The case of Local Innovation Support Funds (LISF) under the initiative known as FAIR (Farmer Access to Innovation Resources), currently funded by Rockefeller Foundation and implemented by eight Prolinnova Country Platforms in Africa and Asia, has been highlighted in the recently launched World Bank sourcebook on Agricultural Innovation Systems. The paper “Providing farmers with direct access to innovation funds” by Bernard Triomphe et al can be found here.
Past efforts to strengthen agricultural research extension and education systems have not increased innovation in agriculture at the pace or the scale required by the intensifying challenges confronting agriculture today. Experience indicates that, aside from a strong capacity in R&D, the ability to innovate is often related to collective action and coordination, exchange of knowledge among diverse actors, and incentives and resources available to form partnerships and develop business. The sourcebook describes the additional and complementary interventions needed for an effective agricultural innovation system.