Understanding the Drivers of Agricultural Innovation in Ethiopia’s Integrated Agro-Industrial Parks: A Structural Equation Modeling and Qualitative Insights Approach
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsRelevant references for innovation systems, institutional dynamics, and sustainable growth in the agriculture industry should be added to the introduction.
The font and size of the figures need to be adjusted because they differ from the majority of the figures.
For the readers' benefit, additional details regarding the data set in the two IAIPs—Bulbula and Yirgalem—should be provided in the Data Analysis.
Table 3 on pages 7 and 8 should be included in the Appendix.
The interaction between the components that have been discovered and how it shapes the innovation ecosystem within IAIPs should be explained after the Figure 4.
There are four green lines in Figure 5 that have no connection to anything.
The findings ought to be broadened to include the effects of institutional dynamics and innovation systems on agro-industrial parks.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer 1,
Please find attached our responses to your comments.
With regards,
Dr. Efa Muleta Boru { Corresponding Author of Manuscript Code: 3441706, as revised)
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe manuscript titled " Innovation Systems and Institutional Dynamics in Ethiopia's Agro-Industrial Parks: Fostering Technological Advancements and Sustainable Growth in the Agricultural Sector " holds significant potential for publication. However, I would like to offer the following comments and suggestions for the authors' consideration:
1. Begin your abstract with a concise and compelling statement of the study's motivation, highlighting the significance of the research and explicitly addressing the specific problem or gap it seeks to address.
2. Conclude your abstract with a clear and concise policy recommendation, emphasizing actionable insights drawn from the study's findings. These recommendations should guide decision-makers in implementing effective practices or addressing the identified issues, ensuring the research contributes to practical and impactful solutions.
3. In the introduction section, provide relevant facts and figures about the Ethiopian economy to illustrate the trends of the variables under consideration.
4. Literature review is missing here in this article. Please write the literature review section in which you should highlight prior research conducted in this area, identifying key contributors and their findings. It should also emphasize gaps or limitations in their work, which this study aims to address through further investigation.
5. In the methodology section, clearly present your econometric model, detailing the dependent and independent variables included in the analysis. Additionally, provide a comprehensive explanation of the econometric techniques employed, such as regression analysis, time-series analysis, or panel data methods. Highlight the rationale for selecting these techniques, their suitability for addressing the research objectives, and any diagnostic tests used to ensure the robustness and reliability of the results.
6. To strengthen the methodology section, discuss alternative methodologies that could have been employed for the analysis, highlighting their potential applications and inherent limitations. By evaluating these methods, explain why they were not chosen for this study.
7. The conclusion section is not according to genral format. Please rewrite the conclusion on the basis of the following suggestions:
a) Write about the importance and motivation of the study.
b) Explain your result in terms of positive and negative aspects.
c) Give a suggestion on the basis of the result.
d) What will be the future implications of the study?
8. The paper require a thorough proofreading of the entire manuscript, as I have identified some grammatical errors and typographical mistakes.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer-2,
Really we appreciate your all valuable comments and acknowledge them well here as you can found it in the apploaded session.
With regards,
Dr. Efa M.
( Corresponding Author of the Manuscript Code: Agriculture 3441706, as revised)
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe title looks more like some study highlighting the benefits of the policy, can we focus on the key scientific questions this paper is trying to address?
The preface needs more introduction to show the important role of innovation systems in agriculture and the related research progress and consensus that has been achieved. It is a bit brief at the moment, making it impossible to fully judge the theoretical research frontiers, and RESEARCH GAP.
The research methodology section seems to be a bit questionable in that it does not seem to explain how random sampling is done in a very limited sample size. Is it possible to do this without mechanically pursuing sampling randomness?
In the presentation of results section, some of the statements seem to be in bullet points, which does not meet the general specifications for writing scientific manuscripts?
In Figure 5, there are some green diagonal lines that seem to have no idea what they mean.
In Figure 6, the dimensions of categorization, it seems that they are not done without repetition or omission, and it seems that there are many other aspects that are not covered?Overall, the pictures need sprucing up.
The formatting of the references needs to be revised.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer 3,
Thank you for you very valuable comments that we acknowledged all as you can found in the appload session below.
With regards,
Dr. Efa Muleta Boru
Corresponding Autor of the Agriculture Manuscript - Code: 3441706, as revised
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 4 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe article should specify technological innovations and the measures by which they can be implemented. Can this be done only by creating integrated agro-industrial parks? Clear justification.
The surveys were conducted using a structured questionnaire for a random sample selected from five different strata: the public sector, the private sector, development partners, research and academic circles, and agricultural producers. Why were these strata chosen?
Figure 3. Implementation of innovations by type of innovation in IAIP Bulbula and Yirgalem. It is not clear which park is which. Is the average value taken for the two agro-industrial parks regarding the types of innovations?
The keywords in the article need corrections.
Comments on the Quality of English LanguageThe English could be improved to more clearly express the research.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer 4,
We thank you very much for your invaluable comments you have provided for our Manuscripts. We also acknowledge all points as you can find in the appload session.
With regards,
Dr. Efa Muleta Boru ( Corresponding Autor for the Agr. Manuscript Coded : 3441706, for the revision part}
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe authors incorporated the required suggestions.
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe authors have incorporated all my comments
