Abstract
This study identifies systemic problems in the New Zealand Agricultural Innovation
System (AIS) that affect the ability of participants in the agricultural sectors to co-develop technologies.
We integrate structural and functional streams of innovation system enquiry, gathering
data through 30 semi-structured interviews with individuals in Government, industry and research.
Interviews explored perceptions of the influence of actors, interactions, institutions, infrastructure,
and market structure on the effectiveness of AIS functions. Examples of systemic problems
were: (i) a lack of facilitative and transformational leadership and systemic intermediaries to
support the formation of strategic innovation agendas in vertically and horizontally fragmented
industries; (ii) a culture of hunting for funding within research organisations; hindering sustained
involvement of researchers in innovation, (iii) a large number of actors in the R&D component of
the AIS competing for public resources to pursue uncoordinated innovation agendas; and (iv) a
lack of institutional support for interactions between actors and roles that support interactions,
such as innovation platforms and innovation brokers.
The existing New Zealand AIS limits innovation to a linear process; restricting opportunities for
innovation to occur and fostering competition amongst organisations that collectively have much
to contribute to innovation in the agricultural sectors through constructive collaboration and roles
in all facets of the innovation process. These findings indicate an urgent need to create a policy
and legislative framework, built on a systemic understanding of innovation that more pro-actively
stimulates and fosters co-innovation. Such a framework would facilitate the formation and effectiveness of innovation-brokering organisations and multi-actor platforms, enabling coordinated
innovation agenda setting and prioritisation of issues in which all actors in the value chain and
innovation support system jointly articulate a shared agenda for change.
| Original language | English |
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| Title of host publication | Proceedings of the 11th European IFSA Symposium : Farming systems facing global challenges: Capacities and strategies |
| Editors | T. Aenis, A. Knierim, M-C. Riecher, R. Ridder, H. Schobert, H. Fischer |
| Pages | 131-140 |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 |
| Event | 11th European IFSA Symposium, 1- 4 April 2014 in Berlin, Germany - Duration: 1 Apr 2014 → 4 Apr 2014 |
Conference
| Conference | 11th European IFSA Symposium, 1- 4 April 2014 in Berlin, Germany |
|---|---|
| Period | 1/04/14 → 4/04/14 |