The term Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) is used to describe the whole knowledge exchange system, including the ways people and organisations interact within a country or a region. AKIS can include farming practices, research, etc. as well as interactions with businesses and authorities; it can vary a lot, depending on the country or the sector. When developing new AKIS, technical, organisational, and social dimensions should be considered (a “systems approach”); this helps bridge the gap between science and practice.

AKIS as a system links people and organisations to promote mutual learning and to generate, share, and utilise agriculture-related technology, knowledge, and information. It considers diverse actors from the private, public, and non-profit sectors relating to agriculture, such as farmers, cooperatives, researchers, universities, public and private advisors, supply chain actors, students, youth groups, and other actors in the agricultural sector (EIP-AGRI, Brochure on Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems, 2018).