Enhancing technology generation and transfer through coalition approach: a case of sorghum poultry coalition, Andhra Pradesh, India

This paper describes an innovative institutional arrangement for the generation and dissemination of new knowledge and the formation of sustainable economic interlinkages through coalition among researchers, farmers, farmers associations, poultry feed manufacturers and the poultry producers. The goal of this arrangement is to enhance on-farm productivity of sorghum and increase poor sorghum farmers' income by establishing market linkages between poor sorghum growers and poultry feed manufacturers. Under this project, farmers were supplied with seed of improved sorghum cultivars and were trained in bulking and storage of grain; feed manufacturers developed poultry feed rations with sorghum replacing maize at varying proportions; and scientists conducted poultry trials with sorghum-based feed rations with appreciable results. Finally, the project linked sorghum-growing farmer groups with end-users i.e. feed manufacturers, thus assuring a market for the poor sorghum growers. The coalition system was successful as it provided an opportunity to members to contribute knowledge in their respective fields, work towards a common goal with clearly defined roles and responsibilities, articulating problems, finding solutions, exploiting the synergies of working in groups and sharing the lessons learnt. Success of the coalition approach was facilitated by frequent review meetings with specific agenda, consensus approach to resolve issues, openness in interactions with various partners and use of electronic media, which helped to enhance the effectiveness of each partner's role.