Abstract:
Rural innovation is "the process by which various stakeholders generate, and adopt novel ideas, approaches, technologies or
ways of organizing, to improve on and off farm activities, so that the rural sector becomes more competitive in a sustainable
manner". Empowering farmers is indispensable to improving the relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of current research
for development systems. Key components of innovation processes arc summarized as: Farmer experimentation;
strengthening human capital; strengthening social capital; Enhancing access to information; Linking local knowledge to
scientific knowledge; strengthening partnerships; Scaling up innovation processes; and strengthening changes in formal
sector institutions to support innovation processes. Participation between researchers, farmers, extensionists and other
stakeholders is central to the concepts of innovation