Current practices in agricultural public-private partnerships

Elsa Olivia^*
*Correspondence: Elsa Olivia, Department of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China, Email:

Published: 29-Dec-2021

Introduction

In nations where agriculture is less economically significant, it plays a vital role in rural development, particularly owing to land usage. Agriculture’s primary potential contributions to rural development are in the areas of job creation, supplementary enterprises, and environmental services.

Agriculture has a vital role in the provision of food for both rural and urban populations, as well as cash crops for export to generate foreign money. Demand for additional products and services is increased as a result of this process, and job possibilities develop to absorb the society’s workforce. Keeping agricultural products in better storage improves family consumption patterns, raises income, and minimises household food insecurity.

During the “Green Revolution” of the 1960s and 1970s, agriculture achieved significant improvement. Companies and government agencies throughout the globe continue to make advances in a variety of areas that contribute to global food security. Nonetheless, yields in major crops differ greatly from year to year. Farming regions, and they frequently fall short of their full potential. Crop losses before and after harvest continues to keep an estimated 40% of agricultural goods from reaching the market place. There are a variety of reasons for these shortages, but one of the most common is farmers’ lack of resources. Access to technology, proper extension services, and a lack of market integration are all issues that need to be addressed.

There are two basic causes for a technology’s “lack of access”: it has not yet been developed, or it has been produced but is not yet available everywhere it is needed. There are still a number of pests, illnesses, and other agricultural problems for which there is no suitable answer. There are also numerous solutions that scientists are aware of but have yet to be commercialised in all of the situations where they may be useful. Farmers are held back by both types of “lack of access” all across the world, but especially in underdeveloped nations.

With the exception of specific points along the long journey from fundamental research to extensive commercial deployment, where coordination was necessary, the public and private sectors have traditionally endeavoured to develop answers independently of one another. For example, it has been stated that the “Green Revolution” was a public-sector project that largely drowned out private activity, resulting in a widespread disregard for farmer-tailored solutions .Isolated techniques are thus unable to meet the problems of the twentyfirst century, particularly the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals relating to agriculture. The first half of this article uses three case studies to demonstrate the success of public-private partnerships (PPPs) and to draw some general lessons for future PPPs.

Current Practices in Agricultural Public-Private Partnerships

The “G-20” Summit in Toronto, Canada, in June 2010 emphasised that “there is still a need to” to “increase the pace of research and development in order to narrow the gap in agricultural output.” The meeting progressed to “The private sector will be important in the development and implementation of breakthrough technologies,” they say. Strategies that deliver tangible outcomes on the ground” more research resources to “orphan” crops than commercial enterprises. Later on, the worldwide Tef Improvement Project is given as an example to show how this may operate in practise. Importantly, the private sector’s contribution to agricultural growth extends far beyond research. For-profit businesses, including smallholders, are in the business of bringing items to market and delivering value. Companies have great skill in product creation, marketing, and delivery, driven by the desire to commercialise innovative innovations. In several key areas, public agricultural R&D efforts have been effective. They are, however, usually useless when it comes to actually providing items, such as enhanced seed types that are matched to the farmer’s specific needs, and so encouraging repeat purchase and effective usage. Incentives from the government can be beneficial during the early stages of the development of novel hybrid seeds, but they should never be given accessible for free. Well-meaning overly substantial government hand-outs, on the other hand, inhibit private initiative and instil in farmers unrealistic long-term expectations.