Abstract

Innovation platforms (IPs) bring agricultural value chain stakeholders together to successfully overcome constraints in agricultural systems. In Bénin, they are introduced to foster collaboration, partnership, and mutual focus to generate innovation on the commodity such as the local rice production and processing systems. Based on Social Networks Analysis, this research examines this IPs in influencing the innovative capacity of local rice value chain stakeholders in the Glazoué Rice Hub. The findings show a network with low density which hinders the dissemination of information on rice innovations in the IPs. Further, the innovation capacity of rice stakeholders is not necessarily associated with their central position either by degree, closeness or betweenness centrality. Ultimately, the rice stakeholder knowledge and resources determine his innovative capacity.

Key words: Innovation Platform, rice, endogenous innovation, social network, Benin