Agricultural Innovation System: Observations From Azerbaijan

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Agricultural Innovation SystemObservations From
Azerbaijan

• Tugrul Temel
• March 23, 2001

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Outline

• Background
• Objectives
• Motivation
• Definition
• Data collection
• Methodology
• Discussion
• Suggestions
• Conclusions

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Background

• Agricultural GDP/total GDP down
• Oil exports up, cash crops up
• Food imports up
• 66 of agr. land in S/M control
• Agr. investment down to zero
• Excessive land fragmentation
• Inoperative irrig. sys - land salinity
• Privatization of state enterprises
• Spin offs in agro-processing sector
• Regional cooperation
• Attract FDI

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Objectives

• describe and analyze the existing Agricultural
  Innovation System (AIS)
• set the key priorities for the AIS
• suggest changes in the AIS

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Motivation

• Knowledge central to economic development (new
  growth, evolutionary, institutional)
• Learning as important as direct investment in RD
• Innovation everywhere in society
• With the systems approach
• Identify leverage points
• Detecting mismatches
• Developing alternative mech.

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Definition

• An AIS is a set of agents that jointly and/or
  individually contribute to the development,
  diffusion, and use of new or improved
  technologies.

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Data collection

• A Questionnaire organizational profile,
  innovation activities, innovation linkages,
  constraints
• 66 people interviewed

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Methodology

• Concept 1. A matrix of relations

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• Concept 2. A matrix of coded relations

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• I

P
R
E
F
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• Concept 3. A cause-effect structure

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Discussion

• A matrix of relations

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• A matrix of coded relations

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• A cause-effect structure

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Suggestions general

• Set national agricultural and science and
  technology policies
• Identify research priorities and science and
  technology strategies
• Establish financing mechanisms coupled with
  general guidelines of the policies
• Establish an enabling environment to usher
  innovation activities
• Consider the teachings of economic thinking

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Suggestions specific

• Two failures lack of goal and lack of active
  intermediary institutions
• Integrate research to the AIS I?R?EA?I and
  I?R?EA?CO?I
• Link research to the rest of the AIS by CGS
• Collaborative research b/w private and public
  sectors
• Attract FDI to link strongly I, IPM, F, CO, EA

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Conclusions

• Private sector is an embryonic stage
• Private and public components of the AIS are
  disconnected
• Environment needed for the growth of interface
  institutions
• Interactions within the public sector is very
  weak
• Interactions within the private sector is
  somewhat better