Innovation platforms: A tool for scaling up sustainable land management innovations in the highlands of eastern Uganda.

Abstract

Sustainable Land Management (SLM) technologies for preventing land degradation have been pilot tested in highlands of eastern Uganda with success and are available for uptake by farmers in the zone. Despite the available technologies and successful pilot experiments, the effect and uptake of the SLM innovations still remains insignificant. This has been attributed to lack of incentives, innovative institutional governance structures and policy processes to accelerate uptake and utilisation of SLM technologies. Innovation systems approach was experimented in scaling up SLM innovations in the highlands of Eastern Uganda. Stakeholders were organised into platforms and empowered to promote SLM practices in the landscape. Members of IPs selected the SLM innovations and implemented them with support from National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO). More households adopted SLM practices including trenches, contour bunds and agroforestry. Twenty three tree nurseries were established and over 350,000 tree seedlings distributed for planting. The platforms facilitated collective visioning, sharing of skills and knowledge and strengthened participation of local governments in research and promotion of SLM technologies. When well initiated and operationalised, innovation platforms are effective avenues for scaling up adoption of SLM innovations to a wider landscape and communities.

Key Words: Innovation platforms, scaling up, sustainable land management