Farmer-centered ecological intensification: Using innovation characteristics to identify barriers and opportunities for a transition of agroecosystems towards sustainability

Kernecker, Maria L.; Seufert, Verena; Chapman, Mollie

doi:10.1016/j.agsy.2021.103142

Cited by 32 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 95 publications

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“…Combining this framework as a basis for future scaling investigations, particularly ex-post investigations, will also help build nuanced understanding around farmer decision making and inertia that forms elements of many proposed scaling frameworks (e.g. Wigboldus et al, 2016 ; Sartas et al, 2020 ; Kernecker et al, 2021 ). This could be particularly powerful when paired with in depth qualitative explorations of farmer decision making (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such adaptions are also important in the context of the recent drive to prioritise mechanisation and scaling studies in the literature to overcome the empirical vacuum created after failed state-led mechanisation programs ( Daum and Birner, 2020 ). This adapted framework can provide a basis for exploration of various elements of other recently proposed frameworks, such to address multiple elements of the Ecological Intensification framework ( Kernecker et al, 2021 ), to assist in stage five (monitoring and evaluation) of the scaling Readiness approach ( Sartas et al, 2020 ) or even to explore areas of inertia and farmer decision making in the PROMIS framework ( Wigboldus et al, 2016 ). The framework also supports the exploration of Adoption pathway analysis ( Montes de Oca Munguia et al, 2021 ) to quantify beyond binary adoption and could be used as an additional tool to support ADOPT ( Kuehne et al, 2017 ) implementation though deeper segmentation of different types of adoption and non-adoption.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Visualising adoption processes through a stepwise framework: A case study of mechanisation on the Nepal Terai

Brown¹,

Paudel²,

Krupnik

2021

Agricultural Systems

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CONTEXT The desire for agricultural mechanisation is mainstreaming across the Global South, yet there are limited tools through which to monitor and estimate progress made in pursuit of this. Despite Nepal enacting an agricultural development agenda focused on mechanisation to address issues of productivity, labour scarcity, inclusive economic growth and sustainability, it remains one of the few places in South Asia that is yet to see substantial agricultural mechanisation rates. We use this scenario as a case study to propose and investigate adoption processes. OBJECTIVE This research aims to provide a baseline to understand progress made towards Agri-mechanisation on the Nepal Terai. Despite decades of promotional efforts, there are only limited comprehensive analyses of the status of agricultural mechanisation in Nepal that cover diverse machinery and go beyond binary adoption estimates, nor a framework to understand different types of (non-)adopters. METHODS The applied non-binary ‘Stepwise Process of Mechanisation’ framework provides a systematic process for investigation of the status of agricultural mechanisation on the Nepal Terai. This framework is applied to representative survey data from 14 districts across 1569 households from Nepal's Plains (Terai) region. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that decades of activity have not yet led to the substantial closure of exposure gaps, nor sufficient ownership of machines that enables accessible fee-for-hire service provision. Exposure gaps were substantial in all machines, meaning current demonstration programs may not be achieving their targeted outcomes. Across nearly all machinery, a primary reason for limited progression to sustained adoption was a lack of service providers, a manifestation of limited machinery ownership, meaning current broad subsidy programs aimed at procurement may not be achieving intended outcomes. However, substantial pools of potential adopters and concentration of supply-side constraints highlight that with targeted intervention, rapid rural mechanisation is possible in the near future on the Nepal Terai. SIGNIFICANCE This research provides a foundation on which to understand the progress made towards small holder agricultural mechanisation. For the first time in South Asia, a systematic analysis through a novel stepwise framework has clarified and updated the status of agricultural mechanisation on the Nepal Terai. This work also lays the foundation for future work to explore the drivers, implications and inclusiveness of agri-mechanisation, utilising the identified typologies, both in Nepal and more broadly where increased nuance in understanding the status of agricultural mechanisation is warranted.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visualising adoption processes through a stepwise framework: A case study of mechanisation on the Nepal Terai

Brown¹,

Paudel²,

Krupnik

2021

Agricultural Systems

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“…The monograph studies on existing coupled innovations (see 4.1.1) focus on one or a few cases to unveil specific processes in agricultural innovation systems Kernecker et al, 2021;Kilelu et al, 2013;Klerkx et al, 2010;Schiller et al, 2019), innovation niches (Bui et al, 2016) or specific innovation types (Compagnone, 2019;Lucas et al, 2018). On the contrary, 'tracking down coupled innovation' gives an overview of the different innovation types across a large sample of coupled innovations, the different combinations of sociotechnical levers, the function they perform to overcome the barriers to the change in practice, and their (diverse) conditions for a successful implementation.…”

