1C1KKTs

At each phase in the innovation process, the role of the participants is likely to change, in the
case of local participants, from one of interest to active collaboration and finally ownership
and leadership. At the same time the role of research and development organisations
needs to change from initial leadership to facilitation of the process and finally to providing
backstopping, when and as required. The role of the private sector is likely to mirror that of
local participants in changing from interest to one of active collaboration and finally farmer
support and commercial opportunity.
Interventions can occur in any of the three phases, key ones being shown in Box 3. Activities
associated with each phase include:
Box 3: Typical interventions at each phase of the Innovation process
Phase 1: Engagement with stakeholders
• Building and supporting partnerships
• Creating common vision, trust and awareness raising
• Building capacity to understand problems and identify opportunity
• Developing attitudes, practices and incentives
Phase 2: Planning, learning and assessing
• Assessing input and output markets, value-chain analysis
• Developing actions plans for systems improvement, value addition and market opportunity
• Agreeing partner roles
• Innovation research and development
• Learning, assessing performance and capacity development
• Enhancing collaboration across actors and sectors
Phase 3: Ensuring sustainability
• Setting in place new innovations (products, technologies, management practices, institutions,
marketing and policies)
• Ensuring ownership by local participants
• Maintaining agility and ability to identify new opportunities,
• Providing backstopping as required.
16 Agricultural Innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa