SIRA – Innovation and research system in agriculture and agri-food

Organizations and institutions play a key role in innovation processes in agriculture and food sectors. All these organizations (NGOs, farmers organizations, private firms, extension services, research, etc.) form an innovation system that produces knowledge, brings together expertise, and helps mobilize resources so that actors can innovate.

Objectives

The Sira group’s objectives are:
Characterizing innovation networks, platforms and systems by specifying their contributions to the emergence and development of innovations, and the impact these innovations have on development.
Analyzing mechanisms to support innovation (training, support and advice services, innovation platforms, etc.) and participating in the design of approaches, tools and methods to better support rural innovation dynamics.

Research topics

Organization and functioning of innovation and research systems at different levels (territorial, sectoral), in particular by analyzing the influence of research policies, innovation policies and media coverage.

The role of organizations (research, extension, famers, etc.) and modalities of collective action (networks, platforms, experimentation groups, etc.) in innovation processes: selecting innovations, providing innovation support services, managing changes of scale, analyzing the impact of innovation on development.

Mechanisms to support innovation (advisory mechanisms, R & D and intermediation organizations, etc.): improving farm advisory mechanisms, designing advisory methods to promote innovation at farm the level.

Diversity of innovations

The Sira group contributes to organizational innovations, nand to innovation, research and extention policies.

Disciplines

Involved disciplines include economics, management, sociology of innovation as well as agronomy.

Partners

Scientific partnerships: Knowledge, Technology and Innovation Group (Wageningen University, the Netherlands), CIRDES (Burkina Faso), IITA (Cameroon), CSIR (Ghana), CPDA (Brazil), Cimmyt (Mexico), FOFIFA (Madagascar).

Scientific associations: Research Network on Innovation (RRI), CGIAR network for innovation, International Farming System Association (IFSA), Société Française des Economistes Ruraux (SFER), Société d’Anthropologie des connaissances, European Seminar on Extension and Education (ESEE).

Development partnerships: Agricultural associations and organizations, value chain organizations, local authorities, advisory organizations, Civil Society Organisation, EU delegation, public and parastatal organisations, agency of United Nations.

Locations

Sira’s activities take place mainly in France, West Africa (Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana) and Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Mexico).