Assessment of current capacities and needs for institutional and individual capacity development in agricultural innovation systems in Asia
The Tropical Agriculture Platform (TAP) is a multi-lateral and multi-sectoral facilitation mechanism that fosters collective action for capacity development in agriculture using a multi-pronged approach. TAP is facilitated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as knowledge broker and global convenor, in adding value to on-going initiatives in agricultural innovation systems (AIS), specifically in the Southeast Asian Region.
An assessment of such initiatives in the Southeast Asian Region is part of the TAP initiative to evaluate capacity development in agriculture, with the aim of strengthening interaction for greater mutual accountability and avoiding duplication of existing efforts. Current priorities, capacities, and needs along the line of agricultural innovation in the region is undertaken through a desk research or review of current priorities, capacities, and needs of stakeholders in the identified least developed countries (LDCs), namely, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Timor-Leste. The assessment is based on the review of existing reports and documents, including those of other organizations working along agricultural innovation, the results of which were validated or strengthened through the administration of survey instruments by selected country researchers from the identified LDCs.
The study focused on the following: (1) policy framework; (2) research systems and education institutions; (3) private sector and public-private partnerships (PPPs); (4) civil society organizations (CSOs) and non-government organizations (NGOs); (5) rural women and farmers’ organizations; and (6) access to micro-finance; among others. Based on the capacities and needs assessments, an initial regional synthesis report on capacity development for strengthening AIS in LDCs was prepared and submitted to FAO.
For Asia, FAO-TAP has tapped SEARCA to undertake this research activity. The study included five Asian countries, namely: The People’s Republic of Bangladesh, The Royal Kingdom of Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Government of the Union of Myanmar, and the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. These are five Asian Countries included in the list of least developed countries (LDCs). These are countries evaluated every three years using three-pronged criteria: (1) per capita income; (2) human assets; and (3) economic vulnerability.
The study was approached in two parts: stock-taking of existing innovations in National AgriculturalInnovation Systems (NAIS) of the selected countries through review of secondary sources; and a survey among major NAIS stakeholders from the five countries as respondents. The inventory of main agricultural actors in the LDCs included an analysis of their respective roles and attitudes in AIS, and of the policies that hinder or facilitate agricultural innovation in each country.
