Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS): A Study of Stakeholders and their Relations in System of Rice Intensification (SRI)

摘要

Purpose: This paper identifies the stakeholders of System of Rice Intensification (SRI), their roles and actions and the supporting and enabling environment of innovation in the state as the elements of the Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS) in SRIin Tripura state of India and studies the relationship matrix among the stakeholders. Methodology: A descriptive research design was followed to study the agricultural innovation system in SRI. Criterion and expert sampling were employed to select the stakeholders and data was collected by a personal interview method with the help of a semi-structured schedule. Actor Linkage Matrix was employed to study the linkage among the stakeholders in the innovation systems.Findings: The major stakeholders of the innovation systems were the public extension system and the farmers. A unique role of popularization and dissemination of the agricultural technology among the farmers was played by the Panchayati Raj Institutions,the democratic decentralized administrative units at the grass-root level for the dissemination. The relationship between the farmers and the Department of Agriculture, Government of Tripura was found to be strong. The farmers, even though they were primary stakeholders, were not much integrated in the system in decision-making. Media, an important stakeholder for creating awareness, was found to be working independently in the state to create awareness on SRI. The enabling environment for innovation was supported to a great extent by the policies and political and administrative support structures in the state by assisting the farmers in growing rice through SRI.Practical Implications: This paper concentrates on how the integration of stakeholders in the SRI innovation systems has promoted knowledge generation, management, sharing, and learning in SRI, which can be effectively applied in other crops and sectorsin India and the developing world. Originality: The paper is one of the very few studies conducted to understand the stakeholders of SRI in the context of Agricultural Innovation Systems in North East India.