2014 Conference

The Pears Foundation, the Pears Innovation for International Development Program at the Hartog School of Government and Policy and MASHAV - Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in partnership with the Manna Center Program in Food Safety and Security are happy to present the 2014 Conference on Leveraging the Private Sector for Agricultural Innovation in Development.

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In the continuing quest to expand the innovation, adaptation and uptake of appropriate technologies for smallholder farmers in developing countries, policymakers have been increasingly turning towards private sector mechanisms. Where government extension services and traditional development projects have at times lacked efficacy, the expansion of public-private partnerships the growth of local agribusiness are generating new approaches to agricultural innovation and dissemination.  

Capitalizing upon the potential of leveraging the private sector for agricultural innovation for development raises several key questions:  when should the private sector be engaged and when is governmental or donor activity still optimal?  What models of public-private partnership and support for local agribusiness are likely to have the greatest impact on technology uptake by local farmers?  How can the respective stakeholders work most effectively together? What are the ethical implications and considerations of transferring responsibility for agricultural technology transfer to the hands of the private sector?

Who Should Attend?  Policymakers, practitioners, NGO and private sector representatives and academics interested in policy aspects of agricultural technology development and transfer to small-holder farmers in developing countries.