Role of public-private partnership in the development of semi-arid tropics value chains

Abstract

Public-private partnerships (PPP) form the basis of potential opportunities for pro-poor agricultural research and development in the developing countries. National governments and donors are increasingly looking to private sector to take over many of the roles that government has withdrawn from, but the public sector still harbors a mixed attitude towards the private sector. ICRISAT strongly believes in the power of partnerships and has broadened the base of partnership over the years. ICRISAT has trail-blazed partnerships with private companies, start-up companies, seed companies, foundations and trusts. The PPP initiatives of ICRISAT include Hybrid Parents Research Consortia, Platform for Translational Research on Transgenic Crops, and the Agribusiness and Innovation Platform that includes three programs, namely: Agribusiness Incubation, Innovation and Partnership, and NutriPlus Knowledge. ICRISAT through this innovative institutional model of PPP has been focusing on the development of smallholder farmers by providing them with the latest farm technologies, new seed materials and market and business linkages. Over the years, ICRISAT has evolved mechanisms in collaboration with the private sector that support these farmers directly and indirectly. These PPP initiatives have created a wider impact on society and especially farmers by linking them to markets, thereby enhancing the Inclusive Market Oriented Development (IMOD) strategy of ICRISAT