Managing complexity and uncertainty in agricultural innovation through adaptive project design and implementation

ABSTRACT

The recent shift towards agricultural innovation systems recognises that agricultural development is complex and must involve multiple actors. This makes innovation through a project framework inherently challenging. This article draws lessons from a project that fostered post-harvest innovations in Uganda. First, a two-stage design allowed scoping out business cases with partners to identify potential innovations. Second, stakeholders used the Participatory Market Chain Approach (PMCA) to flexibly develop the innovations. Third, flexible funding made it possible to seize new opportunities along the way. Fourth, the project was attentive to surprises in implementation and encouraged reflection.

KEYWORDS:

• Environment (built and natural) – Agriculture
• Aid – Aid effectiveness
• Methods
• sub-Saharan Africa

Acknowledgements

The ENDURE (Expanding Utilization of RTB and Reducing Their Postharvest Losses) sub-project teams were led by Adebayo Abass (IITA - cassava), Gerald Kyalo (CIP - sweetpotato), and Monica Parker (CIP - potato), while Netsayi Mudege (CIP) contributed to mainstream gender in the project. ENDURE’s Steering Committee included Dietmar Stoian (Bioversity International), Abass Adebayo (IITA), Dominique Dufour (CIAT/CIRAD) and Simon Heck (CIP). Doug Horton commented on a previous version of this paper. We thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments. Cecilia Lafosse drew the map in Figure 1. This research was undertaken as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas (RTB).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

ENDURE was generously supported by the European Commission through the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) as part of its 2013 allocation to the CGIAR.

Notes on contributors

Jeffery W. Bentley

Jeffery W. Bentley is an agricultural anthropologist, and the regional coordinator for Latin America for Access Agriculture.

Diego Naziri

Diego Naziri is a value chain and post-harvest specialist at the International Potato Center (CIP) and Senior Research Fellow at the Natural Resources Institute of the University of Greenwich. He coordinated the ENDURE project in Uganda.

Gordon Prain

Gordon Prain was the leader of the Social and Nutrition Sciences Division at the International Potato Center (CIP) when the ENDURE project was launched and has been a member of the ENDURE advisory group since its inception.

Enoch Kikulwe

Enoch Kikulwe is an agricultural economist at Alliance of Bioversity International and International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). He headed the banana sub-project of ENDURE.

Sarah Mayanja

Sarah Mayanja is a Research Associate at the International Potato Center (CIP), and a PhD Fellow at the Uganda Martyrs University. She was the Deputy Project Leader of ENDURE.

André Devaux

André Devaux is an agronomist at the International Potato Center (CIP), where he is Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. He helped to guide the PMCA focus for ENDURE.

Graham Thiele

Graham Thiele is the Director of the CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas (RTB). He led the development of ENDURE.