Reframing technical change: Livestock Fodder Scarcity Revisited as Innovation Capacity Scarcity: Part 1. A Review of Historical and Recent Experiences
Andy Hall, R. Sulaiman, Mona Dhamankar, Peter Bezkorowajnyj & Leela Prasad
#2008-002
This is the first in a series of three papers that develop a conceptual
framework for a project on livestock fodder innovation. Livestock is
important to the livelihoods of poor people in many regions of the
developing world. A generic problem found across this diverse range of
production and marketing contexts is the shortage of fodder. This paper
argues that to address this problem it is necessary to frame the
question of fodder shortage not from the perspective of information and
technological scarcity, but from the perspective of capacity scarcity in
relation to fodder innovation. To support this position the paper
presents case studies of experience from an earlier fodder innovation
project. These cases suggest that while fodder technology is important,
it is not enough. There is a large institutional dimension to bringing
about innovation, particularly with respect to the effectiveness of
networks and alliances needed to put technology into use.
Key words: Livestock; agriculture; innovation; poverty reduction;
technology; partnerships; India; Nigeria
UNU-MERIT Working Papers
ISSN 1871-9872