Innovation in Livestock Systems

The CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) supports resource-poor women and men to overcome poverty, malnutrition and food insecurity by bringing science to bear on these challenges. Social and gender issues, which restrict women and men, adversely impact development in the aquatic agricultural systems. AAS has embraced gender-transformative approaches (GTA) to achieve its goals. Broad buy-in is needed to effectively integrate GTA into research programming and organizational processes and practices. This working paper outlines the conceptual framework for a gender capacity development and organizational culture (GCDOC) approach in AAS. The conceptual framework builds on three theoretical and conceptual bodies of literature: transformative learning, socio-technical regimes and governance, and organizational culture and learning.

Social structure, especially in the form of social networks, affects the adoption of agricultural technologies. In light of an increasing focus on new demand-driven agricultural extension approaches that leverage social networks as an opportunity, too little is known about (a) which network characteristics matter? and (b) how do specific network characteristics matter?. This paper uses survey data from Ethiopia to investigate the impact of social networks on smallholder dairy production technology adoption. Combined social network analysis and economic approaches is used to analyze dairy production adoption that incorporates social learning. Results reveal that smallholders acquire knowledge about improved dairy practices mainly from the public extension system (extension network), and to a lesser extent through their close associates (peer networks). On the other hand the study shows that the potential contributions of community and market networks that can significantly affect ado...