Role of Brokerage in Evolving Innovation Systems: A Case of the Fodder Innovation Project in Nigeria

Autor/in	Madzudzo, Elias
Titel	Role of Brokerage in Evolving Innovation Systems: A Case of the Fodder Innovation Project in Nigeria
Quelle	In: Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 17 (2011) 2, S.195-210 (16 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1389-224X
Schlagwörter	Program Evaluation; Action Research; Innovation; Foreign Countries; Case Studies; Agriculture; Rural Development; Self Evaluation (Groups); Networks; Organizations (Groups); Role; African Culture; Cultural Influences; Nigeria + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Programme evaluation; Programmevaluation; Projektforschung; Ausland; Case study; Fallstudie; Case Study; Landwirtschaft; Rural environment; Development; Ländliches Milieu; Entwicklung; Self evaluation; Group; Groups; Selbstevaluation; Gruppe (Soz); Rollen; Africa; Culture; Afrika; Kultur; Cultural influence; Kultureinfluss
Abstract	This paper looks at brokerage functions in a project on building innovation capacity through improved networking. Innovation capacity influences how actors respond to changes in their environments. In such dynamic environments well connected sets of actors are at an advantage in that they can combine skills to address the emerging opportunities and challenges. However, policy and cultural barriers especially in African innovation systems raise the transaction costs of networking leading to weak connectivity among actors thus poor innovation capacity. This paper uses case studies from West Africa to illustrate that actors that play brokerage functions are critical in navigating around or dismantling the barriers and thus enhance innovation capacity. This paper assumes that innovation capacity rather than innovations per se is lacking in African agriculture. The paper is a product of an action research based study of Key Partner Organizations and the coalitions of stakeholders they formed around fodder innovation themes in Nigeria. We show that brokerage negotiates innovation barriers and improves networking. The paper concludes that brokerage roles are context-specific; policies that facilitate eclectic brokerage functions are critical. This paper is shedding light on the broadened scope for actors playing boundary roles, e.g. extension organizations under more relaxed organizational and policy contexts. There are few studies on brokerage and boundary work particularly in African agriculture. This study is a grounded discussion on the brokering functions in African rural development. It uses data from similar programmes to qualify observations and conclusions from the Fodder Innovation Project (FIP) case study. (Contains 1 figure, 1 table and 1 note.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10