The document discusses different ways of organizing agricultural innovation. It begins by defining innovation as new combinations of existing knowledge put into use, rather than new inventions. It notes there are different forms innovation can take, including technological, organizational, institutional, and business innovations. The document then examines five main ways innovation is organized: 1) research to farmer technology transfer, 2) farmer participatory technology development, 3) commercialization of public research by the private sector, 4) partnering with the private sector in value chain innovation, and 5) solving complex challenges through multi-stakeholder platforms. For each approach, it outlines the necessary tools, roles of research, strengths, and weaknesses. The key message is that no single

1. Pipelines, partnerships and platforms: Different ways of
organizing agricultural innovation
Organising Innovation for Impact at Scale
Dr Andy Hall • CSIRO Research Group Leader – Global Agriculture Innovation Dynamics
11 November 2015

2. Objective
• Understand the nature of innovation as a wider process than research.
• Understand that innovation takes different forms.
• Understand that there are different ways of organizing innovation each
with its own set of tools.
• Understand how to select an approach appropriate to a task and the
challenges that might be encountered.
Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall2 |

3. Innovation: meaning
• The process of creating and putting into use combinations of knowledge from
many different sources
• This knowledge may be brand-new, but usually it is new combinations of
existing knowledge
• Not research or technology, but might involve both.
• To be termed innovation, the use of this knowledge has to be novel to the
farmer or the firm, neighbours and competitors, but not necessarily new
globally
• Invention, on the other hand, is the creation of new knowledge new to the
world, usually by research organisations, but also by artisans and others
3 | Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall

4. What does innovation look like?
• Technological innovation: Farmers adopting
a new crop variety, a new agronomic
practice, or animal feeding regime.
• Organizational innovation: farmers work
collectively to market produce.
• Institutional innovation. Researchers form
new partnerships with farmers and
companies to deliver solutions that give
income and profits
4 | Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall

5. What does innovation look like?
• Business innovation: companies develop new products and
service or new ways of delivering these that create profit and
other value.
• Value chain innovation: Value chain actors use new ways to
procure, add value or market products.
• Policy innovation: regulations, rules and incentives that add
value to social and economic activity. Food standards, pesticide
approvals, new ways of financing farming and business
investment.
5 | Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall

6. Why are we interested in agricultural innovation
and not just research?
• Increasing results orientation among funders of research
• Shelves of technology, poor uptake, weak demand orientation
• Increasingly complex agenda, food, environment, poverty reduction,
fuel, changing consumer demands
• New players and more prominence for the private sector
• Improved understanding of how ideas and technology come into use
6 | Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall

7. How do we organize for innovation?
• There are broadly 2 views.
• A technology transfer pipeline view
• A “systems” views that suggests different types of
innovation need to be coupled together.
• Neither can be universally correct
• No blueprint.
• Approach needs to be tailored to task at hand.
7 | Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall

8. InnovationFarmers
Public
delivery
systems
Private
delivery
systems
Research Technology Markets
Policy institutional environment
innovation
Innovation

9. InnovationFarmers
Public
delivery
systems
Private
delivery
systems
Research Technology Markets
Policy institutional environment
innovation
Innovation
NGO
support
services
innovation

10. InnovationFarmers
Public
delivery
systems
Private
delivery
systems
Research Technology Markets
Policy institutional environment
innovation
Innovation
NGO
support
services
innovation
innovation
innovation

11. InnovationFarmers
Public
delivery
systems
Private
delivery
systems
Research Technology Markets
Policy institutional environment
innovation
Innovation
NGO
support
services
innovation
innovation
innovation
Private
research
Farmer and
industry
association
Consumer
groups
Policy
advocacy
groups
Social
entrepreneurs
SMEs

12. InnovationFarmers
Public
delivery
systems
Private
delivery
systems
Research Technology Markets
Policy institutional environment
innovation
Innovation
NGO
support
services
innovation
innovation
innovation
Private
research
Farmer and
industry
associations
Consumer
groups
Policy
advocacy
groups
Social
entrepreneurs
SMEs
innovation
innovation

13. InnovationFarmers
Public
delivery
systems
Private
delivery
systems
Research Technology Markets
Policy institutional environment
innovation
Innovation
NGO
support
services
innovation
innovation
innovation
Private
research
Farmer and
industry
associations
Consumer
groups
Policy
advocacy
groups
Social
entrepreneurs
SMEs
innovation
innovation
new urban markets ;global markets and competition; climate change; pest and diseases;
Shocks shocks

14. InnovationFarmers
Public
delivery
systems
Private
delivery
systems
Research Technology Markets
Policy institutional environment
innovation
Innovation
NGO
support
services
innovation
innovation
innovation
Private
research
Farmer and industry
associations
Consumer
groups
Policy
advocacy
groups
Social
entrepreneurs
SMEs
innovation
innovation
new urban markets ;global markets and competition; climate change; pest and diseases;
Shocks shocks
Learning loops

15. Different modes of agricultural innovation
• Research to farmer technology transfer
• Farmer participatory technology development
• Commercialization of public research by the private sector
• Partnering with the private sector in value chain innovation.
• Solving complex development challenges through multi-
stakeholder platforms
15 | Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall

16. 16 •
1. Research to farmer technology
transfer
Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall

17. 1. Research to farmer technology transfer
• Tools: Disciplinary and commodity based research.
Demonstration plots and related extension methods.
• Role of research: Knowledge discovery and
technology development.
• Necessary conditions. Well functioning extensions
services, effective markets and policies can help with
technology spread/scaling, mechanisms for
articulating farmer demand for technology.
17 | Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall

