Africa and Brazil establish new partnership to enhance agricultural innovation and development in Africa: the Africa-Brazil Agricultural Innovation Marketplace

Agriculture represents an important segment of the economies of Africa and Brazil. In addition, similarities in climate, ecosystems, agricultural practices, and culture may facilitate knowledge sharing and technological cooperation. Over the past 30 years, Brazilian agricultural growth and development has been guided by policies and technologies based on research for development. Brazilian policies, experience, and focus in social programs such as Fome Zero (Zero Hunger) targeting social protection networks for the poor, provide an important linkage between the regions.

In this context the Africa-Brazil Agricultural Innovation Marketplace was established to link Brazilian and African experts and institutions to develop cooperative projects. The Marketplace is a process that focuses on generating benefits for smallholders. It was developed by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), with support from the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Bank (WB), the Brazilian Cooperation Agency of the Ministry of External Relations (ABC) and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

It aims to benefit primarily smallholder producers. The objective of this initiative is to enhance agricultural innovation for development on the African continent through the establishment and strengthening of partnerships between African and Brazilian organizations. The Marketplace focuses on agricultural innovation thus potentially engaging the full range of actors involved in the generation of agricultural knowledge (research, academia, extension, private sector, NGOs, producers, policy makers). This initiative leads to the generation of concrete and productive partnerships between agricultural research and development organizations in Africa and Brazil, initially through Embrapa, supporting smallholders. Ultimately, it will support the development of a mutually agreed framework for sustainable Africa-Brazil collaborations. The Marketplace will open a new source of expertise to Africa to identify and target pro-poor, smallholder-based projects utilizing Brazilian innovation research.

The Africa-Brazil Agricultural Innovation Marketplace is a process composed of three pillars:

•    A policy dialogue between policy-makers, and research and development institutions;
•    A forum for presentation and discussion of collaborative ideas;
•    Support and implementation of Africa-Brazil collaborative projects in agriculture in the selected thematic areas.

The Marketplace is a partnership between FARA, Embrapa, DFID, IFAD, the World Bank, ABC and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Additional partners might join the initiative in the future. Special partnerships will be established, as appropriate. African-based public or private, governmental or non-governmental research and development organizations are invited to participate in the Africa-Brazil Agricultural Innovation Marketplace in collaboration with one or more Embrapa centers.

To learn more about the Africa-Brazil Agricultural Innovation Marketplace and the projects implemented under its aegis visit the website http://www.africa-brazil.org/

 

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