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EBookClubs

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Book Agricultural Innovation Systems

Download or read book Agricultural Innovation Systems written by World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2012-02-21 with total page 685 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Managing the ability of agriculture to meet rising global demand and to respond to the changes and opportunities will require good policy, sustained investments, and innovation - not business as usual. Investments in public Research and Development, extension, education, and their links with one another have elicited high returns and pro-poor growth, but these investments alone will not elicit innovation at the pace or on the scale required by the intensifying and proliferating challenges confronting agriculture. Experience indicates that aside from a strong capacity in Research and Development, the ability to innovate is often related to collective action, coordination, the exchange of knowledge among diverse actors, the incentives and resources available to form partnerships and develop businesses, and conditions that make it possible for farmers or entrepreneurs to use the innovations. While consensus is developing about what is meant by 'innovation' and 'innovation system', no detailed blueprint exists for making agricultural innovation happen at a given time, in a given place, for a given result. The AIS approach that looks at these multiple conditions and relationships that promote innovation in agriculture, has however moved from a concept to a sub-discipline with principles of analysis and action. AIS investments must be specific to the context, responding to the stage of development in a particular country and agricultural sector, especially the AIS. This sourcebook contributes to identifying, designing, and implementing the investments, approaches, and complementary interventions that appear most likely to strengthen AIS and to promote agricultural innovation and equitable growth. It emphasizes the lessons learned, benefits and impacts, implementation issues, and prospects for replicating or expanding successful practices. The information in this sourcebook derives from approaches that have been tested at different scales in different contexts. It reflects the experiences and evolving understanding of numerous individuals and organizations concerned with agricultural innovation, including the World Bank. This information is targeted to the key operational staff in international and regional development agencies and national governments who design and implement lending projects and to the practitioners who design thematic programs and technical assistance packages. The sourcebook can also be an important resource for the research community and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).

Book Innovation Economics  Engineering and Management Handbook 1

Download or read book Innovation Economics Engineering and Management Handbook 1 written by Dimitri Uzunidis and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2021-06-08 with total page 466 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Innovation, in economic activity, in managerial concepts and in engineering design, results from creative activities, entrepreneurial strategies and the business climate. Innovation leads to technological, organizational and commercial changes, due to the relationships between enterprises, public institutions and civil society organizations. These innovation networks create new knowledge and contribute to the dissemination of new socio-economic and technological models, through new production and marketing methods. Innovation Economics, Engineering and Management Handbook 1 is the first of the two volumes that comprise this book. The main objectives across both volumes are to study the innovation processes in todays information and knowledge society; to analyze how links between research and business have intensified; and to discuss the methods by which innovation emerges and is managed by firms, not only from a local perspective but also a global one. The studies presented in these two volumes contribute toward an understanding of the systemic nature of innovations and enable reflection on their potential applications, in order to think about the meaning of growth and prosperity.

Book Renewing innovation systems in agriculture and food

Download or read book Renewing innovation systems in agriculture and food written by E. Coudel and published by Springer. This book was released on 2013-03-15 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Present-day society asks more from agriculture than just the production of food. Agriculture is now required to be concerned with the quality of food, ecosystem services, inclusion of marginalized populations, revitalization of rural territories, energy production, etc. This opening up of the future of agriculture encourages rural actors to experiment with new farming systems, using imagination, creativity and determination to replace dominant models. At the same time, low-cost mass-production systems continue on their way, with promises of a future based on green technologies. In this discussion it is important to consider what kind of sustainable development societies really want. Which innovations will help in achieving these developments? What role can research and public policies play in supporting the emergence of these innovations? This book takes the debate beyond the purely technical options and considers social and institutional innovations as well. It demonstrates that innovation is the result of a confrontation between visions of actors who often have divergent interests. There is no single path towards sustainable development and we must find ways to encourage the emergence and co-existence of different types of agriculture and food systems. The success of transitions will not only depend on our capacity to rethink existing models, but especially on our willingness to embark on a creative learning process from which we will inevitably emerge transformed.

Book Innovations in Dryland Agriculture

Download or read book Innovations in Dryland Agriculture written by Muhammad Farooq and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-01-05 with total page 574 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a ready reference on recent innovations in dryland agriculture and reinforces the understanding for its utilization to develop environmentally sustainable and profitable food production systems. It covers the basic concepts and history, components and elements, breeding and modelling efforts, and potential benefits, experiences, challenges and innovations relevant to agriculture in dryland areas around world.

Book Handbook of Research on Institution Development for Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Growth in Africa

Download or read book Handbook of Research on Institution Development for Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Growth in Africa written by Osabuohien, Evans S. and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2020-12-04 with total page 507 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: African countries are pursuing a number of development agendas toward achieving economic growth that is inclusive, pro-poor, and sustainable, particularly the type that can unleash the potential of women and booming youthful populations. However, available evidence shows that many African countries have experienced economic hardships and have performed more poorly than other developing and emerging countries in the global south. The Handbook of Research on Institution Development for Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Growth in Africa is an essential research publication that provides comprehensive research on the processes of building viable institutions in Africa that will serve as the fulcrum for utilizing and managing resources as well as promoting economic growth that is inclusive and sustainable. Featuring topics such as climate change, financial development, and poverty, this book is ideal for researchers, policymakers, developers, economic professionals, academicians, government officials, business professionals, and students.

