1. How access to innovation supports farmers to gain a better market access
Pieter Verhelst
Board Boerenbond
WFO workshop on innovation
04/05/2016

2. Why innovate?
Pragmatic - What’s in it for me? What’s my benefit? Show me the money!
Produce more – increase productivity
More Q = more Y or at least keeps up Y
Copy paste
If it pays of for my neighbor it will for me
Crises as opportunities
Never waste a good crisis
Food scares, health issues, economic crisis,…
Avoid a bankrupt business model
Catalyst for innovation

3. Why innovate? More prosaic – gain better market access
Produce more = occupying the scene, pushing out competitors
Produce better
More efficient - reactive
Productivity – first green revolution – produce more with more
Lower/avoid costs – second green revolution – produce more (or at least the same )with less inputs and externalities – sustainable intensification
More market oriented – proactive – the other Porter’s strategy
Efficient scaled up diversification & efficient scaled up high quality bulk
Not only product focused, but also processes count

4. Implement innovation DIY? Innovators – early adopters
High cost, high risk, time consuming, requires specific knowledge,…
Early – late majority
Balanced advice <-> skewed commercial ‘advice’
Commercial push on farmers – quid commercial pull at consumer side?
We might be convinced but if the consumer (or policy) doesn’t follow eventually there’s nothing in it for us
Fair distribution of costs & benefits
Is it affordable?
What’s in it for me?
Avoid monopolies/oligopolies – foster competition
UTP’s – not only upstream, also downstream

5. Implement innovation Networking! Among farmers In cooperatives
Share the costs & risks, hire time & expertise
Share the added value!
Through interbranche organizations
Suppliers – producers – processors – retailers
Shared concerns/needs
Discuss fair distribution of costs & benefits!
And European innovation partnerships
Add farmers to the R&D mix
Add R&D to the farmers
Intermediate role – translation
Farmers needs to R&D objectives = setting the agenda
R&D results to practical implementable concepts/products for farmers = introduce innovation
Across the networks