International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Rabat, Morocco.
PLoS One. 2021 May 27;16(5):e0251958. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251958. eCollection 2021.
Scaling is a ubiquitous concept in agricultural research in the global south as donors require their research grantees to prove that their results can be scaled to impact upon the livelihoods of a large number of beneficiaries. Recent studies on scaling have brought critical perspectives to the rather technocratic tendencies in the agricultural innovations scaling literature. Drawing on theoretical debates on spatial strategies and practical experience of agricultural innovation scaling in Ethiopia, this paper adds to the current debate on what constitutes scaling and how to overcome critical scaling constraints. The data for the paper came from a qualitative assessment using focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and document analysis on scaling work done in Ethiopia by a USAID-funded research for development project. The paper concludes with four broad lessons for the current understating of agricultural innovation scaling. First, scaling of agricultural innovations requires a balanced focus on technical requirements and associated social dynamics surrounding scaling targets, actors involved and their social relations. Second, appreciating the social dynamics of scaling emphasizes the fact that scaling is more complex than a linear rolling out of innovations towards diffusion. Third, scaling may not be strictly planned; instead, it might be an extension of the innovation generation process that relies heavily on both new and long-term relationships with key partners, trust, and continuous reflection and learning. Fourth, the overall implication of the above three conclusions is that scaling strategies need to be flexible, stepwise, and reflective. Despite the promises of flourishing scaling frameworks, scaling strategies it would appear from the Africa RISING experience that, if real impact is to be achieved, approaches will be required to be flexible enough to manage the social, processual and emergent nature of the practice of scaling.
规模化是全球南方农业研究中无处不在的概念，因为捐赠者要求他们的研究受赠者证明其研究成果可以规模化，以影响大量受益人的生计。最近关于规模化的研究为农业创新规模化文献中相当技术官僚化的倾向带来了批判性的观点。本文借鉴了关于空间策略的理论辩论和埃塞俄比亚农业创新规模化的实践经验，为当前关于规模化的构成以及如何克服关键规模化约束的辩论增添了新的内容。本文的数据来自于对美国国际开发署资助的一个研究与发展项目在埃塞俄比亚开展的规模化工作进行的定性评估，使用了焦点小组讨论、关键知情人访谈和文件分析。本文最后得出了四点关于当前农业创新规模化理解的广泛教训。第一，农业创新的规模化需要平衡关注技术要求和与规模化目标、涉及的行动者及其社会关系相关的社会动态。第二，理解规模化的社会动态强调了这样一个事实，即规模化比创新向扩散的线性推出要复杂得多。第三，规模化可能不是严格计划的；相反，它可能是创新产生过程的延伸，严重依赖与关键伙伴的新的和长期的关系、信任以及持续的反思和学习。第四，上述三个结论的总体含义是，规模化战略需要具有灵活性、逐步性和反思性。尽管有繁荣的规模化框架的承诺，但从非洲 RISING 的经验来看，如果要实现真正的影响，就需要采取灵活的方法来管理规模化实践的社会、过程和新兴性质。
