RAAKS: multi-stakeholder learning in agricultural innovation systems

Key Reading

• Case studies of the application of RAAKS
• Learning resources for RAAKS
• KIT resources
• Websites
• References

Case studies of the application of RAAKS

• Engel (1997) uses a large number of case studies and synthesis studies to validate and illustrate the practical use of RAAKS, including: a. studies of peasant technology in Colombia; b. knowledge and information use by farm advisers in the Netherlands; c. the horse sector of the Netherlands; d. the impact of interinstitutional co-ordination in Colombia; e. effective linkage strategies in Colombia, the Philippines, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Tanzania, and the Dominican Republic; f. networking among non-governmental development organizations in Peru, West Africa, and India; g. a RAAKS evaluation study in Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras). See Box 4 on page 16 of Engel (1997).
• Hulsebosch (2001) used RAAKS in combination with PRA tools for capacity building of community-based organizations in an integrated rural development programme in Mali. A detailed discussion of the methodology is included.
• Bhavana Rao and Misra (2010) combined RAAKS with Systems Thinking to develop a methodology for balancing livestock-based livelihoods, natural-resources management, and development in India.
• Carvalho (2006) used RAAKS to investigate knowledge flows within the industrial shoe cluster of Sinos Valley, Brazil. One of the conclusions is that RAAKS and its participatory approach could have helped in avoiding the crisis that took place in the late 1980s.
• Teverson (2003) identified sources, channels, and use of agricultural information by farm households, using a modified version of the RAAKS methodology. This was part of a project to develop and promote the best disease resistant and farmer acceptable bean varieties to poor farmers, in a participatory manner, through appropriate seed uptake pathways in the southern highlands of Tanzania.
• Karbo and Bruce (undated) applied RAAKS to extensionists and development workers in Northern Ghana to identify the constraints and opportunities for increasing pig and poultry production. The exercise was limited to analysing actors, knowledge networks and communication and yielded valuable information.
• Kuiper e.a. (1996) used RAAKS to: i) develop and implement a set of improved management strategies and techniques that can reduce the aggravating effects of irrigation on waterlogging and salinity in Pakistan; ii) to expand the institutional capacity to effectively manage the solutions; and iii) to maximize the role of farmers and rural communities in irrigation management for increasing agricultural production.
• Ordinola, Bernet, and Manrique (2007) The RAAKS-based Participatory Market Chain Approach (PMCA) ws used to involve all the stakeholders to generate innovations to improve potato competitiveness. As a result of this work, the T’ikapapa (meaning 'potato flower' in Quechua) product has been developed. T’ikapapa is the first commercial brand supporting the sale of native potatoes under strict quality standards.
• Pontius, Dilts, & Bartlett (2001) indicate that an approach such as RAAKS and its underlying principles of social learning have helped those involved in the Farmer Field School Movement to understand what they were doing and why they should continue doing it. Farmer Field Schools and Integrated Pest Management in South-East Asian rice are not really cases of the application of RAAKS, but the principles are the same. Similar observations are made by Hall (2007), when he remarks that RAAKS never really received the attention it deserved. Hall is co-ordinator of LINK (Learning, INnovation and Knowledge), which is a specialized United Nations University organization that focuses on policy aspects of rural and agricultural innovation in developing countries.
• Studies involving the use of RAAKS by KIT staff are presented on the KIT's involvement page of this RAAKS dossier.

Learning resources for RAAKS

• The full series of lectures for the PhD Course 'UNU-MERIT 1.4 - Knowledge for Development' by Dr. Engel (undated) of the Maastricht Economic and Social Research and Training Centre on Innovation and Technology is presented as open courseware, including the syllabus, video recordings, slideshows, and recommended reading.
• Engel (1997a) describes the practical aspects of RAAKS and indicates under what circumstances RAAKS can provide practical solutions to agricultural innovation problems.
• Salomon & Engel (1997) explain in considerable detail how to prepare and conduct RAAKS action research. Exercises that RAAKS teams and trainers can use for team building and as a first introduction to RAAKS are included.
• Pretty & Vodouhe (1997) provide an overview of participatory action and learning tools that can be used in rural development in developing countries.
• Keijzer (2006) compares RAAKS with a number of similar tools.
• The two documents on the development of PMCA (Participatory Market Chain Approach) by Bernet, Devaux, Ortiz, & Thiele (2005) and by Bernet, Thiele, & Zschocke (2006) explain how and why PMCA evolved from the RAAKS approach.

