The future of R&I as driver of agrifood systems transformation and sustainability transitions: Perspectives from West Central Africa and Madagascar

The DeSIRA Perspective Briefs present lessons learned by the community of implementers of the EC-funded DeSIRA Initiative and their views on the future of research & innovation (R&I) as drivers of agrifood system transformation and sustainability transitions in their respective regions. By distilling key lessons from DeSIRA’s successes and challenges, these perspectives offer actionable insights in agricultural innovation systems for innovation stakeholders, decisionmakers, policy actors, and investors. Each perspective brief focuses on a specific region where the DeSIRA Initiative was deployed (Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia-Pacific). This brief synthesizes key outcomes and recommendations from DeSIRA projects, focusing on conceptual shifts, multistakeholder approaches, the evolving role of science and research, adaptive management, sustainability transitions, capacity building, and policy influence. It also offers some insights on future directions for research and innovation in West Central Africa and Madagascar.

Outcomes of DeSIRA projects are visible at three levels: • Technological and agricultural practices addressing challenges affecting agriculture in the region; • Knowledge attitudes and mindsets of a variety of stakeholders that allow ownership of technological and practical innovations; • The broader AIS, at national and regional levels, including policy innovations and research governance. These outcomes result in: • Enhanced research capacity, research and innovation (R&I) development, and formation or reinforcement of research networks; • Economic empowerment, enhanced capacities for national AIS to address agrifood system challenges of sustainable intensification; • Institutional changes, increased regional policy coordination and new resource allocation frameworks. project strategies for innovation co-creation and scaling are: • Multistakeholder mechanisms for the co-creation of innovation with farmers and farmer organisations, and engagement of private-sector and policy actors in the early phase of the innovation project; • The strengthening of R&I project linkages between national, regional and continental research and education organisations; • The strengthening of farmer organisations’ capacities to address the food and nutritional insecurity challenges in the region; • Building upon and ensuring continuity of innovation trajectories combining existing organisations and emerging ones, particularly for policy and institutionalisation purposes.