Genesis
RUN stands for Rural Universe Network. Originally it was a project of the Center for Documentation and Information in Agriculture (ZADI, Germany) that was launched in the context of the Expo2000 (Hannover; Germany) with support of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (BMBF).The main objective of the initial project was to take advantage of the internet in order to give farmers a voice. A series of subsequent projects led to the development of the RUN business mode that is outlined in this paper.
Purpose
The general purpose of the RUN business model is to improve the performance of the agricultural innovation system. It is an operational framework that enables the collaboration between independent actors and organisations with complementary skills for the provision of more complex services that takes advantage of the collective know-how..
The framework comprises a procedure for the definition of services, a system for seamless documentation of all processes and a work-flow management system that assures delivery and the timely payment of involved actors.
How it works
The RUN business model pursues a collaborative, result oriented and demand driven approach for the provision of services that aim at satisfying the particular needs of individual persons or organisations, the beneficiary. The system takes advantage of young professionals, the Internet to pool and organise human resources and local initiatives for the provision of services.
An example is the information exchange service (IES-service). It combines a question and answer service with a farm household survey. It enables farmers to present an agricultural problem they may have and to receive expert feedback by the intermediary of field agent and knowledge manager. The graph below illustrates the different steps from the design to the delivery of the service, the role of the different actors and the costs involved.
The RUN business model can be used for all kind of services from vocational training to making radio programs.
Core principles
1. Demand driven: All services are delivered following the demand that is expressed by an individual. They evaluate the services upon delivery.
2. Build on the local economy: The prices of services are determined on the basis of the prices of the local economy. Services are delivered in collaboration with existing initiatives, small businesses and young professionals.
3. Result oriented: A service is a set of clearly defined tasks involving several actors, so called Task Agents. They are paid for the timely delivery of the results. They may freely organise their work as long as they deliver the results in time.
4. Payment upon delivery: Involved Task Agents are paid upon delivery of the service.
5. Transparency: The supporting information system assures timely and complete documentation of all processes on the Internet, while ensuring the protection of individual rights. Hard-copies are made accessible to the communities in local archives.
Workflow of the service delivery system
The Film - A bridge between science and farmers
The documentary "A Bridge between Science and Farmers" about the Information Exchange Service permits a better understanding of the business model. The length of the documentary is 14 minutes.
