This book looks at agricultural systems and rural economies in Asia through the prism of alternative innovation systems, alternative public policy and institutional changes. The massive shifts within the agricultural economy in Asia, geared towards increasing production, has had a direct effect on the livelihood of a large mass of people in rural societies, causing financial and social distress. This book explores a wide range of solutions, such as the role of education, improving technical skills and human capital, along with interactive learning in R&D, harnessing ICTs and institutional innovations, to see how these problems can be alleviated. The volume looks at how these methods can help formulate alternative ways to build sustainable and inclusive agricultural societies, ensure food security, sustainable growth and agricultural productivity. This book, rich in theoretical and empirical matter, will be useful for academics and researchers interested in agricultural innovation, development studies and agricultural economics. It will also be of interest to policymakers and thinktanks working towards inclusive social development and sustainability in Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

This book covers the major findings of almost all types of innovation in agriculture that includes product and process innovation, marketing and organizational innovation, and extended to institutional changes and social welfare in agricultural innovation in Asia. Specially, this book provides the measuring of these types of agricultural innovation on production, economics, and social welfare. Furthermore, this book provides the overview of smart farming in two advanced countries in Asia in this field, which are China and Japan along with its innovation. This book also aims to give an overview on the development of agricultural innovation in the era of digital agriculture over the world.

During the last quarter of 2020, Regional Agricultural Research and Extension Organisations (RREO) in Africa, Asia, and Latin America jointly carried out rapid appraisals to map the innovation environment and identify and document initiatives aimed at strengthening Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS). The focus was on functional capacity development with a view to exploring ways in which RREO can support the development of these capacities and integrate them with technical capacities. A combination of literature reviews, case studies, and stakeholder surveys was used to gather information. The results were documented in three separate reports which are available from the RREO. In the present document, key findings from the regional reports are presented and discussed in this report.

Agricultural innovation has played a critical role in the economic transformation of developing East Asian countries over the past half century. The Green Revolution—in the form of modern seed varieties, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and modern machinery—has contributed to increased crop yields and farm incomes, and decreased poverty across the region. Although policy makers’ traditional focus on expanding and intensifying agricultural production has brought many benefits, the focus on productivity has come at a rising cost. The environmental sustainability of agricultural production is increasingly under threat. Moreover, as countries in the region have become more urbanized and demand for processed foods has risen, inadequate food safety systems and related food safety hazards have created a new form of food insecurity. As detailed in Agricultural Innovation in Developing East Asia: Productivity, Safety, and Sustainability, a new generation of innovation in agriculture has the potential to address the challenges of productivity, sustainability, and food safety to deliver a “triple win.†? To make the most of this promising wave of agricultural innovations, policy makers in the region will need to act to strengthen countries’ agricultural innovation systems. This effort will require a cross-cutting approach, including policy and institutional reforms, improved governance of countries’ agri-food systems, and efforts to build farmers’ and firms’ capacities to adopt new technologies and to innovate.

This book looks at agricultural systems and rural economies in Asia through the prism of alternative innovation systems, alternative public policy and institutional changes. The massive shifts within the agricultural economy in Asia, geared towards increasing production, has had a direct effect on the livelihood of a large mass of people in rural societies, causing financial and social distress. This book explores a wide range of solutions, such as the role of education, improving technical skills and human capital, along with interactive learning in R&D, harnessing ICTs and institutional innovations, to see how these problems can be alleviated. The volume looks at how these methods can help formulate alternative ways to build sustainable and inclusive agricultural societies, ensure food security, sustainable growth and agricultural productivity. This book, rich in theoretical and empirical matter, will be useful for academics and researchers interested in agricultural innovation, development studies and agricultural economics. It will also be of interest to policymakers and thinktanks working towards inclusive social development and sustainability in Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

