Agriculture Innovation Systems in Asia: Towards Inclusive Rural Development

Hardcover, xxiv + 339 pages, NOT ex-library. Book looks unread, clean and bright throughout with unmarked text, free of inscriptions and stamps, firmly bound. Minor handling wear. Issued without a dust jacket. -- This collection of essays scrutinizes the growing crisis within Asian agricultural economies, where a historical focus on increasing production has led to the disadvantaging of smallholder farmers, creating financial distress and exclusionary tendencies. It posits that the prevailing linear model of technology transfer is inadequate and often detrimental, causing environmental degradation and failing to serve the needs of smallholders. In its place, the volume advocates for an agriculture innovation system approach - a framework that emphasizes interactive learning between researchers, extension services, and farmers, alongside crucial institutional changes and supportive public policy. The analysis is structured through a series of theoretical and empirical investigations. Early sections explore foundational concepts, including the application of the knowledge economy for sustainable farming, the persistent knowledge gaps in extension services, and the role of interactive learning in plantation crops like rubber and tea. The volume further examines global trends in private agricultural research and the potential of harnessing information and communication technologies to empower farm households, drawing comparative perspectives from India and China. A significant portion of the book focuses on the Indian context, analyzing pathways for sustainable transformation, the impact of institutional innovations such as franchising on smallholder market access, and the link between technology access and livelihood diversification. The book culminates in a detailed examination of the Punjab region - a pioneer of the Green Revolution - dissecting its current challenges from political economy, technological, and social inclusion perspectives, alongside an analysis of Pakistan's national system. Collectively, the chapters argue that overcoming the current agricultural crisis requires a paradigm shift away from a purely productionist mindset. It calls for holistic public policies that foster collaboration, address policy distortions, invest in human capital and appropriate infrastructure, and balance the roles of public and private sectors to build resilient, resource-efficient, and equitable rural economies across Asia. …