Innovation Support Funds for Farmer-led Research and Development

In 2004, nine country programs involved in PROLINNOVA (Promoting Local Innovation in ecologically-oriented agriculture and natural resource management) considered how local innovation could be enhanced. The PROLINNOVA partners (national NGOs and...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Water-Bayer, Ann, van Veldhuizen, Laurens, Wongtschowski, Mariana, Killough, Scott
Language:English
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2005/10/6421744/innovation-support-funds-farmer-led-research-development
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/10749
Description
Summary:In 2004, nine country programs involved in PROLINNOVA (Promoting Local Innovation in ecologically-oriented agriculture and natural resource management) considered how local innovation could be enhanced. The PROLINNOVA partners (national NGOs and government institutions of research, extension and education) saw a need for flexible funding mechanisms to support farmer-led participatory research and development (R&D) processes. They developed the concept of locally controlled "Innovation Support Funds" (ISFs) that would allow farmers to invest in their own research, to hire external resource persons to support it, to access external information, and to conduct cross visits. The note explores the ISF concept, and describes how PROLINNOVA partners envisage their operation.