384 | IAASTD Global Report

Table 6-2. continued

AKST potential to address challenge AKST gaps and needs: Technology and knowledge AKST gaps and needs: Capacity building, policies, and investments Regional applicability
Increase water productivity to bridge dry spells (6.8.1.2)
Small-scale development of drip irrigation, treadle pumps (6.6.3.3)
Broader promotion of supplemental irrigation, soil nutrient management, improved crop establishment practices. Policies for secure access to water
Investment in risk reduction strategies
SSA, S. Asia, MENA (A)
Storage: rain water harvesting, small scale, large scale (6.6.3; 6.8.1.2) Environmentally sound construction and management of large dams
Decision support for scale of storage that is environmentally and socially sound
Enhance land tenure security Water rights and access SSA, S. Asia (A)
Reduce agricultural GHG emissions (6.8.1.1) Aerobic rice production (CH4 and N2O) Site specific nutrient management (N2O) Animal feed improvement (CH4 and N2O)
Expand land-based C sequestration potential
Transitional costs associated with land management changes
Capacity building for outreach and extension
All regions
Sustainable use of bioenergy      
Production and use bioenergy to promote rural development (6.8.2) Promote R&D for small-scale biodiesel and unrefined bio-oils for local use to improve energy access in local communities Capacity building, promote access to finance SSA, S. and SE Asia, LAC
  Promote R&D to reduce costs and improve operational stability of biogas (digesters), producer gas systems and co-generation applications Develop demonstration projects, product standards and disseminate knowledge All regions
Improvements in the environmental and economic sustainability of liquid biofuels for transport (6.8.2.1) Promote R&D for 2nd generation biofuels focusing on reducing costs to make them competitive.
Conduct research on environmental effects of different production pathways.
Facilitate the involvement of small-scale farmers in 2nd generation biofuels/feedstock production and low-income countries, e.g., by developing smallholder schemes, improving access to information and dealing with IPR High-income regions (B)
Low-income regions (C)

 

AKST will be to find ways for combining local knowledge with innovations developed in similar other contexts to generate locally adapted new options. The question devel­opment agents will have to address is, under which circum­stances they may scale up innovations per se and when they should focus on scaling-up innovation processes (Franzel et al., 2004). In the scaling-up process, it will be crucial that research and extension act in a careful, empirical and criti­cal way (Tripp, 2006). If wide dissemination of innovations that were successful in a certain context is attempted, this may create exaggerated expectations and hence frustra­tion, if these innovations are not adapted in many other contexts. This happened for example with alley cropping (Carter, 1995; Akyeampong and Hitimana, 1996; Swinkels and Franzel, 2000; Radersma et al., 2004) or the system of rice intensification (SRI) developed in Madagascar (Stoop et al., 2002). Agricultural research and extension still largely works with technologies that rely strongly on external in­puts, even in less favored areas (Stoop, 2002). Potential for innovation in low external input agricul­ture is highest if research focuses on understanding and

building on local concepts of farming such as the exploita­tion of within-farm variation, or intercropping. However, if research and extension work with technologies that rely strongly on external inputs, farmers will seldom adopt the results (Stoop, 2002). A further challenge is the dissemina­tion, as farmer-to-farmer diffusion is less important than commonly assumed for such innovations (Tripp, 2006). Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture (LEISA) comprises organic farming. Organic farming and conven­tional (non-labeled) LEISA can mutually benefit from each other. Organic farming with its stringent rules on external input use has to be even more innovative to solve produc­tion problems, sometimes opening up new avenues. Organic farming has the additional opportunity of deriving benefits from close links between producers and consumers. The challenge, however, is to exploit this potential. New low external input technologies have the poten­tial to improve productivity while conserving the natural resource base, but there is no evidence that they are spe­cifically pro-poor (Tripp, 2006). An important concern in low external input farming is soil nutrient depletion. Across