Managing the ability of agriculture to meet rising global demand and to respond to the changes and opportunities will require good policy, sustained investments, and innovation - not business as usual. Investments in public Research and Development, extension, education, and their links with one another have elicited high returns and pro-poor growth, but these investments alone will not elicit innovation at the pace or on the scale required by the intensifying and proliferating challenges confronting agriculture. Experience indicates that aside from a strong capacity in Research and Development, the ability to innovate is often related to collective action, coordination, the exchange of knowledge among diverse actors, the incentives and resources available to form partnerships and develop businesses, and conditions that make it possible for farmers or entrepreneurs to use the innovations. While consensus is developing about what is meant by 'innovation' and 'innovation system', no detailed blueprint exists for making agricultural innovation happen at a given time, in a given place, for a given result. The AIS approach that looks at these multiple conditions and relationships that promote innovation in agriculture, has however moved from a concept to a sub-discipline with principles of analysis and action. AIS investments must be specific to the context, responding to the stage of development in a particular country and agricultural sector, especially the AIS. This sourcebook contributes to identifying, designing, and implementing the investments, approaches, and complementary interventions that appear most likely to strengthen AIS and to promote agricultural innovation and equitable growth. It emphasizes the lessons learned, benefits and impacts, implementation issues, and prospects for replicating or expanding successful practices. The information in this sourcebook derives from approaches that have been tested at different scales in different contexts. It reflects the experiences and evolving understanding of numerous individuals and organizations concerned with agricultural innovation, including the World Bank. This information is targeted to the key operational staff in international and regional development agencies and national governments who design and implement lending projects and to the practitioners who design thematic programs and technical assistance packages. The sourcebook can also be an important resource for the research community and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).

[ Foreword ] The annual International Agriculture Innovation Conference (IAIC) series started in October 2016 as an assembly platform for leading researchers, educators, and developers to present, discuss, and examine various challenging issues relating to agricultural production and innovation. In January 2018, the International Association for Agricultural Sustainability (IAAS) took IAIC under its wing with expectations that IAIC will continue to expand its influence by inviting more agriculture-related professionals to participate in conferences. I sincerely welcome you to join our conference and to share your ideas on agriculture sustainability with us. First, I would like to express my sincere appreciation for those who attended IAIC2020, because your participation is sought to the success of the conference. 2020 is an unforgettable and remarkable year in human history due to the pandemic. We are forced to separated and isolated, hence, it made it more precious for all of us to gather together online. More than that, I would like to special thanks to assistance and support from the IAIC 2020 conference sponsors – Vital Wellspring Pte. Ltd., Singapore, and the Organizer of IAIC 2020 – the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Maryland, U.S.A. Last but not least, the speakers of IAIC 2020. This book would not have been published without their efforts and contributions. In order to improve current agricultural circumstances and attain environmental sustainability, agriculture innovation has become the primary strategy nowadays toward achieving these goals. The concept of adapting agricultural innovation to every phase of agricultural production and management is the foundation for this book. This is the sequel of the book “Case Studies: Insights on Agriculture Innovation 2019” which collects information on various agricultural innovation ideas and technologies that have been applied or are being developed for agricultural operations and management in different countries. I believe this book will provide you with new and inspiring ideas about the future of agriculture development, and illustrate how innovations in methods and techniques influence agriculture production, environmental sustainability, and the quality of people’s lives around the world. --Dr. Cheng-I Wei, Chairman of IAAS [ Contents ] | Chapter 01 | Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Transform Agricultural Research Simon Y. Liu | Chapter 02 | Pursuing Green Growth of the Vegetable Sector in Low-income Countries Marco C.S. Wopereis / C. George Kuo | Chapter 03 | Consumers’ Perceptions of Innovative Food Waste (Upcycled) Products Meghan Bennet / Miranda Mirosa / Phil Bremer | Chapter 04 | Duality of Extrinsic and Intrinsic Worth of Investments in Agriculture Wei-Ling Low | Chapter 05 | The Story of Euglena: The Sustainable Investing Ecosystems Stephen Ho | Chapter 06 | Fostering Agricultural Transformation and the Growth in Thai AgTech Startup Ecosystem Montha Kaihirun