xiv
Those words resonate today louder than ever.
Regardless of its nature (industry, international development, academy, profitseeking, or non-profit), any current perspective of innovation in agriculture must be
able to articulate the following underpinnings into one cohesive framework: how
best to deploy (always limited) financial resources and human talent within innovation ecosystems, so goods and services are actually adopted and value is created for
users and customers; how to better understand and lessen the formidable barriers
users encounter through the processes of articulating their needs and innovation
adoption; and what aspects other than technology are of the essence to delight customers and fulfill their satisfaction gaps.
Through the chapters and minds assembled to prepare this book, we have
attempted to bring an updated body of insights and knowledge able to provide such
framework. Furthermore, we posit that putting such framework to good use will
increase the likelihood of success of innovation in agriculture and food systems.
Our book addresses how to rethink research and development and the role of innovation ecosystems, so that innovation delivers goods and services that users actually
adopt. It also discusses what is needed to increase the actual adoption of innovations
launched to the market, and one of its tenets is that the role that technology plays in
successful innovation is less critical than most people think. Since an essential component of every successful innovation effort is a customized business model able to
create, capture, and share value, several chapters discuss, from different perspectives, the critical role that business models play in innovation. We posit that developing the right business model can be a better predictor of innovation success than
the actual goods or services being launched.
The adoption of innovation represents, by and large, the outcome of behavioral
change rather than a process mostly driven by technology; a case is made that to
increase the success rate of innovation efforts, innovators need a thorough understanding of the satisfaction gaps and pains that users or customers deal with on a
daily basis as well as a crystal clear understanding of the job they are trying to get
done. No wonder Peter Drucker once stated: “The customer rarely buys what the
company thinks it is selling him.”
Since behavioral change is deeply rooted in human, sociological, and biological
aspects common to humankind, the knowledge, insights, and experience provided
by our book can be equally applied to for-profit and nonprofit organizations, and to
the domains of intensive agriculture in developed countries and agricultural international development as well.
This book has assembled a distinguished group of experts from industry and
academia in diverse aspects of innovation. Ann Steensland and Margaret Zeigler
discuss critical links between innovation and productivity, and the role of Total
Factor Productivity
3
on the ability of agricultural and food systems to deliver affordable, nutritious food and feedstuff. Cees Leeuwis and Noelle Arts explain the pivotal
3 Total Factor Productivity can be thought of as a proxy for the innovative activity of the unit being
measured (country, economic sector, geographic region).
Introduction
Those words resonate today louder than ever.
Regardless of its nature (industry, international development, academy, profitseeking, or non-profit), any current perspective of innovation in agriculture must be
able to articulate the following underpinnings into one cohesive framework: how
best to deploy (always limited) financial resources and human talent within innovation ecosystems, so goods and services are actually adopted and value is created for
users and customers; how to better understand and lessen the formidable barriers
users encounter through the processes of articulating their needs and innovation
adoption; and what aspects other than technology are of the essence to delight customers and fulfill their satisfaction gaps.
Through the chapters and minds assembled to prepare this book, we have
attempted to bring an updated body of insights and knowledge able to provide such
framework. Furthermore, we posit that putting such framework to good use will
increase the likelihood of success of innovation in agriculture and food systems.
Our book addresses how to rethink research and development and the role of innovation ecosystems, so that innovation delivers goods and services that users actually
adopt. It also discusses what is needed to increase the actual adoption of innovations
launched to the market, and one of its tenets is that the role that technology plays in
successful innovation is less critical than most people think. Since an essential component of every successful innovation effort is a customized business model able to
create, capture, and share value, several chapters discuss, from different perspectives, the critical role that business models play in innovation. We posit that developing the right business model can be a better predictor of innovation success than
the actual goods or services being launched.
The adoption of innovation represents, by and large, the outcome of behavioral
change rather than a process mostly driven by technology; a case is made that to
increase the success rate of innovation efforts, innovators need a thorough understanding of the satisfaction gaps and pains that users or customers deal with on a
daily basis as well as a crystal clear understanding of the job they are trying to get
done. No wonder Peter Drucker once stated: “The customer rarely buys what the
company thinks it is selling him.”
Since behavioral change is deeply rooted in human, sociological, and biological
aspects common to humankind, the knowledge, insights, and experience provided
by our book can be equally applied to for-profit and nonprofit organizations, and to
the domains of intensive agriculture in developed countries and agricultural international development as well.
This book has assembled a distinguished group of experts from industry and
academia in diverse aspects of innovation. Ann Steensland and Margaret Zeigler
discuss critical links between innovation and productivity, and the role of Total
Factor Productivity
3
on the ability of agricultural and food systems to deliver affordable, nutritious food and feedstuff. Cees Leeuwis and Noelle Arts explain the pivotal
3 Total Factor Productivity can be thought of as a proxy for the innovative activity of the unit being
measured (country, economic sector, geographic region).
Introduction