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Assessment of the Enabling Rural Innovation (ERI) approach: Case studies from Malawi and Uganda
Author(s) -
Kaaria Susan,
Njuki Jemimah,
Abenakyo Annet,
Delve Robert,
Sanginga Pascal
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
natural resources forum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.646
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1477-8947
pISSN - 0165-0203
DOI - 10.1111/j.1477-8947.2008.00174.x
Subject(s) - business , negotiation , investment (military) , participatory rural appraisal , focus group , participatory action research , economic growth , social capital , citizen journalism , natural resource management , inclusion (mineral) , natural resource , economics , marketing , geography , agriculture , political science , archaeology , politics , law , gender studies , sociology
This paper presents lessons from applying an innovative action research approach for linking smallholder farmers to markets, in eastern and southern Africa. The Enabling Rural Innovation (ERI) approach aims to strengthen social organization and entrepreneurial capacity in rural communities. It focuses on fostering community‐based capacity for the inclusion of rural women and the poor in analyzing and accessing market opportunities. Using case studies from Malawi and Uganda the paper assesses the outcomes of ERI on rural communities with a focus on human capital, gender issues and investment in natural resource management. Results show that households are benefiting significantly from linkages to markets in terms of increasing household incomes, and accumulating assets. Skills in analyzing markets and in negotiating with traders have increased among smallholder farmers. The integration of gender in the approach has led to changes in gender decision making patterns at household and community level towards a more shared decision‐making process. The results however show a difference in skills between men and women, with women showing lower levels of skills acquisition. Farmer participatory research has increased investments in improved technologies such as fertilizer applications for soil fertility management.