Exploring innovative platforms in agric productivity, private sector profitability

To ensure speedy adoption of technology by farmers and increase the impact of these technologies in agricultural production, innovative platforms have been identified as the solution. These platforms can be adopted in any field where technology adoption is needed but it is of utmost importance in food production.

According to Adewale Adekunle, Innovation Platform brings together all possible partners who have roles to play in the development of technologies and their use for the derivation of socio-economic benefits.

“It is basically a physical forum but could be strengthened virtually. Usually, it brings players from along the value chain and beyond to include farmers, researchers, extension agents, input dealers (seeds, fertilisers, agrochemicals, agric mechanisation and agric lending and insurance), transporters, standard organisations, policy makers and end marketers,” Adekunle says.

Adekunle further says, “Innovation Platforms can help increase food production and farmers’ incomes. They also help in job creation as they promote the performance of agribusiness players.”

These innovation platforms may be initiated by the government, non-governmental organisations or private companies.

Explaining further, Adekunle says, “Everywhere, partners on the Platforms come together to discuss the challenges and opportunities within a particular system or commodity chain, prioritise them and systematically address them for the benefit of all players who have been recruited to serve different essential functions. Innovation Platforms have been used by farmers’ organisations to promote impact in terms of yield and incomes. Researchers have used it to promote stakeholder contribution to research agenda and also to promote potential of adoption. Private sector in both the input and output markets have also used it to increase their profit margin. Through the Platforms, farmers have derived greater access to information related to the production, processing and marketing of their commodities, greater access to technologies, increased yield and greater access to both input and output markets all leading to increased yield and incomes for greater food security and poverty reduction. Inputs dealers and output marketers derive additional benefits in terms of profit. As for extension agents and researchers, they derive satisfaction that their technologies are being adopted. Policy makers are happy to be reaching farmers.”

Also, the researchers at IITA at a meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa to mark the 15th anniversary of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), drawing from past experiences, have recommended that for agricultural innovations to create impact at scale, researchers must adopt the use of innovation platforms—working with multi-stakeholder groups—to effectively catalyse engagement with partners and ensure participation of important actors.”

During the agricultural science week held in Accra Ghana in 2013, some experts also spoke extensively on innovation platforms. Sonali Bisht, Institute of Nimalayan Environmental Research and Education (INHERE), Uttarakhand, India said it is an opportunity for all stakeholders in a particular value chain interested in a particular issue to come together and see how their work can help the people who need the research and everybody takes ownership and responsibility for the outcome. She further says “For an innovation platform to work, everyone must come together in the spirit of equality, if the researchers do not see themselves as superiors, farmers do not see themselves as inferior, government and NGO all see each other as equal. Researchers need to remember that farmers may not have the education but they have the experience and both of these are equally important to development and they can learn from each other.”

Victor Kommerell, programme manager of International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) said very good planning and involving all the different stakeholders from the beginning are essential to the success of innovation platforms. He added, “Often the people constituting an innovation platform think of the private sector too late, or they do not think about the regulatory aspect which is state or government laws, these are very important even before an innovation platform is set up. Innovation platforms must not be used just for dissemination of research results because everyone can learn and improve on the innovation. Just giving out the results can lead to failure. Everyone on the platform should always find out from the others if there is anything that can be done in a better way.”

FARA honours Nigeria’s agric minister

Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) recently honoured Akinwunmi Adesina, Nigeria’s agric minister, with an Award of Recognition in Johannesburg, South Africa.

According to FARA, the award is in recognition of the minister’s trailblazing work towards sustainable funding for African agricultural research and development and his inspirational leadership of agricultural development on the continent.

The Award was one of the main events that marked FARA’s 15th year anniversary titled Celebrate FARA: Delivering Africa’s future through science led agricultural transformation.

While presenting the award to Adesina, FARA’s executive director, Yemi Akinbamijo said Nigeria’s agric minister was championing agricultural investments in one of Africa’s fastest growing economies. In addition, he said Adesina was aggressively implementing bold policy reforms and pursuing innovative agricultural investment programmes to expand opportunities for the private sector thereby moving agriculture away from a development programme to a business issue.

Yemi Akinbamijo further disclosed that Adesina until his appointment as a minister, was the vice president responsible for policy and partnership at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) where he fostered cooperation among African governments, donors, farmers’ organisations and the private sector to stimulate agricultural growth and unlock new opportunities for farmers.

Adesina had in the past received several awards including Outstanding Black Agricultural Economist Award from the American Agricultural Economist Association; the YARA prize, Distinguished Alumini Award from Purdue University, Borlang Council for Agricultural Science and Communication Technology (CAST) Africa Man of the year 2013, Leadership Nigeria Public Officer of the year 2014, Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), Nigeria’s second highest national honour among others.

Receiving the Award, the minister promised to work with others to ensure that Africa achieves the 2030 target of food security in the continent. He called for the creation of inclusive market for all practitioners in the agricultural sector.

Other prominent recipients of awards during the FARA celebration included Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture at the African Union Commission; Kanayo Nwanze, president, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); Monty Jones, founding executive secretary of FARA, John Kuffour, former president of Ghana, and Adewale Adekunle, special adviser to the president of Gambia.

FARA is the apex organistaion for agricultural research in Africa. It facilitates the dissemination and adoption of technologies and best practices as they emerge from the research system.

OLUYINKA ALAWODE