Summary of the 28 winning projects from the 2006 edition of CASDAR’s call for innovation and partnership projects

CASDAR’s 2006 call for projects must be viewed in context: the recent reform of agricultural and rural development governance, the 2006 Agricultural Modernisation Act, alongside the launch of the National Agricultural and Rural Development Plan and the creation of Joint Technology Units and Joint Technology Networks, as well as the establishment of the National Research Agency. The stated objectives were to promote agricultural innovation, to foster partnerships between development and research stakeholders, and to provide support for public policies in response to the societal challenges facing agriculture. The themes covered included sustainable farm management, production for new markets, and the sustainable development of rural areas. Among the winning projects, only 20 per cent involved disruptive innovations, with the remainder focusing more on innovations that replace existing practices or improve the efficiency of current systems. Most projects were built around rich and diverse partnerships, with 40 per cent of projects bringing together three or four main types of partner. Technical institutes and chambers of agriculture dominate, with research playing a lesser role. In many cases, the partnership dynamics continue in other forms after the project has ended. The project outputs consist of an assessment of the current situation, databases, the development of technical pathways or innovative strategies, decision-support tools and training materials. Environmental issues predominate, as do those relating to the control of production processes. A few emerging themes are apparent, whilst others are conspicuously absent. The projects often reflect a conception of innovation driven by supply rather than demand. Despite the widely stated imperative of competitiveness, economics features little as a discipline, as does sociology. The state of the art in the subject area under consideration, particularly at international level, often leaves much to be desired.