This book aims to share lessons and experiences and document cross-country learning in 11 countries from bridging research and extension to fostering multistakeholder partnership for “research to impact.” More specifically, it seeks to (1) document the different strategies and processes for dissemination and assessment of impacts of NRM technologies in Asia, (2) provide a platform for effective research-extension-impact pathways for lowland rice in Asia, (3) capture the dynamics and different mechanisms for ICOPs, and (4) assess different dissemination methods adopted for bridging research and extension, with the aim of developing furture strategies and models for scaling up (policy advice) and scaling out (diffusion on a spatial scale) best practices for NRM in Asian rice production.
The book is divided into four main parts. Prior to the first part is a keynote chapter by Cees Leeuwis (Chapter 2), which sets the tone of the book. He discusses the changing views of agricultural innovation, from linear models toward nonlinear and multidirectional models. It sees innovation as a process, adoption as a collective process within nested networks of interdependent stakeholders, and diffusion starting during the design of the study, with scaling out often requiring contextual redesign. The chapter offers a perspective on the need for the reordering of multiple social networks in society through communicative interventions. Special attention is given to the broader role of communicative intervention (including extension) and scientists in supporting development and agricultural innovation. Leeuwis also presents new roles for scientists in performing social learning and negotiation, leading them to effectively acquire and disseminate new knowledge.