A widely held assumption is that intensifying agroforestry will lead to sustainable increases in production, societal resilience and food security, urgently needed in the current context of changes in markets, climate and demography. Current thinking assumes that to achieve sustainable innovation a participatory approach with public, civil and private stakeholders is necessary, combined with a systemic, trans-disciplinary approach, rather than a technical approach. This study presents a case of applying the Theory of Change (ToC) concept to test this assumption. The ToC was designed to articulate the process of scaling of action-research findings, and to adapt the research to the context of complex agroforestry systems at plot, household, farm, village and landscape levels. This allowed to develop an intervention logic that unpacks what sustainability means for farmers and other local stakeholders in four West African agroforestry systems. The conceptual approach created an awareness of potential impacts of scaling initiatives based on a ToC with pathways to impact combined with monitoring the effects of the research & development project on a variety of ecological, agronomic and economic performance indicators. A number of constraints and paradoxes that are linked to current research and development short term funding are also discussed.

中文翻译：

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规模创新的研发挑战：LEAP-Agri RAMSES II 项目的案例研究

一个广泛持有的假设是，集约化农林业将导致产量、社会复原力和粮食安全的可持续增长，这是当前市场、气候和人口变化背景下迫切需要的。目前的想法认为，为了实现可持续创新，需要公共、民间和私人利益相关者的参与式方法，并结合系统的、跨学科的方法，而不是技术方法。本研究提供了一个应用变革理论 (ToC) 概念来测试这一假设的案例。ToC 旨在阐明行动研究结果的扩展过程，并使研究适应样地、家庭、农场、村庄和景观层面复杂农林业系统的背景。这允许开发一种干预逻辑，揭示可持续性对四个西非农林业系统中的农民和其他当地利益相关者意味着什么。概念方法让人们意识到基于 ToC 的规模化举措的潜在影响，并结合影响途径监测研发项目对各种生态、农艺和经济绩效指标的影响。还讨论了与当前研究和开发短期资金相关的一些限制和悖论。关于各种生态、农艺和经济绩效指标的开发项目。还讨论了与当前研究和开发短期资金相关的一些限制和悖论。关于各种生态、农艺和经济绩效指标的开发项目。还讨论了与当前研究和开发短期资金相关的一些限制和悖论。