System redesign in animal production: Dutch experiences and broader relevance
1. “System redesign in Animal Production:
Dutch experiences and broader relevance”
Dr. Laurens Klerkx
Knowledge, Innovation and Technology Group
ILRI, 12 September 2012, Addis Ababa
2. What will I talk about?
A brief introduction of our research cluster
The case of ‘Rondeel’ as an example of system redesign
process following a ‘new product development
approach’:
● The context in which the process emerged
● The NPD/system redesign process
● The implementation in practice of the Rondeel
system
● Key issues and implications emerging from the the
NPD/system redesign
Discussion on implications for ILRI’s work
3. Our group
Founded in 1968 as Extension Science: study of
communication to enhance technology adoption
In the 1980’s a more critical and systemic
perspective to innovation: AKIS -> name changed
to Communication and Innovation Studies
In 2002 two groups developed:
● Communication and innovation studies
● Communication strategies
Very recent clustering and reorganization:
● Knowledge, innovation and technology group
● Communication strategies group
● Applied philosphy group
4. Different lines of investigation of the
cluster
Innovation systems and innovation networks/platforms
Intermediaries/brokers in innovation systems
Action and participatory research
Research governance analysis
Self-organization of actors
Frame analysis
Individual behaviour change and persuasive
communication
Risk communication
5. Different lines of investigation of the
cluster
Participatory video and media analysis
Discursive strategies of actors
Critical technology analysis (technography) and political
agronomy (SRI/biotech/pesticides)
Ethical analysis of technology development and
agricultural production
Reflexive process monitoring
6. Some current projects
Convergence of Science- Strengthening Innovation
Systems (COS-SIS)
The Evolution of SRI as a Socio-Technical Phenomenon
Intermediary actors in the Kenyan AIS
Support of Learning and Innovation Networks for
Sustainable Agriculture (SOLINSA)
Preparing African Farmers against Parasitic Weeds in a
Changing Environment (PARASITE)
Determining the cost-effectiveness of an effective
intervention to improve adherence among treatment-
experienced HIV-infected patients in the Netherlands
Expert-lay interaction about food and technology
8. Starting point: crisis in Dutch animal
production systems
Low animal welfare
We import soy and keep the
dung
Contagious disease and
multiple resistant bacteria
Meat consumption and obesity
Animal production and climate
change
Low protein conversion ratio
10. Government policy to stimulate radical
innovation
Create and stimulate sustainable niches – overcome
system failures (e.g. strong and weak networks,
institutional failure)
Various instruments
● R&D
● Platforms
● Linkage building
● Innovation subsidies
● Consumer awareness raising
11. What kind of R&D is needed?
System innovation requires a holistic perspective
connecting scientific disciplines
Research should be transdisciplinary, involve
stakeholders
Beyond research, enabling conditions for innovation need
to be brought into place (co-evolution of hard-, soft-,
orgware)
Research should translate desirable futures and
stakeholder demands into appealing but attainable
visions
Following Sumberg and Reece (2004), research should
take a ‘New Product Development’ focus
12. Method of ‘interactive reflexive design’
(e.g., Bos et al., 2010)
Actual production system and socio-technical
regime are ‘locked-in’
Visionaries are invited to think in possibilities, not
current problems and constraints
Surveys among citizens on ideal production system
Also views farmers , scientists, and hens (through
ethological scientists) are integrated
Briefs of requirements: what needs should the
system fulfil?
Quick prototypes: images, scale models
16. Nice design process outputs, but what
next?
Government funded design projects – pre-competitive
phase
Now companies should take up the ideas and develop
them in real systems
18. Design process outputs gave guidance, but
these firms still had many uncertainties
On technological development
On resources needed
On public policies
On consumer behaviour
On supplier behaviour
On retailers behaviour
19. Internal and external capacities
Vencomatic and Kwetters have well qualified staff that
could help some of these uncertainties (e.g. on
marketing, technology)
But also need for external resources and comptences
● External consultancy (in CSR, technology, market,
business model) – look for and verify options
● To make contacts in different ‘worlds’ –
government, retail, NGOs
● To get to know other similar experiences and
creative solutions
● To find and obtain capital
20. External capacities
Livestock Research: R&D and
brokering
Transition and Society: CSR
consultancy, process
facilitation and brokering
TransForum: brokering,
funding, process facilitation
and monitoring
21. Also visualization design helped to ‘sell
the story’
Towards local authorities
Towards the national
government
Towards farmer’s organization
Towards Animal Protection
Society
Towards supermarkets
Towards farmers
22. Different components of innovation are
interdependent
To sell egg: need to have
system built and operational
For funding: guaranteed retail
purchases needed
No construction: no purchases
from retail
No promise of purchase of
retail: no funding
Vicious cycle: who comes with
the money?
23. How to get a guarantee?
Vencomatic as SME can invest,
but not bear all risks
Innovation subsidies are
insufficient
Banks do not lend for
uncertain innovations
But state support also has its
limits
Continuous lobby and
opportunity searching needed
26. Guarantee paved the way
Construction first
Rondeel enabled
having serous
negotiations with
supermarkets for
shelve space
Eggs sold under
private label ‘AH
Pure and Honest’
NGO’s enthousiastic
– free publicity
27. Key elements
Building strong but
adaptive vision through
interactive design
Building interfaces –
spanning boundaries
and mediating
Mobilizing powerful and
influential advocates
Role of science as
designer, advisor
Reflexive process
monitoring to enhance
adaptive management
29. Reflection: is there a relevance for ILRI
work?
Different system boundaries in smallholder agriculture–
less discrete systems
Different resource endowments and enabling (or
disabling) environments
Many more people involved/targeted in innovation
processes ILRI works in
But parts of RID have been applied on dairy chains in
Ethiopia (system analysis)
So what lessons can be learned, e.g. for ILRI’s R4D/
innovation platform work?
30. Thank you for
your attention!
Further reading on this topic, see:
Bos, A.P., Groot Koerkamp, P.W.G., Gosselink, J.M.J., Bokma, S., 2009. Reflexive
interactive design and its application in a project on sustainable dairy husbandry
systems. Outlook on Agriculture 38, 137-145.
Klerkx, L., Aarts, N., Leeuwis, C., 2010. Adaptive management in agricultural innovation
systems: The interactions between innovation networks and their environment.
Agricultural Systems 103, 390-400.
Klerkx, L., Van Bommel, S., Bos, B., Holster, H., Zwartkruis, J.V., Aarts, N., 2012. Design
process outputs as boundary objects in agricultural innovation projects: Functions and
limitations. Agricultural Systems 113, 39-49.
Sumberg, J., Reece, D., 2004. Agricultural research through a new product development
lens. Experimental Agriculture 40, 295-314
See also my homepage for links to related articles:
http://www.com.wur.nl/UK/Staff/Klerkx