Highlights
The 2010 Technology and Innovation Report - Enhancing Food Security
in Africa Through Science, Technology and Innovation - focuses on the
challenges of improving agricultural performance in Africa and the role
of technology and innovation in raising agricultural production and
incomes of all farmers, including smallholder farms. The report argues
that the main challenge is to strengthen the innovation capabilities of
African agricultural systems as a means of addressing poverty, improving
food security and achieving broader economic growth and development.
Technological innovation is not all composed of radical discoveries,
and much of what is relevant to African agriculture relates to the ways
incremental improvements in processes, products, inputs, or equipments
are needed to adapt existing technologies to the local environment in
ways that enhance productivity and lower costs. Such knowledge may come
through learning, research or experience, but requires certain
technological capabilities in order to be applied in the production of
products across sectors, including agriculture. From this perspective,
the Report covers the following matters:
- Key issues in the development of African agriculture
- Building innovation capabilities in Africa agriculture
- Agriculture and national food security
- Challenges and opportunities to achieve food security
- Transfer and diffusion of agricultural technology
- Technology mixes for small scale farming
The report also puts forward twelve main recommendations , including
-
Smallholder farmers need to be at the centre of policy so that
agricultural research, development and extension services meet the real
needs of small-scale farmers.
-
Policy-making capacities should be strengthened to create an enabling
environment for agricultural innovation, and to make possible some
degree of policy experimentation.
- Agricultural innovation systems need to be reinforced by focusing on
the enabling environment and linking national, regional and
international research to innovation.
- It is important to target agricultural investment by putting
resources into the physical and scientific infrastructure, linkages and
stronger extension services.
- Local agro-ecological conditions should be taken into account so
that technologies are tailored to different agro-ecological zones and
include appropriate and effective mixes both of low-, medium- and
high-tech solutions as well as traditional knowledge and modern science.
- Capacity building and international cooperation on technology
transfer and technology sharing should be reinforced.
Full
report
[PDF, 124 Pages, 1214Kb]
Table of contents
| Note |
| Preface |
| Acknowledgements |
| Table of contents |
| Explanatory notes |
| Executive summary |
 |
|
Chapter 1
KEY ISSUES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURE IN AFRICA |
|
| 1.1 |
Challenges in african
agriculture |
|
| 1.2 | Role of technology and innovation |
|
| 1.3 | Key issues |
|
| 1.4 |
Developing and disseminating
relevant technology |
|
| 1.5 |
The imperative of demand-led
approaches to agricultural development |
|
| 1.6 |
Rethinking african agriculture
from an innovation perspective |
|
| 1.7 |
Agriculture and economic
transformation of Africa |
|
| 1.8 |
Signs of success |
|
|
Chapter 2
BUILDING INNOVATION CAPABILITIES IN AFRICAN AGRICULTURE |
|
| 2.1 |
Introduction |
|
| 2.2 |
Innovation systems as a policy
tool |
|
| 2.3 |
Innovation as an interactive
process |
|
| 2.4 |
Linkages between farmers,
global networks and value chains |
|
| 2.5 |
Creating an enabling
environment for agricultural innovation |
|
| 2.6 |
The role of intellectual
property rights in small-scale farming |
|
| 2.8 |
Summary |
|
|
Chapter 3
AGRICULTURE AND NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY |
|
| 3.1 | The determinants of national food
security |
|
| 3.2 | Sources of food supply |
|
| 3.3 |
New determinants of food
security |
|
| 3.4 |
The role of agricultural trade
in food security |
|
| 3.5 |
Summary |
|
|
Chapter 4
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES TO ACHIEVE FOOD SECURITY |
|
| 4.1 | Agriculture and development: regional
comparisons |
|
| 4.2 | The green revolution: a brief
regional comparison |
|
| 4.3 | Towards a rainbow revolution in
Africa |
|
| 4.4 |
Implementing a uniquely African
green revolution |
|
| 4.5 |
Summary |
|
|
Chapter 5
TRANSFER AND DIFFUSION OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY |
|
| 5.1 | Introduction |
|
| 5.2 | Transfer of technology |
|
| 5.3 | Technology adoption |
|
| 5.4 | International cooperation: emerging
modalities in agriculture technology transfer |
|
| 5.5 | Summary |
|
|
Chapter 6
TECHNOLOGY MIXES FOR SMALL-SCALE FARMING |
|
| 6.1 | Introduction |
|
| 6.2 | Mechanical technology |
|
| 6.3 | Irrigation |
|
| 6.4 | Biological technology |
|
| 6.5 |
Fertilizers, pesticides and
tillage technologies |
|
| 6.6 |
Biotechnology |
|
| 6.7 |
Combating crop diseases |
|
| 6.8 |
Post-harvest technologies |
|
| 6.9 | Summary |
|
|
Chapter 7
Recommendations
