Innovation Scaling
Achieving sustainable development requires large-scale system transformation. Innovation is at the heart of this transformation, and in many cases, suitable innovations already exist. What is often missing is the enabling environment to move innovations beyond pilot programs and take them to scale. Innovation scaling is a deliberate and planned effort to enable the use of innovations to have positive impact for many people across broad geographies. Innovation scaling is critical in agriculture and food systems to increase food, nutrition and water security, alleviate poverty and help small farmers adapt to climate change. Despite this potential, many scaling ecosystems are ineffective, and innovation uptake remains limited.
IWMI’s action research on innovation scaling for system transformation focuses on seven areas. These aim not just to identify and introduce new practices or technologies but also to consider ‘softer elements’ such as people, supply chains, markets, policies and power relations that constrain innovation adoption and system transformation. IWMI integrates all the elements to co-develop adaptive, inclusive, affordable and scalable innovation bundles for farmers and other value chain actors. All the focus areas contribute to the broader ambitions of a unified CGIAR to deliver transformational research centered on food, land and water systems in a climate crisis.
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Publications
Adaptive scaling ecosystem for system transformation: operationalizing solar-based farmer-led irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa
Understanding early adoption of solar irrigation in Lao PDR: benefits, challenges and policy gaps
IWMI’s strategy to advance Africa’s agriculture agenda (CAADP 2026-2035)
Activity Report. Scoping activity for integration of Fish and Livestock systems. Prey Veng, Cambodia, 4–6 June 2025
Unveiling the Potential: is the private sector poised to revolutionize the solar irrigation market in Ethiopia?
Unpacking innovation demands for climate-resilient mixed farming systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: a case of northern Ghana