Following Agricultural Innovations: Insights from Implementation Research in Ghana and Benin
The last colloquium in the series took place on 16 July 2026. Dr. Theodore Asimeng from the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) and the INTERFACES project presented to the 25 participants on “Following Agricultural Innovations: Insights from Implementation Research in Ghana and Benin”. This presentation was well-suited to mark the end of the colloquium series, allowing to reflect on impact and adoption of research innovations.
Dr. Asimeng started the presentation by providing background information on the rate of adoption of agricultural innovations in Africa, which is generally low. To provide insights into some of the innovations from the COINS and DecLaRe projects in Ghana and Benin, his research team used the Follow the Innovation (FTI) approach which allows for a structured analysis. Picking out two specific innovations, the Integrated Soil Fertility Management approach by COINS and the microdosing approach by DecLaRe, Dr. Asimeng then presented specific factors that influence adoption and reasons for non-adoption in these specific cases.
The discussion raised fundamental questions about the suitability of the FTI approach in other situations, when there is no funding available to support an external review, during ongoing innovation development, as is the case in a research project, and whether projects can react with adjusting their research activities following findings from FTI. A good example for the latter was the adjustment COINS did on their research approach by focussing more on field research than was originally anticipated. A question was also raised whether research is at all suited to drive innovations or whether this should be done by privately supported initiatives. Finally, it was highlighted that the strength of FTI was on learning, adaptation and context specificity which are all essential for fostering sustainable land management.
