Title: THE RESEARCH PROGRAMME "NETWORKS IN LIVESTOCK FARMING" AS A MEANS OF PROMOTING INNNOVATION IN AGRICULTURE
Author(s): van der Kroon, S.M.A.(1) + Zaalmink, B.W.(1) + Geerling-Eiff, F.A.(1) + de Grip, K.(2) + Hubeek, F.B.(1) + Leeuwis, C.(2) + Wielinga, H.E.(1) + van Wijk-Jansen E.C.(1)
Organisation: 1-Agricultural Economics Research Insititute (LEI B.V.), 2-Dept. of Social Sciences, Wageningen University.
Country: The Netherlands
Since the privatization of the agricultural extension service in the Netherlands and the need
for a more market oriented approach, the agricultural innovation system “REE” (from Research
through Extension and Education to farmers), no longer seems to provide a suitable response
to the complex social changes faced by the agricultural sector. The research programme “Networks
in Livestock Farming” can be seen as an experiment aimed at giving a new shape to the
interaction between practice, research and policy and thus increasing the self-solving ability of
farmers and encouraging innovation in livestock farming in the Netherlands. In 2004, 50 networks
of livestock farmers were facilitated by 35 project directors from Wageningen University
and Research Center (WUR). This paper describes the experiences and results after six months
of “working with net-works”. The authors recommend to clearly identify the aims (with regard
to content and/or proc-ess) that form the basis for the research programme. Clear choices and
definitions of the aimes of the research programme must have consequences for both the nature
of the networks to be supported and the nature of the support to be offered, which affects the
selection criteria to be applied.
Keywords: Networks, knowledge generation, sustainable innovations, facilitation.
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