Platform, Participation, and Power: How Dominant and Minority Stakeholders Shape Agricultural Innovation

Colleen M. Eidt,Laxmi P. Pant,Gordon M. Hickey

doi:10.3390/su12020461

Abstract

Within agricultural innovation systems (AIS), various stakeholder groups inevitably interpret ‘innovation’ from their own vantage point of privilege and power. In rural developing areas where small-scale and subsistence farming systems support livelihoods, dominant policy actors often focus heavily on participatory modernization and commercialization initiatives to enhance productivity, access, and quality. However, existing social hierarchies may undermine the potential of such initiatives to promote inclusive and sustainable farmer-driven innovation. Focusing on the chronically food insecure smallholder agricultural systems operating in Yatta Sub-county, Eastern Kenya, this paper explores how power dynamics between stakeholders can influence, and can be influenced by, participatory agricultural innovation initiatives. Findings suggest that there are often significant disparities in access to, and control over, platform resources between smallholder farmers and other stakeholder groups, resulting in large asymmetries. We discuss how these power dynamics may increase the risk of agricultural intervention, further marginalizing already disempowered groups and reinforcing power hierarchies to the detriment of smallholders. This study highlights the need for a deeper understanding of the institutional contexts that facilitate and maintain relationships of power within agricultural innovation systems, as well as the complexities associated with promoting transformational agricultural innovation.

Highlights

Agricultural innovation is a complex and dynamic process, involving multiple actors situated within diverse organizational, institutional, and social contexts [1,2]
Given our focus on better understanding smallholder participation in agricultural innovation platforms, we present our results around the farmers, elaborating on the interactions and attributes of other stakeholders as they pertain to smallholder participation and empowerment
We combine our results with a discussion of their implications for enhancing participatory agricultural innovation initiatives in smallholder and subsistence farming systems

Summary

Introduction

Agricultural innovation is a complex and dynamic process, involving multiple actors situated within diverse organizational, institutional, and social contexts [1,2]. A particular area of focus is how stakeholders ( referred to as actors) interact with each other and their surroundings to co-create and direct innovation [2]. This has led to the identification of “innovation intermediaries” or “brokers”, that can facilitate negotiations across hierarchies and help break down barriers to the participation of small-scale farmers in platforms [9,10,11,12,13]. Within smallholder and subsistence farming systems, innovation platforms are generally created through agricultural development initiatives, utilizing participatory and inclusive approaches in order to develop locally appropriate technologies [21] and ensure the equitable participation of all relevant stakeholder groups [22,23]

Methods

Results

Conclusion