Scaling up Conservation Agriculture in Malawi – an interdisciplinary analysis of agricultural innovation processes

Agricultural innovation is a high priority on the global sustainable development agenda to address land degradation, food insecurity and climate change challenges. As part of this agenda, Conservation Agriculture (CA) is promoted for enhancing agricultural resilience. Despite positive biophysical results, CA adoption in southern Africa has been relatively low. This has given rise to numerous CA studies on the agronomic performance and socio-economic constraints.

Departing from dominant literature, this research takes an interdisciplinary approach to evaluating innovation around CA, in which innovation is interpreted as a process of knowledge construction. I critically evaluate the role of knowledge and actors in agricultural innovation scaling across a multilevel innovation landscape. The empirical research is based on two Malawian sites, where CIMMYT promotes CA through on-farm demonstration trials, a knowledge interaction space. Secondly, I review the learnings of an interdisciplinary approach. Drawing on the technical, social and political knowledge construction, I make recommendations for effective innovation scaling.

Firstly, a mismatch is identified between innovation approaches in 'Research and Development context', which places emphasis on technical fixes and quantitative success metrics, and the dynamic multidimensional innovation processes in real world farm systems. Secondly, within farm systems, innovation processes are characterised by: (1) social dynamics & information transfer, (2) contextual cost & benefits, (3) experience & risk aversion, and (4) practice adaptation. Thirdly, I develop and apply a novel approach integrating farmers' knowledges with technical soil measurements. This provides insights on the interactions between technical and social knowledge construction, and land management priorities. I situate these within the wider politics of knowledge around innovation scaling.

An interdisciplinary approach offers new insights, but comes with methodological trade-offs. Reflecting on these, I make recommendations, for organisations such as CIMMYT, focusing on: institutionalizing integrated learning, widening the interaction space, increasing feedback loops, and reflection and communication on assumptions about different knowledges.

The thesis abstract in Chichewa can be found in Appendix F.