Book Farming Systems Research into the 21st Century  The New Dynamic

Download or read book Farming Systems Research into the 21st Century The New Dynamic written by Ika Darnhofer and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-05-30 with total page 488 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Farming Systems Research has three core characteristics: it builds on systems thinking, it depends on the close collaboration between social and biophysical sciences, and it relies on participation to build co-learning processes. Farming Systems Research posits that to contribute towards sustainable rural development, both interdisciplinary collaborations and local actor engagement are needed. Together, they allow for changes in understanding and changes in practices. This book gives an overview of the insights generated in 20 years of Farming Systems Research. It retraces the emergence and development of Farming Systems Research in Europe, summarises the state-of-the-art for key areas, and provides an outlook on new explorations, especially those tackling the dynamic nature of farming systems and their interaction with the natural environment and the context of action.

Book Agricultural Adaptation to Climate Change

Download or read book Agricultural Adaptation to Climate Change written by Christopher R. Bryant and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-08-26 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book deals with one of the major challenges facing human society and its governments, climate change and variability. The principal objective of the book is to explore how agricultural production through the actions primarily of farmers, including peasant farmers, adapt to these changing circumstances, what the limitations of adaptation are, how the process of adaptation varies between different territories (e.g. developed countries versus developing countries), and what are or can be the most effective roles for actors other than the farmers, including different levels of government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as professional associations of farmers and community organizations. The principal argument is threefold: 1) while there are significant differences between territories and countries in terms of the capacity of farmers (and the other actors) to engage in capacity building to be able to adapt effectively to climate change and variability, 2) the critical roles are those played out by the farmers themselves, but that 3) other actors can play an important role in accompanying farmers in their adaptation process, providing relevant and strategic information, counseling them and facilitating networking and meetings when appropriate. This effectively means that without engaging in the local adaptation processes governments can really only play effective roles by working with other actors at the local and regional levels. When it occurs, it can be very effective, but when it does not, farmers are left to their own devices (and even then, many are able to use their own creativity and local knowledge to survive and continue to develop). Essentially therefore, the secondary argument that is followed throughout the book is that adaptation is essentially a social process that requires an understanding of social processes and dynamics in each farming community and territory. It involves an understanding, for instance, of information diffusion processes in the different farming communities and territories, which provides a set of tools to promote and facilitate the adoption process in the context of adaptation to climate change and variability.

Book Innovations in Rural Areas

Download or read book Innovations in Rural Areas written by and published by Presses Univ Blaise Pascal. This book was released on 2003 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Agri Innovations and Development Challenges

Download or read book Agri Innovations and Development Challenges written by Vanessa Casadella and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2023-10-10 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Innovation is a major challenge for economic development and social progress. Faced with the ecological and food problems that the world is currently experiencing, the legitimacy of innovation takes on its full meaning, particularly in developing countries. As emphasized by international organizations (UN, FAO), building skills and abilities in the agricultural and food sectors are necessary when launching innovation processes for the benefit of suffering populations. This book deals with different experiences launched in many developing countries in these sectors and shows how local initiatives can provide answers to the pessimism of experts and the media. Multidisciplinary analysis and practices explain how collective work creates value chains that can foster local and national economic development. The authors revisit the innovation agri-food models that contribute to economic development. Agri-Innovations and Development Challenges is composed of general presentations of innovations applied in developing countries, as well as specific studies on the joint valorization of knowledge and experience in agri-food engineering

Book Innovations in Sustainable Agriculture

Download or read book Innovations in Sustainable Agriculture written by Muhammad Farooq and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2019-10-29 with total page 627 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume is a ready reference on sustainable agriculture and reinforce the understanding for its utilization to develop environmentally sustainable and profitable food production systems. It describes ecological sustainability of farming systems, present innovations for improving efficiency in the use of resources for sustainable agriculture and propose technological options and new areas of research in this very important area of agriculture.

Book Service Innovation in Agricultural Business

Download or read book Service Innovation in Agricultural Business written by Sebastian Gack and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-09-05 with total page 106 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thesis provides a holistic view on the topic via an exploratory interview study approach. Looking through a service-dominant-logic-lens, the author puts the insights of the farm automatization industry in relation to existing service innovation literature. The influence of interconnectivity is illustrated stepwise. Models of the present and the future value network are drawn, which show the expanding need of information exchange between the value network and the supply chain. Additionally, the author identifies the interplay of interconnectivity and the demand for transparency as the driver for new service innovations. To ensure the information exchange, the need of a non-proprietary data exchange platform in the agricultural sector is being suggested.

