Supporting farmer innovations, recognizing indigenous knowledge and disseminating success stories.

The term “innovative farmers” refers to those who have tried or are trying out new and often value-adding practices, using their own knowledge and wisdom or through appropriation of outsiders’ knowledge. It has been recognized that farmers’ innovations are crucial in order to achieve cumulative growth, both economically and socially. In most cases, farmers’ innovations are encouraged by the need to maintain economically viable production; in other cases, social needs such as food security are also drivers for innovation to increase income. Environmental sustainability, such as preservation or restoration of local species, has also been a driver of innovations in some regions. However, several social, political, economic and environmental factors have hampered farmers’ innovation; these include lack of information on aquaculture, inadequate science and technology policies and lack of governmental support. At the commercial level, fish farmers frequently indicate that economic constraints limit in-house development or appropriation of knowledge-based technology. In terms of organization, innovation is a process that requires science to support technology development that is applicable to production. Crucial factors needed to promote, encourage and support farmers’ innovative processes are presented and discussed in this review, including changes in science and technology laws to promote knowledge-based adaptations, specific policies to encourage investment in innovation, educational policies focussed on developing specific profiles to manage technology-based aquaculture, appropriate personnel training and extension services, and policies that contribute to the development of aquaculture directed to specific social and cultural groups. Proper design interventions and policies can help to bring a much needed empathetic understanding and holistic vision in order to connect and integrate the various innovative efforts towards a positive outcome. These could provide adequate guidelines for developing countries in order to become transformed into innovation-driven economies. The concepts of farmers’ innovations are assessed from a broad spectrum of geographical areas and farming systems, and how these innovations have contributed and can contribute to food security, poverty alleviation and