Governing agricultural innovation: coordination and capability building in The Gambia

How can public agencies strengthen agricultural innovation systems when technological change depends on coordination among farmers, agribusinesses and researchers? This article examines two agencies involved in implementing industrial policy projects in The Gambia: the investment promotion agency GIEPA and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs (MOFEA). Drawing on documentary analysis and interviews covering eleven agribusinesses and eight farmers, it uses an agricultural innovation systems framework to examine complementarities, innovation intermediation and stakeholder participation. The analysis identifies constraints on both agencies’ coordination roles. GIEPA’s business support and coordination initiatives offer only limited involvement for farmers and researchers, while donor funding organized around individual projects restricts MOFEA’s scope for coordination. Agribusinesses also differ in their capacity to support farmer learning: some nationally owned firms combine access to technical services with knowledge exchange that could enable them to act as innovation intermediaries. The study highlights the importance of connecting public coordination with firms’ technological capabilities and farmers’ learning opportunities. Findings suggest that agricultural innovation policy should strengthen farmer and researcher participation, support capable intermediaries and address donor restrictions to improve coordination across projects.