KIT resources

• The KIT Information Portal on Rural Innovation Systems provides access to free, full-text electronic documents on Rural Innovation Systems (RIS), both as an analytical concept and a development tool. It is also a unique entry point for all other Internet sources on RIS, including newsletters, discussion groups, websites, bibliographic databases, and directories of organizations and projects.
• Studies involving the use of RAAKS by KIT staff are presented on the KIT's involvement page of this RAAKS dossier.
• The RAAKS dossier is one of a family of dossiers that is part of the KIT information portal on Rural Innovation Systems (RIS), which contains hundreds of free web resources on the subject. Other RIS dossiers discuss the application of the Rural Innovation Systems (RIS) approach for outsourcing agricultural advisory services and for enhancing the poorest farmers’ access to agricultural advisory services (research, training, advice, and extension). The remaining dossiers concern the development of an effective policy environment for rural innovation and an introduction to RIS. The portal site map helps you navigate both the RIS portal and its associated dossiers.

Websites

• ARD(Agriculture and Rural Development department), World Bank
• IFPRI (International Food Policy Research Institute)
• Farmer First Revisited workshop
• ILAC - Institutional Learning & Change Initiative
• Innovation Africa Symposium
• Knowledge for Development
• LINK - Learning INnovation Knowledge
• PROLINNOVA - PROmoting Local INNOVAtion
• Research Into Use
• Rural Innovation Systems

