Public-Private Partnerships for Agroindustrial Research: Recommendations from an Expert Consultation

Hartwich, Frank, Janssen, Willem G., Tola, J. 2003. Public-Private Partnerships for Agroindustrial Research: Recommendations from an Expert Consultation. International Service for National Agricultural Research

Public-private partnerships are often promoted as a means to stimulate agricultural innovation in developing countries. Indeed, where research organizations and parts of the productive sector--farmers and private companies--link up, they can bring about innovations that benefit the sector's development. However, many public researchers, policymakers, company executives, and project managers still need to be convinced that such partnerships bring benefits, not only to the private sector but also to the public sector and to research. Many are hesitant as to when, under which circumstances, such partnerships should be formed. On the one hand, they recognize the opportunity to increase and intensify agricultural production, and so to provide income to farmers and workers in agroindustry while competing in the global market place. On the other, their concern that smallholder farmers might not benefit from the profit made in private agroindustry causes them to oppose the spending of public money that enriches the private sector. This Briefing Paper reports on a workshop held at the University of Hohenheim in Germany to look at public-private partnerships in agroindustrial research. Following a definition of relevant terms, it presents the outcome of case studies carried out in Costa Rica, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and Paraguay, as well as supplementary experiences in Germany and Africa. The paper also presents policy statements developed by workshop participants and suggests future steps for making public-private partnerships a more useful tool for agroindustrial development.