Ideas to Impact: Creative Systems Thinking in Agriculture

-By Bharathi Parupalli 

Designing agricultural research that is innovative, inclusive, and scalable is becoming increasingly critical as agrifood systems face climate stress, market volatility, and sustainability challenges. Responding to this need, CIMMYT, under the CGIAR Scaling for Impact (S4I) program, partnered with the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) to organize a one-day capacity-sharing workshop on Creative and Systems Thinking for Innovative Agricultural Research on 8 December 2025. 

The training convened 25 early- and mid-career scientists from BARI, with strong gender balance (56% women and 44% men), reflecting inclusive capacity development. The program was inaugurated by Dr. Abdullah Yousuf Akhond, Director General, BARI, who recognized CGIAR’s sustained collaboration with NARES partners and emphasized its value in strengthening national research systems. Dr. Ashraf Uddin Ahmed, Director of Support Services, and Dr. Md. Atatur Rahman, Director of the Training Wing, underscored BARI’s strategic interest in expanding collaboration with CIMMYT. They highlighted that this was the first time such a structured training had been offered to BARI scientists, signaling a renewed institutional commitment to modern, impact-oriented capacity building. 

The focus was clear: strengthen researchers’ ability to think beyond disciplinary silos and design research that delivers real-world impact at scale. 

Why Creative and Systems Thinking Matter in Agricultural Research 

Traditional research approaches, while technically strong, often struggle to move beyond pilot stages. To generate impact at scale, research must be: 

• Creative, to reframe problems and explore novel solutions
• Analytical, to ensure rigor and evidence-based design
• System-oriented, to account for markets, institutions, policies, and users 

The workshop was designed to bridge this gap by equipping researchers with practical tools and mindsets to move from ideas to scalable innovation. 

Session Highlights 

Strengthening Creative and Analytical Research Thinking 

The opening session, facilitated by Dr. Sreejith Aravindakshan, focused on cultivating flexible, evidence-driven thinking for research design. The opening session focused on cultivating flexible, evidence-driven thinking for research design. Participants were introduced to stages of creative problem-solving and practical techniques such as brainstorming, visual mapping, and analogical reasoning. These methods encouraged researchers to challenge conventional framings of agricultural problems. 

Creativity was paired with analytical rigor through tools such as problem mapping, introductory illustrations using R, and most notably the Scaling Scan tool, which was new to many participants. Researchers learned how to formulate hypotheses using Innovation Packages and Scaling Readiness concepts, enabling them to assess the scalability of research ideas early in the design process. 

Seeing the Bigger Picture: Systems Thinking for Agricultural Innovation 

Facilitated by Dr. T.S. Amjath Babu, this session introduced systems thinking with a strong focus on climate-adaptive agriculture. This session introduced systems thinking with a strong focus on climate-adaptive agriculture. Participants explored how successful innovations must be embedded within broader systems that include seed supply, agronomic practices, mechanization, finance, markets, services, and governance. 

Through hands-on group work, participants designed mini-innovation packages for promoting a BARI-developed barley variety. By mapping stakeholders, identifying bottlenecks, and integrating agronomic, economic, and social dimensions, participants developed strategies to overcome constraints to scaling and adoption. 

Designing Inclusive and Policy-Relevant Research for Bangladesh’s Agrifood Systems 

Led by Dr. Ravi Nandi, this session strengthened participants’ ability to align research with national agrifood system priorities. This session strengthened participants’ ability to align research with national agrifood system priorities. Through guided reflection and small-group exercises, researchers examined sustainability and inclusivity challenges from multiple stakeholder perspectives. 

Participants identified priority research areas, formulated hypotheses, and refined research questions based on feasibility, inclusiveness, originality, and potential impact. Group reflections helped surface key assumptions, trade-offs, and opportunities to enhance policy relevance. 

From Learning to Practice: Group Research Design and Scaling Readiness 

The final session, facilitated by Bharathi Parupalli, translated learning into practice through hands-on group work. In the final session, participants worked in four groups to apply their learning by developing complete research concepts, their titles, methodologies, hypotheses, and research questions 

What Researchers Want Next 

Participants clearly articulated demand for further capacity strengthening from CIMMYT, particularly in topics such as Data analysis and advanced analytics, GIS and Remote Sensing applications, Scientific writing and data visualization, Research methodology and hypothesis development among many others. 

Looking Ahead 

This workshop marked an important step in strengthening collaboration between CIMMYT and national agricultural research systems in Bangladesh. By integrating creativity, analytical rigor, and systems thinking, the training contributed to building capacities essential for designing policy-relevant, inclusive, and scalable agricultural innovations. 

As agrifood systems continue to evolve under climate and development pressures, such approaches will be critical to ensuring that research moves beyond publications toward meaningful impact for farmers and food systems.