Section: A Methodology Complementary To Existing Onesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…ACP is based on a reasoning of agroecological cropping practices which aims to "promote the ecological functioning of agroecosystems by directly or indirectly optimizing interactions between living communities (plant, animal and microbial) both in and above the ground", mainly using preventive and non-synthetic methods (Deguine et al, 2020;Wezel et al, 2014). However, scholars have recently shown that IPM and ACP were not scaling up, due to a web of interconnected barriers which lock the current agricultural systems around the conventional farming model and conventional value chains (Boulestreau et al, 2021;Cowan and Gunby, 1996;Della Rossa et al, 2020;Kernecker et al, 2021;Meynard et al, 2018;Schiller et al, 2019;Vanloqueren and Baret, 2009). For example, long-distance trade, standardization of food quality, low prices, and reliance of agricultural systems on synthetic pesticides and fertilizers are mutually reinforcing one another.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To support the agrifood system's transition, multiple studies have analyzed (i) the trajectories of change of farmer practices to gain knowledge on the barriers and levers that favor change (Chantre and Cardona, 2014;Lambrecht et al, 2014;Mawois et al, 2019;Montes de Oca Munguia et al, 2021), and (ii) entry point for innovation in the agrifood system and its agricultural innovation subsystem (Boulestreau et al, 2021;Della Rossa et al, 2020;Kernecker et al, 2021;Probst et al, 2012;Schiller et al, 2020;Schut et al, 2015;Vanloqueren and Baret, 2009). Besides, monograph analyses of innovations in agricultural contexts gave insights on how intermediaries support the innovation Kilelu et al, 2013;Kivimaa et al, 2019;Lamers et al, 2017;Leeuwis, 2013), how innovation niches emerge, and how they interact with the regime and scale-up (Belmin et al, 2018;Bui et al, 2016;Gaitán-Cremaschi et al, 2020;Klerkx et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tracking down coupled innovations supporting agroecological vegetable crop protection to foster sustainability transition of agrifood systems

Boulestreau

Peyras

Casagrande

et al. 2022

Agricultural Systems

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1. CONTEXT: High pesticide use causes environmental and human health hazards. Yet, the change to alternative crop protection practices faces a web of interacting barriers that results in a sociotechnical lock-in. Designing "coupled innovation" has been proposed by agricultural scientists to overcome the barriers that prevent change in practices. Coupled innovations consist of developing jointly innovations both at the farm and the agrifood system level to overcome the lock-in. OBJECTIVE:In this study, we aim at characterizing how existing coupled innovations foster the implementation of agroecological crop protection in French vegetable systems. 3. METHODS: 'Tracking down coupled innovation' method consisted of six steps: (i) identification of the existing coupled innovations in vegetable systems across France; (ii) interview of their stakeholders; (iii) identification, based on the interviews and an analytical framework, of the sociotechnical levers involved in the coupled innovations and the functions the levers perform to foster agroecological crop protection; (iv) characterization of the conditions for the coupled innovation implementation based on 20 categorical variables;(v) typology of the innovations based on the lever functions they performed, using a multiple correspondence analysis followed by hierarchical cluster analysis on principal components;(vi) comprehensive analysis of one typical innovation per cluster, to understand in-depth how it was implemented. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS:We identified 40 coupled innovations, 17 sociotechnical lever functions and 5 consistent clusters of coupled innovations each implementing a specific combination of lever functions. The five clusters consist of: (1) co-developing and diffusing new inputs and related knowledge through specific knowledge infrastructure, (2) facilitating farmers' peer-exchange of knowledge, (3) (re)structuring the food value chain to support the implementation of agroecological crop protection, (4) pooling material and cognitive resources and (5) renting or exchanging fields to support crop diversification. Key conditions for innovation success were the support of intermediaries, a shared vision and trust between stakeholders, their active involvement, and a limited physical distance between them. The comprehensive analysis of the typical innovations illustrated, for each cluster, the complex relation between the sociotechnical levers, the functions they perform, the network involved, the ACP practices implemented and the conditions for successful implementation. 5. SIGNIFICANCE: Tracking down coupled innovation produced knowledge that can support the coupled innovation design in other contexts, hence the sustainability transition of the agrifood systems. It can complement the study of innovative farmers' practices with capitalizing knowledge on the means to overcome barriers to the implementation of these practices.

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Welfare enhancement or environment improvement: How does China's rural revitalization assistance policy work? Evidence from China

Huang,

Zhao,

Zhuang

2024

Land Degrad Dev

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In the context of sustainable development, the greatest challenge facing society today is to improve welfare of the disadvantaged while preserving the environment. This paper constructed a theoretical framework of “policy‐welfare‐environment,” explored the effects in terms of individual welfare enhancement and village environment improvement, and conduct empirical tests on a sample of 1208 rural households in China. The results show that: (1) The assistance policy can significantly improve the overall welfare of the disadvantaged groups, and meanwhile, it can improve different dimensions of welfare, with the degree from high to low was a social opportunity, spiritual feeling, and economic situation. (2) The assistance policy can increase the probability of adopting environmental protection behavior, which in turn can significantly improve the village environment. (3) Welfare improvements in social opportunities mediate between the assistance policy and village environment improvements, while improvements in spiritual feelings and economic status do not. In addition, there is age heterogeneity in the welfare enhancement effect of the policy in the economic status dimension and the spiritual feeling dimension. The conclusions provide valuable policy enlightenment for assistance policy formulation and environmental governance, and can protect the ecological environment while improving public welfare, which is in line with the trend of sustainable development.

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Farmer-centered ecological intensification: Using innovation characteristics to identify barriers and opportunities for a transition of agroecosystems towards sustainability

Cited by 32 publications

References 95 publications

Visualising adoption processes through a stepwise framework: A case study of mechanisation on the Nepal Terai

Visualising adoption processes through a stepwise framework: A case study of mechanisation on the Nepal Terai

Tracking down coupled innovations supporting agroecological vegetable crop protection to foster sustainability transition of agrifood systems

Welfare enhancement or environment improvement: How does China's rural revitalization assistance policy work? Evidence from China

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