Agro-based technological innovation: a critical analysis of the determinants of innovation in the informal sector in Harare, Zimbabwe

Abstract

An unresolved question in innovation studies in Africa has been on why informal innovators develop technological innovations. The objective of this study was to establish the causative factors of technological innovation among the informal innovators in Harare, Zimbabwe, who manufacture de-haulers, an agricultural technology used to thresh grains. A qualitative methodology was used in the collection of empirical primary data. In-depth interviews and observations were used in collection of primary data. The study findings revealed that small-scale farmer demands and changing socio-economic and climatic conditions have stimulated innovations in the manufacture of de-haulers. The study concludes that innovation occurs as a result of demand driven synergies which occur between the rural farmer needs and the informal innovators’ skills and knowledge. This study adds to the existing knowledge base with respect to literature of informal innovationsin Africa.