Advisor is an agent who provides agricultural advisory services.
This glossary was developed to meet the needs of partners and key actors of change in modernAKIS, providing a shared reference for commonly used terms. All practical definitions included in the glossary are grounded in scientific literature and aligned with definitions already in use in other relevant HEU projects.
38 Terms
Advisor is an agent who provides agricultural advisory services.
Agricultural Advisory Services support farmers in improving decision-making and fostering innovation in farm management. They provide knowledge, guidance, and facilitation through various approaches: transferring standardized advice when problems and solutions are clear; offering tailored options for individual situations; enabling problem-solving through learning processes; and promoting collaboration for local initiatives, conflict resolution, and integration into supply chains.
Agricultural Extension Services (AES) focus on transferring established technologies and proven information from research institutions or other sources to the farming community.
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Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems, means the combined organisation and knowledge flows between persons, organisations and institutions who use and produce knowledge for agriculture and interrelated fields (Source: modernAKIS)
AKIS Coordination Bodies (AKIS-CBs) are central governance structures within the CAP Strategic Plans, responsible for organizing and steering Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS). They connect key actors—farmers, advisors, researchers, and networks— and infrastructures by providing frameworks and mechanisms for collaboration. Their tasks include implementing AKIS strategies, coordinating advisory and innovation services, fostering knowledge flows, and promoting digital technologies for agricultural modernization.
Assessment is a structured process to diagnose and appraise performance, quality, or value against predefined benchmarks or targets, by identifying strengths and weaknesses.
Benchmarking is a practical process of comparing your projects, practices, or policies against similar initiatives (or sector standards) to: (i) Identify gaps (How do we measure up?) (ii) Learn from others (What’s working elsewhere?) (iii) Adapt improvements (What can we apply?).
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Capacity is the ability of individuals, organizations, and systems to perform functions, solve problems, and achieve objectives sustainably. It includes having the right skills, knowledge, tools, and systems to help turn good ideas into practical solutions and make them work in real life. To unlock innovation potential, AKIS requires four interconnected capacities: the ability to collaborate effectively, to reflect and learn continuously, to engage in strategic and political processes, and to navigate complexity within agricultural systems.
Capacity building is the process of acquiring the skills and resources necessary to partake in proposal creation and development.
Capacity development is a process whereby people, organizations, and networks engage in actions/activities to strengthen their already acquired skills and gain knowledge to work better, solve recurring and emerging problems, and create lasting change. It includes building knowledge and learning, improving teamwork, and strengthening systems so they can adapt, grow, and innovate over time.
An official process that checks and confirms whether a product, service, process, or person meets a specific set of standards. In agriculture, it often means getting a formal label or approval that shows your work follows rules for quality, safety, sustainability, or ethical practices. In the case of agricultural advisory services providers (advisors) certification models ensure that they meet rigorous standards in education, ethical codes, and professional development.
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Co-creation means working together as equals—farmers, advisors, researchers, and others—to design and develop knowledge and solutions/innovations that address real needs. It’s about sharing ideas, testing them in practice, and learning from each other to ensure that results truly work on the ground.
Co-innovation is the collaborative effort of multiple actors to share and create new and improved knowledge, expertise and/or design. It involves sharing resources, knowledge and expertise to foster and lever creativity, accelerate the innovation process to achieve mutual benefits.
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Communities of Practice are groups of people who actively work on similar challenges and regularly share knowledge to improve their work. They learn from each other's experiences, test new ideas together, and develop practical solutions.
Competence is a skill, attitude, or behaviour that enables an individual to do his/her job more effectively.
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