RAAIS (Rapid Appraisal of Agricultural Innovation Systems)

Agri-food systems are complex webs of people, organisations, technologies and rules. In such complexity, it is essential to identify entry points for innovation that are cost-efficient and have a high return on investments in terms of achieving development impact. Furthermore, innovations need to be supported by stakeholder groups.

Rapid Appraisal of Agricultural Innovation Systems, RAAIS is a participatory, diagnostic tool for integrated identification and analysis of complex agricultural problems, and the design, implementation and monitoring of AR4D innovations. RAAIS involves different stakeholder groups (farmers, government, private sector, etc.), which provides a basis for: 1. Situational Analysis of constraints and opportunities for innovation in agri-food systems 2. Design of Theory of Change and Impact Pathway together with stakeholders around a coherent set of entry points for innovation that guide project implementation 3. Developing a baseline for monitoring, evaluation and learning to support adaptive management and enhance the effectiveness of AR4D 4. Strengthening multi-stakeholder partnerships for impact

RAAIS modules include: • RAAIS light: RAAIS workshops ($5000 per workshop, incl. training of facilitators, data analysis and reporting) • RAAIS medium: In-depth interviews, surveys and secondary data analysis to validate RAAIS workshop outcomes (+$15,000 per site) • RAAIS full: Theory of change and action plan for implementation of intervention plans (+$5000)

Experiences? RAAIS was used in 17 countries across 3 continents. GIZ Zambia used it to design the €12M One World No Hunger project.

More on RAAIS: • Schut et al., 2015. RAAIS conceptual paper in Agricultural Systems. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2014.08.009. • Schut et al., 2015; 2016. 2 Research papers that apply RAAIS in Agricultural Systems: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2014.08.009 and http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2016.03.005 • RAAIS Toolkit: https://www.wageningenur.nl/en/article/RAAIS-Toolkit.htm.

Summary of uses: • Identification and analysis of complex agricultural problems • Prioritisation of entry points for innovation in agri-food systems • Starting point for developing a theory of change for agricultural research for development • Baseline for participatory monitoring and evaluation of agricultural research for development