Book Comparative Agriculture

Download or read book Comparative Agriculture written by Hubert Cochet and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-04-20 with total page 159 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the first section dedicated to theoretical thoughts on comparative agriculture, Hubert Cochet introduces the notion of “agricultural development”, the very subject of comparative agriculture, with a restored endogenous dimension. He then describes how this approach was slowly consolidated, around the concept of agrarian system in particular. The comparison of agricultural transformations in time and space highlights the importance of the comparatist approach to production processes, their trajectories and differentiation on a worldwide scale. The second section which focuses on the methods and expertise of comparative agriculture, tackles the issues of landscape analysis, field surveys and the historical approach underlying comparative agriculture. It sums up the economic tools mobilised as well as the evaluation perspectives opened up by comparative agriculture.

Book Working animals in agriculture and transport

Download or read book Working animals in agriculture and transport written by R.A. Pearson and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2023-08-28 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book covers many of the recent research observations on the management and use of working animals in tropical agricultural systems. Studies of oxen, donkeys and camels in sub-Saharan Africa, cows and donkeys in Ethiopia, buffaloes in Vietnam, camels in Libya and horses and donkeys in Southern Italy are some of the topics included. Technical issues in nutritional requirement, feeding, management, health, implement, work practices and harnessing are discussed and the contribution that working animals continue to make in many agricultural and transport activities are quantified. The book is a valuable source of reference materials on draught animal technology. It is a must for any scientist, student or extension worker in rural and urban areas where animal power is found.

Book Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

Download or read book Entrepreneurial Ecosystems written by Elisa Thomas and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2024-08-19 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Delve deep into the heart of entrepreneurial ecosystems in lesser-known regions across the globe, as we unravel the complex tapestry of factors that drive their growth and sustainability. This book offers a rich exploration of diverse ecosystems in Brazil, South Africa, the islands of Madagascar and Reunion, Norway, and countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Through a diverse array of perspectives and real-world experiences, it reveals the drivers and challenges shaping entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems worldwide. Discover the critical role of factors like regional leadership, social entrepreneurs, supportive policies, and cultural dynamics, and see how regions overcome challenges through innovation and resilience. Ideal for policymakers, scholars, and entrepreneurs, this book bridges the gap between theory and practice. Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: Drivers, Challenges and Success of Territories is not just a collection of research. It's a roadmap to building vibrant entrepreneurial communities packed with practical guidance and transformative ideas. Whether you are aiming to nurture an entrepreneurial ecosystem or seeking inspiration from global success stories, this book is an indispensable resource for anyone passionate about the future of entrepreneurship and innovation. Join us on this captivating journey and be part of shaping vibrant entrepreneurial regions around the world.

Book Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment

Download or read book Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment written by Muhammad Farooq and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2023-04-14 with total page 586 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment describes the relationship of agriculture, society, nature and the environment, sustainable agriculture and sustainable development goals, management of biophysical resources for sustainable food and environment, traditional knowledge and innovative options, and social and policy aspects of sustainable agriculture. The book presents both environmental and economic principles, helping readers in the development and application of robust policy and good institutional systems that execute on sustainable agriculture practices for a healthy environment and to combat climate resilience. - Includes case studies that provide real-world insights - Relates traditional knowledge and innovation, maximizing the potential from both - Reinforces our understanding of the role of sustainable agriculture in developing environmentally sustainable and profitable food systems

Book The Emerald Handbook of Ethical Finance and Corporate Social Responsibility

Download or read book The Emerald Handbook of Ethical Finance and Corporate Social Responsibility written by Ahmed Imran Hunjra and published by Emerald Group Publishing. This book was released on 2024-05-06 with total page 585 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The term ethical finance refers to finance that considers environmental, social, and governance (ESG) aspects influencing a borrower and/or its possessions. The authors provide a fresh look at ESG aspects along with CSR implementation for sustainable development, which has global and long-term repercussions.

Book Framework to assess performance and impact of pluralistic agricultural extension systems

Download or read book Framework to assess performance and impact of pluralistic agricultural extension systems written by Faure, Guy and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2016-11-11 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Extension and advisory services (EAS) are well recognized as a key factor in contributing to agricultural productivity and growth. However, rigorous evaluation of EAS approaches and assessment of complex national or subnational pluralistic EAS systems are rare. This working paper examines the literature on experiential and empirical insights and explores methods to assess complex pluralistic EAS systems. The authors present conceptual thinking on innovation systems and EAS, and review the IFPRI “best-fit” framework. This framework remains relevant because it is based on a holistic perspective with an impact pathway orientation. The paper aims to operationalize and improve the best-fit framework to guide the evaluation of complex EAS systems. The authors draw on and summarize existing literature to illustrate methods and tools used to analyze each component of the framework. The review pays close attention to the literature and methods for assessing the diversity of service providers and their various delivery tools and learning approaches. The discussion also pays close attention to the interaction of each component and how it affects the performance and impact of EAS from a systems perspective. This paper adds key points and considerations on how to operationalize the best-fit framework to carry out evaluations of pluralistic EAS.