Responsible scaling for impact: inclusion and power in food, land and water systems

McGuire, E.; Mutiso, A.; Valencia, E.; Ewell, H.; Enokenwa Baa, Ojongetakah; Alame, D. S.; Paez-Valencia, A. M.; Newton, J.; Rietveld, A.; Nortje, Karen; Keller-Bischoff, L.; Yami, M.

Responsible scaling for impact: inclusion and power in food, land and water systems

Autores

Enokenwa Baa, Ojongetakah

Editor

International Water Management Institute

Descripción

Achieving sustainable and equitable impact at scale remains one of the most persistent challenges in agricultural research for development (AR4D). Despite a rich pipeline of technological, social, and institutional innovations, benefits often fail to reach women, youth, and marginalized producers who face entrenched structural barriers. This brief synthesizes emerging insights from the CGIAR Scaling for Impact (S4I) Program under its Enabling Environment Lab (AoW‑3) in collaboration with Multifunctional Landscapes Program, the Gender and Inclusion Accelerator Program, and Responsible Innovation. Scaling scientists, gender researchers, and innovation practitioners were convened to examine how responsible scaling can transform food, land, and water systems. Responsible scaling recognizes that scaling is neither automatic nor neutral—it is shaped by power relations, institutional incentives, market structures, and social norms. The workshop emphasized that innovation processes must be anticipatory, inclusive, reflexive, and responsive to context-specific risks and opportunities. Key recommendations include harmonizing existing CGIAR frameworks such as IPSR, GenderUp, Scaling Scan, and empowerment metrics to embed inclusion and social risk assessment into scaling readiness; developing a Responsible Scaling Index to track empowerment and equity outcomes; and establishing communities of practice that bridge scaling and GESI expertise across institutions. Participants emphasized that responsible scaling begins at project design, requiring co-created socio-technical bundles and participatory approaches that align technological solutions with community priorities. Transformative scaling demands rethinking metrics of success to move beyond counts of adoption toward indicators of empowerment, legitimacy, and systemic change. By integrating responsible scaling principles across institutional, operational, and cultural dimensions, CGIAR and its partners can ensure that innovations not only spread widely but also contribute to just, resilient, and socially inclusive food system transformation. This brief reflects on a practical roadmap for scaling “better” rather than simply “more,” aligning scientific excellence with equity and long‑term impact.