Mapping stakeholders’ viewpoints on innovation along a livestock value chain: a Q method application

ABSTRACT

Innovating is vital to farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, to adapt to challenges and benefit from opportunities. Stakeholders’ decisions to engage in innovation programmes are influenced by their perceptions. This article uses the Q-method application to investigate these perceptions along the swine value chain in Benin. Fifty-five statements were established with local stakeholders and then graded by 25 interviewees on an 11-grade scale. Three main discourses were identified: an optimistic discourse tied to an endogenous vision of innovation, and a pessimistic one to a top-down, exogenous vision. A third discourse highlighted more nuanced redistributive effects of innovation. Innovation platform projects, stimulating local innovation, should rest on and reinforce the first optimistic discourse.

KEYWORDS:

• Civil society – Participation
• Labour and livelihoods – Poverty reduction
• Economics
• Environment (built and natural) – Agriculture
• Aid – Development policies
• Sub-Saharan Africa

Acknowledgements

This work is part of the project “Professionalisation of swine value chain actors in the Ouémé and Plateau regions, Benin” funded by the Government of Belgium, through [the Académie de la Recherche de l’Enseignement Supérieur (ARES)] under grant [PRD-PFS-PII 2015].

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Funding

This work is part of the project “Professionalisation of swine value chain actors in the Ouémé and Plateau regions, Benin” funded by the Government of Belgium, through [the Académie de la Recherche de l’Enseignement Supérieur (ARES)] [grant number PRD-PFS-PII 2015].

Notes on contributors

Benoît Govoeyi

Benoit Govoeyi is a PhD student in veterinary sciences at the University of Liège. His research interests are value chain analysis and the socio-economics of innovation.

Serge G. Ahounou

Serge G. Ahounou is a PhD student and Research Assistant at the University of Abomey-Calavi (DPSA/EPAC/UAC). His research interests are animal productions, animal health, and agricultural farming management.

Pascal S. Kiki

Pascal S. Kiki is a PhD student at the University of Abomey Calavi (DPSA/EPAC/UAC). His research interests are animal productions and animal health.

Ignace O. Dotché

Ignace O. Dotche is a PhD student at the University of Abomey Calavi (DPSA/EPAC/UAC). His research interests are animal productions and animal health.

Nassim Moula

Nassim Moula is a Research Assistant at the University of Liège. His research interests are sustainable animal production, animal genetic resources and selection, animal nutrition (poultry, pig and rabbit) and the socio-economics of breeding.

Issaka Youssao Abdou Karim

Issaka Youssao Abdou Karim is a Professor in Livestock at the University of Abomey-Calavi and a Director of LBATV (Laboratoire de biotechnologie animale et de technologie des viandes). His research interests are animal productions, animal biotechnology, the technology of meat, and animal genetic resources improvement.

Nicolas Antoine-Moussiaux

Nicolas Antoine-Moussiaux (University of Liège) is a specialist in the agricultural economics of animal health and production. His research interests are the management of animal genetic resources, development of livestock value chains, and analysis of animal health systems. Since 2011, he has collaborated with the Animal and Integrated Risk Management research unit at CIRAD, Montpellier, on the evaluation of animal health surveillance systems.