Institutional learning through technical projects: horticulture technology R&D systems in India.
Hall A., Clark N., Taylor S., Rasheed Sulaiman V
Author Affiliation: Food Systems Department of the Natural Resources Institute, UK.
: 12 pp.
Abstract : This paper demonstrates the way in which institutional learning has been adopted by a post-harvest technology research project in India to cope with the institutional constraints associated with various public agencies, as well as to help formulate broader lessons for institutional reform in horticultural research and development systems. The case study presents an institutional history of public and private efforts to assist farmers from the Vijaya Association of Fruit and Vegetable Growers' Cooperative Societies of Andhra Pradesh to produce and sell export quality mangoes. Problems in the relationships between stakeholders reveal the need to see technology transfer in a much more holistic light than is conventionally understood. While technology development (and transfer) is certainly key to sustainable development, it will only succeed if the institutional context is appropriate. Institutional learning is proposed as a process through which adaptations can be made to accommodate shortcomings in the prevailing institutional environment. The recognition of the importance of institutional learning is rooted in contemporary thinking that conceptualizes technical and economic change in systems terms, and where technical and institutional innovations are seen as of equal importance. The integrated systems nature of technical issues indicate the need to conceptualize project interventions and associated institutional arrangements in a systems framework. It is necessary for donor-funded technical research projects to recognize institutional lessons as valid technical research outputs. Ever-evolving institutional roles emphasize the need for policy recommendations to contribute to the institutional underpinnings of technology systems, as well as better technologies.