Capacity development for agriculture innovation: A practitioners’ guidebook to a systems approach

Capacity development for agriculture innovation: A practitioners’ guidebook to a systems approach

Who we are

The Project: This project was a collaboration under the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy among Michigan State University (MSU), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Wageningen University and Research (WUR), University of Florida (UFL), the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM), and USAID’s Bureau for Food Security

The Project Team: David Spielman, Nina de Roo, Jan Brouwers, Kurt Richter, Jia Yi Ye, Domenico Dentoni, Rebecca Williams, Sandra Russo, Suresh Babu, Namita Paul, Nienke Beintema, William Heinrich, John Bonnell, and Elias Zerfu

The Support: We thank Jessica Bagdonis and Clara Cohen at USAID; Zeleke Mekuriaw and Saskia Hendrickx at the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems; Mark Lawrence, Harrison Karisa, Julius Nukpezah, Joe Steensma, and Elin Torell at the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish; Jurgen Hagmann, Jeffrey Ried, Yvonne Pinto, and Doug Horton, our beta-testers of this site; and Nahume Yadene, Kwaw Andam, Indira Yerramareddy, Mulugeta Bayeh, Jamed Falik, Tracy Brown, and Arpan Dahal at IFPRI

  • Home
    • Why this guidebook now?
    • Who should use this guidebook and why?
    • What’s in this guidebook?
    • Guiding principles and values
  • Rationale
    • Definition: agricultural innovation system
    • Terms and terminology
    • A “new” approach to capacity development
    • An innovation systems approach
  • The process
    • Who participates in the process?
    • Who can facilitate the process?
    • Where is an innovation systems approach to capacity development useful?
    • How does this process work?
    • Elements in the process
  • Element 1 Mapping and engagement
    • Outputs and outcomes from mapping & engagement
    • 1.1 Broadly identify the problem of interest
    • 1.2 Reality check: What kind of problem is it?
    • 1.3 Broadly define system boundaries
    • 1.4 Identify key system domains and attributes
    • 1.5 Define key actors in the system
    • 1.6 Identify relationships across the system
    • 1.7 Describe the enabling environment
    • 1.8 Reality check: Is the system basically understood?
    • 1.9 Engage with stakeholders
    • 1.10 Reflect on mapping and engagement
  • Element 2 Analysis and refinement
    • Outputs and outcomes from analysis and refinement
    • 2.1 Identify root causes of the problem
    • 2.2 Create and refine the problem statement
    • 2.3 Reality check: Is capacity development the answer?
    • 2.4 Design an analysis of current capacities
    • 2.5 Select a focus for capacity analysis
    • 2.6 Prioritize capacity development
    • 2.7 Reflect on analysis and refinement
    • 2.8 Reflect on process and progress
  • Element 3 Co-creation and monitoring
    • Outputs and outcomes from co-creation and monitoring
    • 3.1 Identify entry points into design
    • 3.2 Build a theory of change
    • 3.3 Identify innovative capacity needs
    • 3.4 Consider the time dimensions of capacity development
    • 3.5 Reality check: Is there support for this process?
    • 3.6 Select appropriate tools
    • 3.7 Build ownership among system actors
    • 3.8 Design a broad M&E strategy
    • 3.9 Select a monitoring system that fits
    • 3.10 Choose an evaluation strategy that fits
    • 3.11 Reflect: Is there potential for success?
  • Case studies and other material
A handful of pigeon peas
  • Home
    • Why this guidebook now?
    • Who should use this guidebook and why?
    • What’s in this guidebook?
    • Guiding principles and values
  • Rationale
    • Definition: agricultural innovation system
    • Terms and terminology
    • A “new” approach to capacity development
    • An innovation systems approach
  • The process
    • Who participates in the process?
    • Who can facilitate the process?
    • Where is an innovation systems approach to capacity development useful?
    • How does this process work?
    • Elements in the process
  • Element 1 Mapping and engagement
    • Outputs and outcomes from mapping & engagement
    • 1.1 Broadly identify the problem of interest
    • 1.2 Reality check: What kind of problem is it?
    • 1.3 Broadly define system boundaries
    • 1.4 Identify key system domains and attributes
    • 1.5 Define key actors in the system
    • 1.6 Identify relationships across the system
    • 1.7 Describe the enabling environment
    • 1.8 Reality check: Is the system basically understood?
    • 1.9 Engage with stakeholders
    • 1.10 Reflect on mapping and engagement
  • Element 2 Analysis and refinement
    • Outputs and outcomes from analysis and refinement
    • 2.1 Identify root causes of the problem
    • 2.2 Create and refine the problem statement
    • 2.3 Reality check: Is capacity development the answer?
    • 2.4 Design an analysis of current capacities
    • 2.5 Select a focus for capacity analysis
    • 2.6 Prioritize capacity development
    • 2.7 Reflect on analysis and refinement
    • 2.8 Reflect on process and progress
  • Element 3 Co-creation and monitoring
    • Outputs and outcomes from co-creation and monitoring
    • 3.1 Identify entry points into design
    • 3.2 Build a theory of change
    • 3.3 Identify innovative capacity needs
    • 3.4 Consider the time dimensions of capacity development
    • 3.5 Reality check: Is there support for this process?
    • 3.6 Select appropriate tools
    • 3.7 Build ownership among system actors
    • 3.8 Design a broad M&E strategy
    • 3.9 Select a monitoring system that fits
    • 3.10 Choose an evaluation strategy that fits
    • 3.11 Reflect: Is there potential for success?
  • Case studies and other material

Case studies and other material

Case studies that describe elements of the capacity development process from an innovation systems perspective, highlighting pilot engagements designed to test the systems approach to capacity development with selected Feed the Future Innovation Labs.

  • Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems: Ethiopia (pdf)
  • Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish: Nigeria (pdf)

Additional materials that are useful to sharing the agricultural systems approach to capacity development.

  • At a glance: A systems approach to capacity development for agriculture innovation (pptx)
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