References

• Bernet, T., Devaux, A., Ortiz, O., & Thiele, G. (2005). Participatory market-chain approach. BeraterInnen News, 1(2005), 8–13. Retrieved from http://www.cipotato.org/papandina/incopa/update/LBL-PMCA%2005%20%28print%20version%29.pdf
• Bernet, T., Thiele, G., & Zschocke, T. (2006). Participatory market chain approach (PMCA) user guide. International potato center (IPC). Retrieved from http://www.cipotato.org/publications/pdf/003296.pdf
• Bhavana Rao, K., & and Misra, S. (2010) Building consensus and joint strategies for fodder development and resource management. South Asia pro poor livestock policy programme (SA PPLPP). Retrieved from http://sapplpp.org/goodpractices/folder-for-related-files/SAGP15-Note-WebVersion.pdf.
• Carvalho, F. (2006). Evaluating knowledge flows within industrial clusters: the case of the Sinos Valley shoe cluster in Brazil. Retrieved from http://ocw.unu.edu/maastricht-economic-and-social-research-and-training-centre-on-innovation-and-technology/knowledge-for-development/Flavia_Carvalho_P_Engel.pdf
• Checkland, P. (1981). Systems Thinking, Systems Practice. Chichester [Sussex]: J. Wiley. Retrieved from http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=ti%3ASystems+Thinking%2C+Systems+Practice+au%3Acheckland&fq=yr%3A1981..1981+%3E&qt=advanced&dblist=638
• Engel, P. G. H. (1995a). Facilitating innovation: an action-oriented approach and participatory methodology to improve innovative social practice in agriculture. Wageningen University. Retrieved from http://edepot.wur.nl/134647.
• Engel, P. G. H. (1995b). Improving network performance. ILEIA Newsletter Vol. 11 No. 2. Retrieved from http://www.metafro.be/leisa/1995/11-2-14.pdf/base_view.
• Engel, P. G. H. & Salomon, M. L. (1997). Facilitating innovation for development: a RAAKS resource box. Amsterdam: Royal Tropical Institute (KIT). Please note that the 'box' itself is not online, because it is indeed no more than a box, containing the following three resources:
  * Engel, P. G. H. (1997). The social organization of innovation: a focus on stakeholder interaction. Amsterdam: Royal Tropical Institute (KIT). Retrieved from http://www.kit.nl/extern/ils/engel_1997_innovation.pdf.
  * Salomon, M. L., & Engel, P. G. H. (1997a). Networking for innovation: a participatory actor-orientated methodology. Amsterdam: Royal Tropical Institute (KIT). Retrieved from http://www.kit.nl/smartsite.shtml?ch=KIT&id=8597.
  * Salomon, M. L., & Engel, P. G. H. (1997b). Windows and Tools. Amsterdam: Royal Tropical Institute (KIT). Retrieved from http://www.kit.nl/net/KIT_Publicaties_output/ShowFile2.aspx?e=496 (Windows) and http://www.kit.nl/net/KIT_Publicaties_output/ShowFile2.aspx?e=495 (Tools).
• Engel, P. G. H. (undated). Lecture series: knowledge for development. Retrieved from http://ocw.unu.edu/maastricht-economic-and-social-research-and-training-centre-on-innovation-and-technology/knowledge-for-development/lectures/
• Hall, A. (2007). The origins and implications of using innovation systems perspectives in the design and implementation of agricultural research projects: some personal observations. Retrieved from http://www.merit.unu.edu/publications/wppdf/2007/wp2007-013.pdf
• Hulsebosch, J. (2001). The use of RAAKS for strengthening community-based organisations in Mali. Development in Practice, 11(5). Retrieved from http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~kmacd/IDSC10/Readings/participatory%20methods/agr.pdf
• Karbo, N., & Bruce, J. (undated). Looking at pigs and poultry through RAAKS windows. ILEIA Newsletter, 13(1), 8. Retrieved from http://www.metafro.be/leisa/1997/13-1-8.pdf
• Keijzer, N. (2006). Mapping of approaches towards M&E of capacity and capacity development. Retrieved from http://www.ecdpm.org/Web_ECDPM/Web/Content/Download.nsf/0/AEBB61979593FA8DC12571860041CD8E/$FILE/Keijzer_Mapping%20of%20M%20and%20E%20to%20capacity_rev%20nk_080606.pdf#page=5
• Kuiper, D., Khan, M. A., Van Oostrum, J., Khan, M. R., Roovers, N., & ul Hassan, M. (1996). Applying Rapid Appraisla of Agricultural Knowledge Systems (RAAKS) for building interagency collaboration. IIMI. Retrieved from http://publications.iwmi.org/pdf/H_19734i.pdf
• Ordinola, M., Bernet, T., & Manrique, K. (2007). Tikapapa: Linking urban consumers and small-scale andean producers with potato biodiversity. Retrieved from http://www.cipotato.org/publications/pdf/004258.pdf
• Pontius, J., Dilts, R., & Bartlett, A. (Red.). (2001). From farmer field schools to community IPM: ten years of IPM training in Asia. Retrieved from http://www.communityipm.org/docs/10%20Years%20of%20IPM/10Years-Main.htm
• Pretty, J. N., & Vodouhe, S. D. (1997). Chapter 6 - Using rapid or participatory rural appraisal. In Improving agricultural extension: a reference manual. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/docrep/w5830E/w5830e08.htm
• Salomon, M. L., & Engel, P. G. H. (1997). Networking for innovation: a participatory actor-orientated methodology. Amsterdam: Royal Tropical Institute (KIT). In: Engel, P. G. H. & Salomon, M. L. (1997).
• Teverson, D. (2003). Participatory promotion of disease resistant and farmer acceptable Phaseolus beans in the southern highlands of Tanzania. Natural Resources Institute. Retrieved from http://www.research4development.info/PDF/Outputs/CropProtection/R7569_FTR.pdf