18. 1. Research to farmer technology transfer
• Strengths: Familiar and easily understood. Works well for inputs
(seeds, fertilizer, crop protection and animal health). Simple M&E
• Weaknesses. Necessary conditions usually missing or weak.
Supply led leads to miss-match of technology to farmers needs.
Technology supply not linked to output market access. Poor
linkages to other sources of technology nationally and globally.
18 | Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall

19. 19 •
2. Farmer participatory technology
development
Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall

20. 2. Farmer participatory technology development
• Tools: participatory diagnostic appraisal and evaluation,
client-orientated breeding, joining farmers experiments,
farmer field schools.
• Role of research: scientific resource in farmers experiments.
• Necessary conditions: Professional transformation of
researchers, decentralization of research organizations, large
carder of para-researchers, collaboration with community
based organizations.
20 | Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall

21. 2. Farmer participatory technology development
• Strengths: helps match farmer needs to research priorities; make use of existing
farmer ideas and technology; works well for NRM that needs community
collaboration; technology development, adaptation and adoption take place at
the same time.
• Weakness: Necessary conditions missing or weak. Researchers need capacity
building. Unclear how to spread innovation beyond pilots. Dominated by social
scientists. Undervalue the discovery role of research.
21 | Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall

22. 22 •
3. Commercialization of public
research by the private sector
Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall

23. 3. Commercialization of public research by the private
sector
• Tools: technology licensing, strategic alliances
and partnership, contract research.
• Role of research: service provider of technology
and R&D capability.
• Necessary conditions: Effective markets and
policy and regulatory frameworks. Alignment of
public and private sector goals.
23 | Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall

24. 3. Commercialization of public research by the private
sector
• Strengths: Works well for inputs (seeds, fertilizer, crop protection and animal
health); private delivery systems effective and efficient with large reach.
Valuable when private sector has weak R&D capability. Simple M&E.
• Weaknesses: Limited range of research products fit the model; doesn’t work
well for information packages/ advice. Targets farmers that can pay, can miss
the poor. Mechanism to align public and private goals often missing
24 | Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall

25. 25 •
4. Partnering with the private sector
in value chain innovation
Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall

26. 4. Partnering with the private sector in value chain
innovation
• Tools: partnerships with inclusive businesses and producer
organizations, farmers groups, local level innovation platforms.
• Role of research: Service provider of technology and technical and
socio-economic expertise; convener of innovation platforms.
• Necessary conditions: Social organization of farmers often with
help from NGO’s. Strong brokering and facilitation of stakeholder
engagement and communication. Resources to action opportunities
and create solutions. Learning based M&E systems.
26 | Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall

27. 4. Partnering with the private sector in value chain
innovation
• Strengths. Good for connecting pre-and post-harvest solutions and opportunities. Links access
to technology with access to markets. Strengthens relationships needed to address future
solutions and opportunities. Takes advantage of inclusive business motivations. Identifies new
research priorities.
• Weaknesses: Poorly implemented. Miss-understood as tool for transferring existing
technologies from research. Governance and elite capture. Difficult to hold the attention of
the private sector and becomes farmers group. Ineffective links to policy changes needed to
enable innovation. Unclear how effective platforms can be scaled.
27 | Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall

28. 28 •
5. Solving complex development
challenges through multi-
stakeholder platforms
Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall

29. 5. Solving complex development challenges through
multi-stakeholder platforms
• Tools: multi-level innovation platforms; innovation brokers;
partnerships with mission orientated organizations backbone
organizations and alliances.
• Role of research: Trusted advisor, service provider, strategic
partners, discovery research
• Necessary conditions. Governance and financing
arrangements, coherence between on the ground action and
policy engagement and change.
29 | Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall

30. 5. Solving complex development challenges through
multi-stakeholder platforms
• Strengths: Creates a structure for research to contribute to development challenges
where systemic change is required for technology adoption (health and nutrition,
sustainable food systems)
• Weaknesses: Only few examples of success (e.g. GAIN). Challenges in developing
effective and transparent M&E systems. Who funds basic research capacity building?
30 | Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall

31. Summary
• Innovation is about new uses of ideas not invention.
• Important because its how impact is achieved
• Innovation is not just technological change.
• Many ways of organizing innovation each with its own tools.
• There are challenges with all types of approaches to innovation.
• The key is to select the approach that best suits the task at hand.
31 | Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall

32. References
• World Bank 2012 and Klerkx, Hall, and Leeuwis. (2009) Agricultural Innovation
Systems: An Investment Sourcebook. Washington, DC
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTARD/Resources/335807-
1330620492317/9780821386842.pdf
• A.Hall, J.Dijkman & R.Sulaiman. (2010) Research Into Use: Investigating the
Relationship between Agricultural Research and Innovation. UNU-MERIT
Working Papers ISSN 1871-9872
http://www.merit.unu.edu/publications/wppdf/2010/wp2010-044.pdf
Presentation title • Presenter name32 •

33. 33 •
Working in partnerships … who &
how should they be included?
Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall

34. 34 • Different ways of organising agriculture innovation• Dr Andy Hall
Exercise
Break in to 3 groups.
- In Group 1 discuss and identify 5 partners agricultural scientists should work with
and why? On one card write a type of the partners a reason why its valuable to
work with them.
- In Group 2 discuss and identify 5 different problems / need of the different
partners. On one card write a problem you are working on and list the partners you
need to work with to resolve this problem
- In Group 3 discuss and identify 5 problems you are working on and the model of
innovation you would use for dealing with the problem. On a card write a problem
and the model you would use.

35. Andy Hall, CSIRO
Level 1 Ecosystem Science Building, Black Mountain Laboratories, Clunies Ross Rd, Acton, ACT
2602
TEL. +61 477 735 348
andrew.hall@csiro.au
• ADD BUSINESS UNIT/FLAGSHIP NAME
Thank you