Construction of Sustainable Frugal Innovations Index for the Agriculture Sector

Abstract

The proliferation of agriculture innovations require stakeholders to have an accurate measurement scale to screen and select the best inventions for returns maximisation. Agriculture has evolved to become a scientific business hence the need for scientific measurements of agro-innovations and their consequences.The concepts of sustainability and frugality, hence sustainable frugal innovations are trending themes in agriculture. High quality scientific measures of these innovations remain scarce. The purpose of this study has been to develop a Sustainable Frugal Innovations index for use in the agriculture sector. A data collection instrument derived from sustainability and frugality constructs was developed and administered to 450 Agriculture experts across Zimbabwe. Twenty-five (25) constructs were extracted through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), validated and analysed, culminating in a composite Sustainable Frugal Innovation Index. Contribution/Originality:This study originates a new index to measure the sustainability and frugality of agriculture-oriented innovations. The index guides innovations design thinkers to be sensitive to sustainability and frugality issues while helping users in making adoption choices.

The evaluation and optimization of the agricultural sustainable development based on a data-driven approach: A case from Northern Anhui

“…In terms of assessing the level of agricultural sustainability, Kaveri Ashok et al utilized the SAFARI model to scrutinize India's agricultural landscape, proposing strategies to achieve an adequate and sustainable food supply while evaluating the corresponding impacts on energy conservation and greenhouse gas emission reduction [ 32 ]. Moreover, extant literature predominantly focuses on specific index measurements, such as the Agricultural Sustainable Conservation and Innovation Index [ 33 ], the measurement of agricultural ecological efficiency levels [ 34 ], and composite indices of agriculture [ 35 ]. However, consensus remains elusive regarding the selection of indicators to comprehensively ascertain agricultural sustainability [ 36 ].…”

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“…Under different names, sustainable frugal innovations have been applied in agriculture in recent years. The term sustainable frugal innovation is still new (Nhokovedzo, 2021) but some agriculture innovations in use exhibit the features of sustainable frugal innovations. Some of the commonly used names are sustainable agriculture, smart agriculture technologies, alternative agriculture technologies and conservation farming (Krishnan, Banga and Mendez-Parra, 2020).…”