Maurice Ochieng Bolo

Learning and Innovation in Agri-export Industries: Partnerships, Institutions and Capabilities in Kenya's Flower Industry Maurice Ochieng Bolo

In many developing countries, the contribution of small scale farmers to the high value cut flower export business has been minimal and on the decline. Besides lack of capital, high costs of technology, strict market access regulations and weak management skills; the exclusion of small scale farmers also results from their weak capabilities to innovate and respond to changes in the technological, institutional and governance contexts. This book examines the role of partnerships between farmers and exporters in building farmers? innovation capabilities. The book applies the lenses of innovation systems and value chain analysis to examine how institutions, power dynamics and governance patterns influence the opportunities for interactions, learning and innovation within these partnerships. The findings will be useful to policymakers, development practitioners, researchers, graduate students as well as development organizations seeking to enhance the participation of smallholder farmers into agricultural export markets.