial in improving smallholder farmers’ inclusion and addressing institutional biases inherent in the technology-push approaches to innovation, especially during farmers’ selection processes that continued to favour better-off or well-connected ‘model’ farmers.
format Journal Article
id CGSpace152103
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2025
publishDateRange 2025
publishDateSort 2025
publisher Informa UK Limited
publisherStr Informa UK Limited
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace1521032026-01-21T09:43:16Z Do multilevel agricultural innovation platforms support inclusive innovation? Lessons learned from a case study in the Ethiopian highlands Lema, Zelalem Bruyn, L.A.L. de Marshall, G.R. Roschinsky, R. Duncan, Alan J. agricultural innovation innovation platforms To facilitate smallholder farmers' inclusion within agricultural change processes, agricultural innovation platforms are increasingly being used. Such platforms, which seek to facilitate farmer interactions with diverse actors, are associated with the concept of inclusive innovation. Despite the rhetoric of IPs as inclusive structures, questions persist regarding farmers’ inclusion in decision-making within IPs. This research, based on a livestock innovation case study in the Ethiopian Highlands, examines the role of multilevel IPs in supporting inclusive innovation. Qualitative data collection, timeline analysis of the innovation process and thematic analysis were employed. Results reveal varying levels of farmer inclusion across different phases of the innovation process and IP operational levels. While successful farmer inclusion was apparent in the diagnosis and decentralized learning innovation processes, maintaining inclusivity during the latter phases of the innovation process was difficult, and negatively impacted on farmer-centric outcomes. Decentralized resources, decision-making and reflexive monitoring emerge as crucial in improving smallholder farmers’ inclusion and addressing institutional biases inherent in the technology-push approaches to innovation, especially during farmers’ selection processes that continued to favour better-off or well-connected ‘model’ farmers. 2025-05 2024-09-11T09:26:00Z 2024-09-11T09:26:00Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/152103 en Open Access Informa UK Limited Lema, Z., Bruyn, L.A.L. de, Marshall, G.R., Roschinsky, R. and Duncan, A.J. 2025. Do multilevel agricultural innovation platforms support inclusive innovation? Lessons learned from a case study in the Ethiopian highlands. Innovation and Development 15 (2): 363-385.
spellingShingle agricultural innovation
innovation platforms
Lema, Zelalem
Bruyn, L.A.L. de
Marshall, G.R.
Roschinsky, R.
Duncan, Alan J.
Do multilevel agricultural innovation platforms support inclusive innovation? Lessons learned from a case study in the Ethiopian highlands
title Do multilevel agricultural innovation platforms support inclusive innovation? Lessons learned from a case study in the Ethiopian highlands
title_full Do multilevel agricultural innovation platforms support inclusive innovation? Lessons learned from a case study in the Ethiopian highlands
title_fullStr Do multilevel agricultural innovation platforms support inclusive innovation? Lessons learned from a case study in the Ethiopian highlands
title_full_unstemmed Do multilevel agricultural innovation platforms support inclusive innovation? Lessons learned from a case study in the Ethiopian highlands
title_short Do multilevel agricultural innovation platforms support inclusive innovation? Lessons learned from a case study in the Ethiopian highlands
title_sort do multilevel agricultural innovation platforms support inclusive innovation lessons learned from a case study in the ethiopian highlands
topic agricultural innovation
innovation platforms
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/152103
work_keys_str_mv AT lemazelalem domultilevelagriculturalinnovationplatformssupportinclusiveinnovationlessonslearnedfromacasestudyintheethiopianhighlands
AT bruynlalde domultilevelagriculturalinnovationplatformssupportinclusiveinnovationlessonslearnedfromacasestudyintheethiopianhighlands
AT marshallgr domultilevelagriculturalinnovationplatformssupportinclusiveinnovationlessonslearnedfromacasestudyintheethiopianhighlands
AT roschinskyr domultilevelagriculturalinnovationplatformssupportinclusiveinnovationlessonslearnedfromacasestudyintheethiopianhighlands
AT duncanalanj domultilevelagriculturalinnovationplatformssupportinclusiveinnovationlessonslearnedfromacasestudyintheethiopianhighlands