To stimulate the discussions at the Forum May 2008 two sets of inputs will be developed: analytical material on policies and incentives for fostering innovation within the agricultural sector in the six African countries studied; and innovative case studies of successful technology projects having achieved scale within the four mentioned technologies within the six countries.

Policies and Incentives for Fostering Technology Development

Country studies focusing on “how national public policies encourage or impede agribusiness innovation” will be undertaken. They will analyze the performance of existing policies in relevant sectors (e.g., agriculture, trade, research and innovation, education and training, rural energy, finance, intellectual property rights, environment, health and food safety, etc.) in the six countries in providing the right incentives and regulatory frameworks to support the growth of agriculture and the food industry. A draft research proposal has already been reviewed closely by agriculture, private sector development, and education experts. Based on the research proposal, six country reports will be commissioned assessing the relevance of current policies and incentives in the six African countries in promoting technology development and innovation within agriculture and food industries.

Case Studies

To establish a well-informed dialogue and engage a “bottom-up” approach identifying innovative case studies on agricultural innovation and technology development, an “invitation to bid” will be organized inviting submissions in the form of a written short document from universities, research institutes, private sector enterprises, business associations, and non-government organizations describing a current project.

The objectives of the case-studies are to:

a. Analyze in detail the role of the private sector, business associations, NGOs, research institutes, and other organizations in disseminating, adopting, refining, and applying existing and new technologies in African countries; and
b. Provide concrete points of discussion for the Forum.

Particular attention will be given to projects which have achieved scale, have involved many different stakeholders effectively, or have endogenously developed technologies or successfully adapted technologies for local use. A detailed description of the “innovation to bid” exercise is available in Annex I.

See one page summaries of the case studies below:

• Ghana – “Farmer Participatory Selection of Rosette Resistant Groundnut Varieties”, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Crops Research Institute(CSIR-CRI) (PDF, 19Kb)
• Ghana – “Peri-urban Dairying Based on Smallholder Cattle Production”, Agrotech International(PDF, 18Kb)
• Ghana – “Non-shattering Soybean Variety”, International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development (IFDC) (PDF, 19Kb)
• Kenya – “Business Service Hub” , African Breeders Services Total Cattle Management (PDF, 17Kb)
• Mozambique – “Granary, Gorongoza Type” (PDF, 17Kb)
• Rwanda – “Development of Innovative Forage Production Technologies for Improved Dairy Productivity”, Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (PDF, 17Kb)
• Rwanda – “Increasing Quality and Value in the Rwandan Coffee Sector”, Rwanda Small Holder Specialty Coffee Company  (PDF, 16Kb)
• Tanzania – “Drip Irrigation and Fertilization of Tea”, Tea Research Institute of Tanzania (PDF, 19Kb)
• Tanzania – “Development of Multifunctional Platforms (MFP) for Productive Uses”, Tanzania Traditional Energy Development and Environment Organization (PDF, 17Kb)
• Uganda – “Transfer of Banana Tissue Culture Technology to Small-scale Farmers”, Agro-genetic Technologies Ltd.  (PDF, 21Kb)
• Uganda – “Integrated Forage Legumes in Smallholder Cereal Crop and Livestock Farming Systems”, National Agricultural Research Organization (PDF, 18Kb)