Evolutionary Learning Laboratory for Labor Saving Innovation

Ockie Bosch and his team at the University of Adelaide in Australia will create a virtual Evolutionary Learning Laboratory (ELLab) to identify sustainable labor-saving innovations in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The ELLab is a systems approach designed to incorporate thinking from all relevant groups, such as the farmers, policy makers, and tool developers, in order to define useful, practical, and broadly applicable solutions. They will conduct interviews and run workshops to promote a shared understanding of the needs and viewpoints on labor-saving strategies of the different groups, and build their capacity for thinking more holistically. Proposed solutions, such as new tools, strategies, and policies will undergo a cyclical process of discussions and problem solving, leading to the evolution of more effective labor-saving solutions.