The Tropical Agriculture Platform (TAP) is a G20 initiative with strategic goal of contributing to the development of national capacities for agricultural innovation in the tropics and the objective of enhancing “Capacity Development” (CD) in “Agricultural Innovation Systems” (AIS). As stated in the TAP “Theory of Change”, the “TAP capitalizes on and  adds value to on-going initiatives by fostering greater coherence of capacity development interventions in tropical agriculture, strengthening interaction for more harmonized action and greater mutual accountability, and avoiding duplication”.

One of the first tasks of TAP is therefore to facilitate the emergence of a common language and a shared understanding of the scope of the challenge. Most countries and Development Partners (DP) use their own terminology and a lot of time is lost in trying to understand the exact meaning of the words used. A few examples: Are “capacity development”, “capacity strengthening” and “capacity building” synonymous? What is meant by “Agricultural Innovation Systems” (AIS)? Is there a general agreement on the three “levels” usually identified in the field of capacity development” (CD), i.e. individual, organisational and institutional/system? How are defined the CD recipients/targets for each of these levels? 

Agricultural innovation is critical for increasing agricultural productivity as well as for sustainability of agricultural systems. Innovation, however, cannot rely solely on spin-offs from foreign research. It requires endogenous capacities to generate, systematize, and adapt knowledge as well as to adopt and up-scale new practices.

An Agricultural Innovation System (AIS) is a network of actors or organizations, and individuals, together with supporting institutions and policies in the agricultural and related sectors, which bring existing or new products, processes, and forms of organization into social and economic use. Policies and institutions (formal and informal) shape the way that these actors interact, generate, share and use knowledge as well as jointly learn.

Capacity Development for Agricultural Innovation Systems (CD for AIS) enables joint learning and co-creation and new uses of knowledge for social change and enhances the interactions between actors. It is also about creating an enabling environment for such interaction, learning and innovation, based not only on conducive formal law and regulations, but also on informal values, attitudes and behaviours. It aims at changing people’s behaviour and developing of more sustainable practices that bring about societal transformation.

Innovation in agriculture is a precondition for meeting the challenge of feeding the world’s growing population in the face of a changing climate and degrading natural resources. It is fundamental to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of ending poverty and hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture. Innovation also has a role to play in achieving gender equality, ensuring healthy lives for all and contributing to economic growth. Many countries are however not fully exploiting their innovation potential. In order to do so, they must strengthen the capacity of individuals and organizations, create an enabling environment and, crucially, reinforced or make more effective Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS).

AIS, may be defined as complex networks of actors (individuals, organizations and enterprises), together with supporting institutions and policies that bring existing or new agricultural products, processes, and practices into social and economic use.

In 2012, the Agriculture Ministers of the G20 called for the creation of a Tropical Agriculture Platform (TAP) to promote the development of national capacities for agricultural innovation in the tropics, where almost all low-income countries are located. The aim of TAP is to enhance the overall performance of AIS, with particular focus on small- and medium-scale producers and enterprises in the agribusiness sector. TAP’s ultimate objective is to make agriculture more sustainable and improve livelihoods.