To stimulate the discussions at the Forum May 2008 two sets of inputs were 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.
Agribusiness Reports - Policies and Incentives for Fostering Technology Development Country studies focusing on “how national public policies encourage or impede agribusiness innovation” were undertaken. They analyzed 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 was reviewed closely by agriculture, private sector development, and education experts. Based on the research proposal, six country reports were 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.  Concept Note: How National Public Policies Encourage or Impede Agribusiness Innovation: Studies of Six African Countries (Word, 180Kb). This proposal sets out the objectives, specific research questions, scope of inquiry, methodology, outcome, and other details of the the first component of the research agenda: How National Public Policies Encourage or Impede Agribusiness Innovation. The studies will cover six countries -- Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. The proposal also describes agricultural innovation systems and lists numerous policies of potential relevance for agribusiness development.
See six country reports below: 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” was 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 were 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 was 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. Concept Note: Invitation to Bid (Word, 57Kb). The "invitation to bid" represents the second component of the research agenda involving a competition to submit and develop case studies on agriculture, food industry, energy, and environment by analyzin g in detail the roles of institutions of higher education and research, the private sector, business associations, NGOs, research institutes, and other organizations in disseminating, adopting, refining, and applying existing and new technologies in the six selected African countries. See one page summaries of the case studies below: 
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