Innovation for future agriculture

Rural Futures Conference23-24 September 2009

Mark Paine

Outline

• Technical innovation• Catalysing change• Utilising knowledge

Traditional innovation process

CommericalisationResearch Development Extension

2.5%

Innovators

Early majority 34%

Late majority 34%

- +

Early adopters 13.5%

16% Laggards

-2

Variable % of studies No. of studies

Education 74 275

Literacy 63 38

Higher social status 68 402

Larger-size businesses 67 227

Commercial orientation 71 28

Studies with +ve relationship between adoption index and other variables

(Adapted from Van den Ban and Hawkins, 1985)

Changes in agricultural innovation regimes

First Green Revolution (1950-1960)

Second Green (1980-1990)

Key technologies Plant breeding, mechanisation, fertilisers

Biotechnology, genomics

Key innovation actors Public Institutes, International Centres for Ag’Research

Multinational corporations, Universities, Public Institutes

Status of innovation Public good Private good, patents

Status of genetic resources

Common Heritage of Mankind

National Sovereignty

Geopolitical context Cold War, feed the world

Competition for world food markets

Source : (Joly, 2003)

Challenge: Technical innovation is only part of the issue

Balancing sense making perspectives

PersuasionFacts

Power

Responsibility

Efficiency

Interaction Doubt

Roles

Self organizing

Learning to learn

Dairy: The Need for a Farm Systems Focus

Stewardship and Social Responsibility

New ZealandPublic

Governments& Regulations

Consumers and Trade

FarmProduction& Resource

Use

FarmManagement

& People

The central focus is the whole farm

system

Farming Systems

Dairy farming operates in

the context of a broader

world

Farming systems interact and relate to the broader context

Challenge: Catalysing Innovation & Change

Don’t know they don’t know

Know they don’t know

Seek solutions

Best Management Practice

Don’t care

Know-how

Ability to Increase Farm Performance

Demand for knowledge

-ve

+ve

Framework for Change

Well EstablishedBest Practices

Highly equivocal knowledge of practice options

State of Knowledge

Components Systems

Scope of Practice Change

Voluntary ChangeMarket

Mechanisms Regulation

Mechanism for Practice Change

Traditional Extension

Broader historical scope of NZ Dairy Extension

Emerging areas needing high investment to establish best

practices, or be proactive to avoid regulatory control

Farmer change in

response to compliance

or regulatory controls

Farmer change in

response to commercial incentives

or penalties

Challenge: working with farmer knowledge

position represent

judge

Sensemaking

Sensemaking Sensemaking

Researching

Farming

Advising

Change: an interplay of practices

tools

methods jargon diagnose

predict

Solve-retain

Error-search

Defining rules

Experience rules

Average Policy Practitioner Perception and Expectation Scores of Practice Performance.

01234567

Farming Practice

Advising Practice

Policy Practice

Research Practice

Policy Practitioner Perceptions of Actual Practice Performance

Policy Practitioner Expectations of Ideal Practice Performance

01234567

Farming Practice

Advising Practice

Policy Practice

Research Practice

Farmer Practitioner Perceptions of Actual Practice Performance

Farmer Practitioner Expectations of Ideal Practice Performance

Average Farming Practitioner Perception and Expectation Scores

of Practice Performance.

We have a choice …

Where to from here?

Technologies speak for

themselves?

Drop in a specialist [people issues] at a critical stage in the

program?

Co-develop programs: questions about the

learning, decision making and change in at

establishment stage?

ConclusionHow can we utilise knowledge from different disciplines

to further our own domain of work?

1. Use knowledge brokers where possible

2. Use research methods that equip the practice based researcher

3. Share lessons and experiences across disciplines using a common concept of innovation