tpo_dossier_action-plan-for-innovation-and-learning_201406

91.3.The importance of overall policy for creating the rightenvironment is key. Just because the policy framework,the research funding conditions and the hierarchyof decision making are all made at ‘the top’, the resultdoes not have to be linear, top-down structures andstultifying bureaucracy.For example, the meso-level of municipalities, citiesand regions are increasingly becoming important playersin promoting innovation in the food & farming sector.Many alternative food networks have steadily gainedground with support from local public authorities. Manymunicipalities use their public procurement policy(e.g. for schools and hospitals) to support regional andorganic producers and simultaneously deliver theirown health and education policies, and boost the localeconomy.In fact, many of these innovations were onlysupported by the municipalities after they had beenlaunched and had demonstrated they were successful,or the social pressure became too much to ignore.However, they at least had the freedom and the visionto take action when they felt able, and then to supportfurther innovation and development.So, the systems approach to innovation is fostered byboth a favourable policy environment, and conditionson the ground that facilitate information sharing andmutual respect. These two influences together canunlock creativity and foster cooperation.LEARNING AND INNOVATIONIN ORGANIC ANDAGROECOLOGICAL FARMINGLearning and innovation in organic and agroecologicalfarming happen through the whole farming system andfood chain, in rural society generally. There are numerousand inspiring examples. These are sometimes because of,and sometimes in spite of, relevant policies and support.The quality of innovation they demonstrate and theirsheer variety are testament, not only to the ingenuityand boldness of those involved (sometimes forcedinto self-reliance by the lack of institutional supportafforded to agroecological and organic farming), butalso to the creativity and open mindedness fostered byagroecological and organic approaches.It is through these examples that we set out ablueprint for learning and innovation in organic andagroecological farming. This section, therefore, will covera wide range of innovative methodologies for learning,stakeholder participation, research and innovation thathave been developed around the world. More detailedinformation on many of these various examples can befound in the next chapter.Applying agroecological principles to learning leadsto methodologies where the main focus is in exchangingknowledge between involved stakeholders. Therefore,those methodologies are going to vary depending onwhere and with whom the learning experience is held.These interactions can be classified into four broadareas, though there is considerable overlap:• Self-help• Extension• Research• Education1.3.1 Self-helpNormal extension activities involve advisors orother ‘experts’ visiting a farm or organising a course todispense their knowledge to the farmers concerned.In developing countries, there are few advisors, andsometimes no extension infrastructure at all. Wherethere is, it is often associated with aid-financed, exportorientedproduction, wholesale changes of cropping,agrochemical usage and the accompanying burden oftied contracts and deepening debt cycles as soil fertilitydrops and/or prices drop. But mostly, the farmers are leftto their own devices to sink or swim. In the global North,most extension activity is geared towards larger farms,and smaller farms tend to be ignored.It is therefore amongst smaller farmers, in both theglobal South and North, that the most innovative meansof extension have emerged, founded on self-help andthe resourcefulness of the farmers themselves. Actuallymuch early development of organic farming in Europewas based on self-help and in many countries farmernetworks are still an important motor for this, e.g. Biolandin Germany or AIAB in Italy. Below are three types of selfhelpmodels that have developed where there has beenno extension infrastructure to help farmers with theproblems they encounter.