Abstract This Editorial to the Special Issue “Science of Scaling: connecting the pathways of agricultural research and development for improved food, income and nutrition security” presents the framing, overview and analysis of 10 articles focussed on scaling innovation in the agricultural research for development sector. The publications cut across three categories that focus on: (i) Understanding the scaling trajectory retrospectively from a longer term, systems perspective, (ii) Understanding scaling of innovation retrospectively as part of shorter term agricultural research for development interventions, and (iii) Conceptual or methodological approaches aimed at guiding scaling prospectively. Cross-cutting review of the publications leads to several insights and critically questions dominant ways of understanding and guiding scaling of innovation in the agricultural research for development sector. This provides a starting point for proposing more outcome-oriented scaling as a third wave of understanding and guiding scaling, beyond technology adoption (first wave) and the scaling of innovation (second wave). The Editorial proposes three Research Domains for the Science of Scaling: (1) ‘Understand the big picture of scaling innovation’ that can inform more realistic ideas about the factors, conditions and dynamics that affect innovation and scaling processes; (2) ‘Develop instruments that nurture efficient and responsible scaling’ that comprises new approaches, concepts and tools that can facilitate the development of evidence-based scaling strategies; and (3) ‘Create a conducive environment for scaling innovation’ that focusses on the institutional arrangements, partnership models, and monitoring and learning for scaling of innovation.

中文翻译：

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规模科学：理解和指导社会成果的创新规模化

摘要 特刊“规模科学：连接农业研究与开发途径以改善粮食、收入和营养安全”的社论介绍了 10 篇文章的框架、概述和分析，这些文章侧重于农业研究促进发展领域的规模创新. 这些出版物分为三个类别，重点是：(i) 从长期、系统的角度回顾性地理解规模轨迹，(ii) 回顾性地理解创新规模作为短期农业研究促进发展干预的一部分，以及 (iii) 概念性的或旨在指导前瞻性扩展的方法论方法。对出版物的跨领域审查得出了一些见解，并对理解和指导农业研究促进发展部门创新规模的主要方式提出了批判性质疑。这为提出更多以结果为导向的扩展作为第三波理解和指导扩展提供了一个起点，超越了技术采用（第一波）和创新的扩展（第二波）。社论提出了扩展科学的三个研究领域：（1）“了解扩展创新的大局”，可以提供关于影响创新和扩展过程的因素、条件和动态的更现实的想法；(2) “开发能够培养高效和负责任的规模化的工具”，其中包括新方法，可以促进基于证据的扩展策略的开发的概念和工具；(3) “为扩大创新创造有利环境”，重点关注制度安排、伙伴关系模式以及对创新扩大的监测和学习。