Our mission is to create capacities for change and so promote the quality of food, the living environment and living conditions within (international) society.
We share this mission with the Social Sciences Department of Wageningen University and LEI research institute, with which we form the Social Sciences Group.
The Centre for Development Innovation facilitates innovation, brokers knowledge and develops capacities with a focus on food systems, rural development, agri-business and the management of natural resources. Our work links Wageningen UR’s knowledge and expertise with processes of society-wide learning and innovation.
In the search for solutions to poverty, hunger, climate change and environmental degradation, ‘business as usual’ is not an option. A sustainable and equitable future demands markets with a triple bottom line that balance the needs of People, Planet and Profit. Linking technological and institutional innovation becomes critical. Such innovation calls for citizens, governments, businesses, NGOs and the scientific community to work together in new ways.
In an increasingly complex world, ‘development innovation’ means being strategic and creative in tackling these challenges of development. Building on Wageningen UR’s long history of international work, we engage actively in global networks of organizations and professionals working on sustainable development.
Our strategy: creating capacities for change
CDI assists stakeholders to develop and implement effective learning and innovation processes.
Capacity development is the process by which individuals, organisations and institutions enhance and organise their systems, resources and knowledge. The degree of capacity development is reflected in their abilities, individually and collectively, to perform functions, solve problems and achieve objectives.
Capacity development is crucial to bringing about sustainable change and development. The pace of change and complexity of issues that individuals and organisations face is such that they need to be constantly and rapidly updating and improving their capacities. To complement traditional forms of academic education, there is growing demand for need-driven and interdisciplinary capacity development. This kind of capacity development goes beyond ‘training’. It involves longer-term processes of engagement and on-the-job facilitated learning.
CDI realises this kind of capacity development in a variety of ways: through projects, consultancy work and training. We provide a range of services, which we combine with specialist knowledge, organised around five programmes.