Short description:

Following a decade of research by the African Highlands Initiative, this book documents and summarizes the experiences of farmers, research and development workers, policy and decision makers who have interacted within an innovation system aiming to operationalize an approach to Integrated Natural Resource Management. Crucially it demonstrates importance of ?approach? in the results, and the lessons to be learned from this.

Long description:

This book documents a decade of research, methodological innovation, and lessons learned in an eco-regional research-for-development program operating in the eastern African highlands, the African Highlands Initiative (AHI). It does this through reflections of the protagonists themselves?AHI site teams and partners applying action research to development innovation as a means to enhance the impact of their research. The book summarizes the experiences of farmers, research and development workers and policy and decision-makers who have interacted within an innovation system with the common goal of implementing an integrated approach to natural resource management (NRM) in the humid highlands. 

This book demonstrates the crucial importance of "approach" in shaping the outcomes of research and development, and distils lessons learned on what works, where and why. It is enriched with examples and case studies from five benchmark sites in Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, whose variability provides the reader with an in-depth knowledge of the complexities of integrated NRM in agro-ecosystems that play an important role in the rural economy of the region. It is shown that the struggle to achieve sustainable agricultural development in challenging environments is a complex one, and can only be effectively achieved through combined efforts and commitment of individuals and institutions with complementary roles.

"This book describes a compelling success story of an ambitious programme with an inspiring narrative." - Simon Carter, Director, Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa, International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

"Overall, the book is a huge success; it is packed full of useful methodologies and approaches supported by a solid evidence base. The 6 case study sites are used to provide examples throughout the text, providing clarity and credibility to support the theory of INRM. The authors must be commended on their decision to include numerous examples of methodologies and approaches that failed to bring about the desired results, enabling the reader to learn not only from the success of AHI, but ensuring that its failures are not repeated. The book is a wonderful synthesis of the INRM outputs from AHI, summarizing results and findings from 195 publications from the 6 case study sites." - Mountain Research and Development (2013)

"The book as a whole provides valuable insight into approaches and tools that can stimulate and enhance innovation processes in agriculture and NRM. It offers thought-provoking reading for researchers and practitioners working in agricultural innovation systems?" ? Ann Waters-Bayer, Ph.D., Senior Advisor ETC Foundation, Member of the International Support Team for Prolinnova

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction  2. Participatory Farm-Level Innovation  3. Participatory Integrated Watershed Management  4. Participatory Landscape Governance  5. District Institutional and Policy Innovations  6. Institutional Change and Scaling Up