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From innovation to co-innovation? An exploration of African agrifood chains

Verena Bitzer (Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town, South Africa)
Jos Bijman (Management Studies Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.)

British Food Journal

ISSN: 0007-070X

Article publication date: 3 August 2015

2290

Abstract

Purpose

Building on recent advances in innovation research on developing country agriculture, this paper explores the concept of co-innovation, i.e. innovations that combine technological, organisational and institutional changes and that encompass different actors in and around the value chain. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to a further conceptualisation of co-innovation and show its usefulness for analysing innovation initiatives in agrifood chains.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper combines two streams of literature (innovation systems and value chains) and is based on a review of the experiences with innovation in three different value chains in three African countries: potato in Ethiopia, pineapple in Benin and citrus in South Africa.

Findings

Co-innovation is the combination of collaborative, complementary and coordinated innovation. “Collaborative” refers to the multi-actor character of the innovation process, where each actor brings in specific knowledge and resources. “Complementary” indicates the smart combination of technological, organisational and institutional innovation. “Coordinated” draws attention to the importance of chain-wide adjustments and changes to make innovation in one stage of the chain a success.

Practical implications

The identified dimensions of co-innovation (the triple “co-”) provide a practical guide for the design of effective interventions aimed at promoting innovation in African agrifood chains.

Originality/value

The paper is the first to provide a comprehensive conceptualisation of co-innovation. On the basis of both theoretical arguments and evidence from three illustrative case studies it is argued that successful innovation in agrifood chains requires the innovation process to be collaborative, coordinated and complementary.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the Interdisciplinary Research and Education Fund (INREF) of Wageningen University for its financial support through the Co-Innovation for Quality in African Food Chains (CoQA) programme.

Citation

Bitzer, V. and Bijman, J. (2015), "From innovation to co-innovation? An exploration of African agrifood chains", British Food Journal, Vol. 117 No. 8, pp. 2182-2199. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-12-2014-0403

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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