Pathways to agrifood system transformation

The book Pathways to agrifood system transformation: From Local  Innovation to Policy Change was published by CIRAD, along with a consortium of Agrinatura member organisations, in March 2024. It follows an initial compilation of stories of change published in late 2024 and is the second book on the innovations rolled out within the framework of projects under the DeSIRA initiative, funded by the European Union. 

DeSIRA uses transdisciplinary research within international partnerships to support agricultural and food system transition greater sustainability, equity and resilience to climate change. Over the past five years, it has supported 82 research and innovation projects in more than 60 countries across three continents, mobilising hundreds of research and non-research organisations. The book illustrates how DeSIRA projects have generated concrete changes and how they could be scaled up to transform farming and food systems in the long term.

The stories presented in the book give a concrete, varied account of the impacts of DeSIRA projects on agricultural policy and advice services, as well as production systems and value chain organisation. It focuses on social innovations in the individuals-communities-organisations continuum and innovations in practices, technologies and supply chains.

Building the skills of all the players

For example, the Santés & Territoire project led by CIRAD in Senegal demonstrates that building the skills of all the players involved in an innovation project enables collective changes in both attitudes and practices, ensuring greater anchorage of the innovations rolled out. The project set out to improve farming practices, backed by the One Health approach. Producers are partnered with various other players to participate, via a living lab, in the entire innovation process: co-identification of issues, co-design of solutions, analysis of results, etc.. Involving producers as key players in change makes innovations more sustainable.

Having a range of players taking part is also essential to the economic viability of innovations. In Ivory Coast, the MARIGO project, coordinated by CIRAD, supported the agroecological transition of peri-urban market garden crop growing. The aim was to boost the diversity and quality of locally grown vegetables. However, one of the main obstacles to market access in Ivory Coast was the high cost of such vegetables, compared to cheaper, lower quality rivals. To address the issue, the MARIGO project relied on raising consumer awareness of the importance of the link between quality price, while promoting an Ivorian "organic" to guarantee the quality of agroecological products.

Providing robust scientific data

The CLIMALOCA project in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru is a good example of how providing robust scientific data and involving policy-makers speeds up the inclusion of innovations in national public policy.  It set out to reduce cadmium levels in cocoa beans, a crucial issue for cocoa exports to the European Union, which has strict limits on this heavy metal found naturally in beans. In Colombia, tools developed by the project, notably cadmium content mapping, enabled the development of suitable solutions. This scientific progress, aimed at ensuring sustainable cocoa, facilitated talks with the authorities and proved useful for adapting national soil and crop management plans.

To quote another example, in Southeast Asia, the ASSET project used a pathway covering several decades, comprising a number of successive projects and initiatives led by a range of partners to provide a sound basis for the agroecological transition policy guidelines adopted in late 2024 by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

(CIRAD/ile)

Read more and download the book on the CIRAD website