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Title Private capacity and public failure: contours of livestock innovation response capacity in Kenya
Full text http://arno.unimaas.nl/show.cgi?fid=13739
Date 2008
Author(s) Keskin, Ekin; Steglich, Mirjam; Dijkman, Jeroen; Hall, Andy
Abstract Globalization, urbanization and new market demands, together with ever-increasing quality and safety requirements, are putting significantly greater pressures on agri-food stakeholders in the world. The ability to respond to new challenges and opportunities is important not just for producers but also for industries in developing countries. This paper aims to present what "innovation response capacity" entails, especially for natural resource-based industries in a developing country context. It will also provide an analytical framework that draws elements from agricultural innovation capacity and the innovation systems framework. This is provided through case study research conducted in Kenya by exploring two livestock product companies: Farmer's Choice and Kenchic. The cases show how companies had worked around the problem of weak interaction with the various livestock-related agencies of the public sector by developing links with international sources of knowledge and technology. This allowed the sector to respond rapidly to different challenges. While the country's historical development explains this pattern of innovation response capacity, public policy appears to be failing in its role of nurturing and contributing to the capacities needed for development in emerging economies, such as that of Kenya.
Subject(s) Livestock; agriculture; innovation; innovation response capacity; Kenya
Publisher UNU-MERIT
Type of publication Research paper
Format application/pdf
Source UNU-MERIT working paper series: 2008-068, ISSN 1871-9872 ; vol.2008-068
Rights UNU-MERIT, 2008
Repository Maastricht - University of Maastricht
Added to C-A: 2011-09-27;12:27:52