Presented by Mona Dhamankar at the Livestock CRP Priority Countries Planning Meeting, Nairobi, 26–27 March 2019

1. Strengthening Interdisciplinarity:
Initial ideas for Livestock CRP
Integrated Core Project
Mona Dhamankar
1
Livestock CRP Priority Countries Planning Meeting
26 – 27 March 2019
Nairobi, Kenya

2. Why interdisciplinarity ?
“We are not students of some subject matter, but students of problems. And
problems may cut right across the borders of any subject matter or discipline.”
(Karl Popper)
• AR4D/LR4D programs intervene in complex socio-ecological systems,
• Donor insistence that AR4D/LR4D programs achieve quantifiable and ambitious
development outcomes and impact
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3. Why interdisciplinarity ?
• To solve a large and complex problems, or exploit a promising new opportunity.
• Also about internal partnerships and interactions and the processes involved
3

4. Interdisciplinarity…..ways of working together
• Groups making decisions - working together on a common problem
• Taking action for the collective good - local, national, or international scale.
• Spaces to learn together in an interactive way,
• Finding ways forward that are more likely to be in the interests of all.
• Short consultation processes or multi-year engagements
• Structured, formal organizational arrangements, or
• Semi-structured processes - over a shorter or longer time
• Different individuals and groups relate and engage with each other in different ways.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands www.kit.nl

5. Amsterdam, The Netherlands www.kit.nl

6. Agriculture as complex socio-ecological systems
Complex systems:
 Complex behaviour because of nonlinear
causal processes (in ecological and social
system)
 Change can emerge from small actions,
through nonlinear processes, feedback loops,
dynamic interactions and tipping points
 The cause-effect relations need to be
monitored as the change reveals itself in the
course of action (cannot be fully understood
ex-ante)
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Source: Rivera-Ferre et al. 2013

7. Amsterdam, The Netherlands www.kit.nl
Adapted
from Klerkx
et al. (2012)
Linear approach to LR4D Complexity-aware approach to LR4D
Name Technology transfer Agricultural Innovation Systems
Mental model
and activities
Supply knowledge and technology to the next
user
Co-develop innovation involving multi-actor
processes and partnerships
Disciplines Single discipline driven Interdisciplinary, holistic systems perspective,
stakeholder engagement
Drivers Supply-push from research Responsiveness to changing contexts
Source of
innovation
Scientists Multiple stakeholder processes
(internal and external)
Role of farmers Passive adopters or laggards As partners, entrepreneurs and innovators
exerting demands
Role of
scientists
Innovators who hold knowledge As partners, one of the many groups responding
to demands
Changes
sought
Benefits accruing from technology adoption System change, increase in systems’ capacity to
innovate
Adapted from Klerkx et al. (2012)

8. Bringing in an agri-business perspective in our work
Amsterdam, The Netherlands www.kit.nl
Adapted from Human Centred Design. Source:KIT, ideo.org

9. Beyond interdisciplinarity …
Amsterdam, The Netherlands www.kit.nl
In summary:
• Integrating methods from
different disciplines
• Includes non-academic
actors
• Integrates non-scientific
forms of knowledge
Some questions:
• Do we have a shared mission?
• Are we “T” shaped researchers?
• Do we have institutional support?
• How do we nurture constructive
dialogue?