A Social Innovation Lab is a process of developing local solutions using the principles of Human Centred Design, and Co-Creation involving those who are impacted by a challenge the most.Ā Through this process, solutions are ideated, nurtured, tested, and developed. The process aims at creating solutions that are not only locally viable, but also scalable.
An AgriLab follows the same process, but is aimed at the development of a physical tool used in an agricultural context, whereas a Social Innovation Lab can develop any type of solution or resource.Ā
Both Social Innovation Labs and AgriLabs are always set up around a challenge. Ā The process starts with a situation where big problems are seen but there are no solutions yet.
SPARK will carry out five of these Labs over the course of the programme aimed at breaking down barriers to disability inclusion in agricultural value chains.Ā The type of Lab carried out, and the challenges they address will be determined through conducting Barrier Analysis research in the areas where a Lab will be facilitated.
An important starting point in any Lab is the discussion of the challenge statement. Conducting a Barrier Analysis supports this, because this type of research is aimed at pinpointing the specific, micro-level factors that inhibit people with disabilities from full participation.Ā This form of study generates the beginnings of a dialogue about the challenge and the underlying problems, and caters for a better understanding of the root-causes and the choices made.
The Co-Design process used in the Social Innovation Lab approach consists of the following stages:
Making Framework (Sanders & Stappers, 2014) combined with Creative Capacity Building Process (Taha, 2012)
Taha, K. A. (2011). Creative capacity building in post-conflict Uganda. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
When is a Social Innovation Lab approach less suitable?
- If you think you can tackle the problem on your own.
- If you have solutions already at hand that you want to test before scaling up
- If you have a donor that requires a logical framework with pre-set outcomes and impact results
- If you have a tight planning that doesnāt allow for exploration and experimentation.
- If there is no budget or organisation commitment to invest in the collaboration and in the Lab
- If the potential users are not interested
- If you are afraid of āfailureā
Learn more about the AgriLab process
*This video documents an AgriLab project in Indonesia carried out by Light for the World and Pusat Rehabilitasi Yakkum
