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Role of the interaction space in shaping innovation for sustainable agriculture: Empirical insights from African case studies

Thirze Hermans, Harriet Elizabeth Smith, Stephen Whitfield, Susannah M. Sallu, John Recha, Andrew J. Dougill, Christian Thierfelder, Mphatso Gama, W. T. Bunderson, Richard Museka, Nike Doggart, Charles Meshack · 2023 · Journal of Rural Studies

Summary. Agricultural development projects in Malawi and Tanzania use farm trials and farmer field schools to promote sustainable agriculture innovation. The study reveals that knowledge exchange succeeds through knowledge brokers who facilitate social learning, yet simultaneously create social exclusions. The design of interaction spaces between researchers and farmers directly shapes both technical and social knowledge construction. Effective scaling requires opening these spaces for genuine co-creation and collaborative knowledge building.

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Hermans, T., Smith, H. E., Whitfield, S., Sallu, S. M., Recha, J., Dougill, A. J., Thierfelder, C., Gama, M., Bunderson, W. T., Museka, R., Doggart, N., & Meshack, C.. (2023). Role of the interaction space in shaping innovation for sustainable agriculture: Empirical insights from African case studies. Journal of Rural Studies. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2023.103012

Details

DOI
10.1016/j.jrurstud.2023.103012
Countries
Malawi, Tanzania
Regions
Africa
Categories
agtech, food-systems, innovation-networks
Added
2026-04-28