Biotechnologie, Agronomie, Société et Environnement (Jan 2015)
Comparaison des trajectoires d'innovation pour la sécurisation alimentaire des pays du Sud
Abstract
Comparison of innovation paths for food security in countries of the South. Description of the subject. The evolution of the concept of food security and of food securization emphasizes the multi-dimensionality of food challenges (quantity, quality, affordability, identity, stability, etc.). This implies strengthening the innovation capacity of populations faced with food insecurity. Objectives. The objective of this study was to analyze how the concept of innovation system structures different trajectories of innovation for food security in developing countries. Method. A literature review firstly examines the application of this concept within the agricultural and food sector (SIA). The application of the concept is then tested in two case studies. Results. A first type of "productivist" path hypothesizes that food security necessitates increased availability and thus requires industrial input. This type of path re-emerged during the 2008 financial crisis in a form that included biotechnological potentialities, and retained a linear conception of innovation. This type of path is limited by environmental and social externalities as well as in terms of efficiency in relation to food security, in particular in the less developed countries undergoing demographic transition. The second type of path is based on a multi-dimensional approach and on the notion of food securization. Innovation will foster an ecological transition of the production function in the food sector. This approach is based on the promotion of local resources and involves a change in the innovation model. This change is illustrated in two case studies, one on plantain in Cameroon, the other on yam in Haiti. Conclusions. The results confirm the success of a process of the co-construction of innovation. The strengthening of local innovation capacities provides opportunities to realize the potentialities of agrosystems for food security.
