Publications

While the Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI) initiative provides data and analysis of domestic public and private spending on agricultural research and development for a wide range of developing countries, the literature pays little attention, if any, to foreign assistance to agricultural, fishing and forestry research and agricultural extension. The objective of the present study is to fill this gap and offer a comprehensive analysis of 2002 to 2012 OECD data on foreign assistance to research and extension in agriculture, forestry and fishing.

This report establishes the concept of the capacity to innovate, which depends not only on hard technical capacities, but also softer functional capacities across the individual, organizational, and enabling environment scales. It argues that developing country-level innovation capacity requires an iterative capacity development process based around assessment. After reviewing the relevant assessment methods and tools, a general framework for assessing the capacity to innovate is proposed and applicable tools are suggested that explore key areas that influence the capacity to innovate.

This paper provides a summary of the results obtained from three regional needs assessments of Capacity Development (CD) initiatives undertaken by the Tropical Agriculture Platform (TAP) and its partners. The surveyed tropical regions were Southeast Asia, Central America and Sub-Saharan Africa. The findings reveal a mismatch in all three regions between the external supply of primarily individual CD and the actual demand for institutional CD.

This publication represents a synthesis of assessments of national agricultural innovation systems in countries of Central Asia, South Caucasus and Turkey.

The Research and Extension Unit provided key inputs in the researching and writing of the State of Food and Agriculture 2014. The report analyses family farms and the role of innovation in ensuring global food security, poverty reduction and environmental sustainability. It argues that family farms must be supported to innovate in ways that promote sustainable intensification of production and improvement in rural livelihoods.

The aim of this study is to understand the local innovation processes in South Tyrol and specifically to try to understand the constraints and opportunities for the Learning and Innovation Network for Sustainable Agriculture (LINSA), a highly sophisticated and adaptive network comprising the various stakeholders involved in apple production and marketing in the region. The last 50 years of the LINSA’s history are scrutinized, highlighting the enabling environment, the support provided by the Agriculture Knowledge and Information System (AKIS), as well as the drivers and triggers for innovation.

En 2010, un estudio se llevó a cabo para ayudar a la Subdivisión de Investigación y Extensión de la FAO de posicionarse estratégicamente para satisfacer las necesidades y demandas que surgen como consecuencia del cambio climático. El objetivo del estudio es ayudar a otras agencias nacionales y mundiales satisfacer estas necesidades. Esto dio como resultado el informe "Hacer frente a los desafíos del cambio climático y la seguridad alimentaria: el papel de las instituciones de investigación, extensión y comunicación" (Leewis y Hall, 2010).

This brochure aims to share with institutions, organizations and possible donors the activities that FAO’s Research and Extension Branch (OEKR) is developing in the field of agricultural innovation systems in family farming. It is designed as a folder with a general description of OEKR work and definitions of agricultural innovation systems and family farming.

This publication examines the current system of research and extension systems in the Cameroon and further explores options for the knowledge sharing and technology transfer.