Research for Innovation: Lessons on Scaling Adoption of Climate-Smart Solutions Through Food and Market Systems | Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture & World Vision US
Farming is increasingly exposed to climate change. Fostering resilience is essential, particularly in poorer countries. Climate change disproportionately impacts smallholder communities. An increasing number of innovations could improve food supply chains. However, achieving their large-scale adoption through markets is difficult. Agricultural market systems do not always offer immediate or predictable financial returns to farmers or their business partners. This is notably the case for innovations that increase resilience rather than productivity. There are, nonetheless, good examples of climate-smart innovations achieving some scale through market systems. We will discuss some common features, approaches to developing innovations with markets in mind, and linking delivery at scale to the development of market systems, incentives and institutions. We will focus on how to take different farmers’ needs into account when developing innovations, the pathways and benefits that should be offered to take them to market, and how best to ensure their adoption at scale.
Speakers
- Peter Ebanyat: Senior Lecturer at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Makerere University, Uganda.
- Dr. Paul McNamara: Associate Professor at University of Illinois, and Extension specialist (Dpt of Ag & Consumer Economics) + Director, AgREACH
- Mercy Ainomugisha: CEO at Vision Fund Uganda.
- Dr. Ellysar Baroudy: Lead Natural Resources Management Specialist at World Bank
- Nekesah T Wafullah: Business Development Manager, Smallholder Value Chains at Crop Nutrition Laboratory Services Ltd (Cropnuts), Kenya.
- Dr. Rasheed Sulaiman: Director of the Centre for Research on Innovation and Science Policy in India.