Abstract:
Multi-stakeholder platforms facilitate interaction between stakeholders in the agricultural innovation
system. A multi-stakeholder platform is essential to enhance the innovation of avocado value chain
stakeholders and avocado planting as a climate-smart practice. Avocados can make a significant
contribution to food security and nutrition. Research has shown that research on climate-smart
agriculture mainly focuses on scientific and technological solutions, rather than attempting to
comprehend the economic and social dimensions of this study. The study's goal was to identify the
interactions between stakeholders in the avocado value chain. The data for this study were gathered
using a semi-structured questionnaire and focus group discussions. The study employs the concept of
an innovation systems perspective and investigates social network analysis in the context of
stakeholders. Information sharing, roles and functions of stakeholders were used as proxies to denote
communication. In this study, the multi-stakeholder platform's role in fostering a supportive forum was
interpreted as access to information, knowledge, and resources. Findings indicate that smallholder
farmers, support service providers and market stakeholders need to be strengthened and empowered
to adopt and implement inclusive innovations. This was essential to ensure that stakeholders
throughout the value chain had access to tools and resources to promote avocado yield for food,
industry, and climate-smart practices. The study concludes that there are distinctions in the roles and
responsibilities of stakeholders in the avocado innovation system. Farmers have been discovered to
innovate using relevant expertise, even though they are primarily considered users of innovation. The
study's recommendation is that smallholder farmers be empowered through capacity building to
influence agricultural value chain development and environmental sustainability through information
technology
