Agricultural innovation—necessity is the mother of invention
نویسندگان
چکیده
Innovation is the process leading to the adoption of new or existing information, technology or practices; it includes factors that affect demand for and use of knowledge in novel and useful ways. In agriculture, innovation is essential to maintain productivity growth, to address issues around sustaining the natural resource base and to adapt to climate change. This paper examines the innovation process in Australian agriculture, highlighting the shift from a ‘technology push’ to an approach that integrates factors that affect the demand or pull for knowledge, and the role of research and development in innovation. Adoption of technologies is essentially a risk management problem: innovations that are profitable and exhibit a relative advantage will be readily adopted but will be influenced by other risk factors. Innovations are examined in the context of a return–risk framework. A case study on precision agriculture illustrates the innovation process and leads to a discussion on what future innovations are required. A survey of Nuffield scholars highlights some innovations that are being adopted and considered now. Most respondents have recently adopted innovations in soil management, crop management, plant breeding, precision agriculture and integrated pest and weed management. In the coming decades, Australian agriculture faces many challenges that will require new farming systems that use land, water, nutrients, pesticides and energy more efficiently and better manage its risks. Farmers will need to continue to be adaptable, particularly given the changing environmental conditions, and innovation will be the key to maintaining productive and resilient farming systems.
منابع مشابه
The evolution of innovation-enhancing institutions
This chapter applies an integrated approach to decision-making and cultural evolution to explore some of the characteristics that influence population-level differences in innovativeness and to understand how such differences emerge. In laying the foundation for subsequent arguments I begin by summarizing research showing how evolutionary theory can direct and inform our understanding of decisi...
متن کاملNecessity is the Mother of Invention : Input Supplies and Directed Technical Change ONLINE APPENDIX ∗
متن کامل
‘necessity the Mother of Invention’ a Reflection on the Requirements for Successful Innovation in the Metallurgical Industries
The complexities that exist in the nature of the basic feedstock to the metallurgical process call for a high degree of ingenuity from the extractive metallurgist in seeking the best possible treatment method for a particular ore. Drawing from personal experience the author presents four case studies that demonstrate the value of creative thinking in addressing the challenges typically encounte...
متن کاملThe Necessity of Technological Innovation in the World's Steel Industry
Steel industry is one of the leading industries in the world. Today it is also one of the fundamental and strategic industries of the world. Per capita production and consumption amount of steel are used as a criterion for evaluation of country development. Furthermore, attention to technological innovations is assumed so much crucial to access the international markets of steel industrie...
متن کاملInnovation Capacity in Agricultural Sector
The changing context for agricultural development has highlighted a strong need to understand and adoptinnovation systems thinking. Science, technology and innovation policy has equated rural development toagricultural development. The main objective of this paper was to examine the role of innovation capacity inagricultural sector. With the growing diversification of rural livelihood options i...
متن کامل