The Role of Researchers and Farmers Linkage in Agricultural Innovation System: Challenges and Intervention Options in Ethiopia

Abstract

Agriculture is the backbone of Ethiopian economy. Conventional approaches to agricultural development in Ethiopia have tended to regard innovation as the result of research, and see its dissemination as linear technique limited to researchers, extension staff and farmers. This does not result in increasing agricultural production and productivity and resulted in food insecurity. However, Ethiopian agriculture is characterized by smallholders farming whose access to modern technology and basic education is very limited. This is due to many factors that are limiting sustainable agricultural development coming from loose linkage of researchers with farmers, weak institutional and technical innovation. Therefore, the main objective is to reviewed different challenges that are hindered researchers’ and farmers’ linkages and proposed alternative interventions that are improving the effectiveness linkage between different relevant agricultural actors in agricultural innovations system in Ethiopia. These linkage inhibiting factors knocked active participation of both farmers and researcher in research to bring social learning and innovation. Based on finding results of different literature reviews, six critical dimension factors that are hindering farmers participation from AIS to improve food security of household in Ethiopia. Those dimension challenge includes are researchers’ characteristics, farmers’ characteristics, researchers’ and farmers’ interaction, type of research project, research approach, and researchers’ and farmers’ benefit from interaction. Thus, policy framework that synergizes the relevant actors’ linkage in a sustainable manner should be in place to bring the intended growth and transformation in agriculture through technology and innovation as well as the agricultural extension system of the country should be revised and participating the farmers in all developmental research process. Keywords: Researchers, Farmers, Linkage, Agricultural Innovation system, Challenges, Intervention Options, Ethiopia: DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/13-9-01 Publication date: May 31 st 2022