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Until the 1970s, Ireland’s agricultural sector had many similarities to many developing agricultural sectors today: more than a quarter of the population worked on small farms, there was little access to value-added opportunities, and a large number of people migrated from rural areas. In the 1990s, Ireland’s food sector began a rapid transformation process. Today, Ireland is a world leader in food safety, traceability and environmental sustainability, with access to high-value food markets in the EU, Asia and the United States. In an ongoing project, FAO is working with Ireland and the African Union Commission to help facilitate the exchange of ideas between the two entities to help inform useful exchanges and solutions to common challenges facing the agricultural sector, with a particular focus on the importance of partnerships with the private sector.
The importance of public-private partnerships
In a context of limited government resources, innovative partnerships that bring together business, government and civil society are increasingly important to boost productivity and drive growth in the global agriculture and food sector. The public and private sectors have opposing but complementary strengths – and when combined, much can be achieved.
In the agricultural sector, these public-private partnerships (PPPs) have the potential to make a real impact. Agricultural PPPs combine the operational and economic efficiency of the private sector with the role of the public sector as an enabling environment and regulator, ensuring that social interests are taken into account. PPPs have the potential to modernize the agricultural sector and bring benefits that contribute to inclusive and sustainable agricultural development. The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) clearly state that all sectors, including food and agriculture, need to establish more constructive relationships between public policy, the private sector, research, science and education. Through agricultural PPPs, we can promote sustainable, long-term agricultural development with solid financial support.
FAO, Ireland and African Union Commission (AUC)
With large tracts of uncultivated arable land and the world’s youngest population, Africa has the potential to feed not only itself, but much of the world. Population growth, increasing urbanization, and increasing pressure for sustainable and ethical food production are changing how people eat and how food is produced. To stay competitive, it’s important to account for these changes and find innovative ways to adapt to them.
What are the best practices? The Irish example shows that developing a clear agricultural strategy that engages all stakeholders, including the private sector, is fundamental to transforming the sector. Ireland’s experience in transforming agricultural production in partnership with the private and public sectors provides an opportunity for North-South collaboration, allowing countries to share experiences on building sustainable and nutritious agri-food sectors.
FAO, the African Union Commission and the Government of Ireland have been working together on this topic through FAO’s trilateral cooperation programme and the Hand-in-Hand initiative. In 2017, ten African countries represented the continent at a workshop in Ireland, which also involved leaders from the public and private sectors. The workshop and study tour to Ireland allowed participating countries to share experiences and learn about the successes of the Irish agri-food sector.
To continue the knowledge exchange, FAO, the African Union Commission, the Government of Ireland and the host Government of Rwanda organized a four-day executive training event. Held in Kigali in July 2019, the workshop was designed specifically for leaders from the African public sector and food industry, with a focus on engaging the private sector in the development of sustainable food systems.
Executive Coaching led national teams representing the food industry and ministries of agriculture, trade and planning to identify the key points needed to transform the agri-food sector in their respective countries.
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Based on the ideas shared at the workshops, country teams began implementing these strategies in their respective countries.
In Kenya, participants met with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, which has pledged to implement a number of initiatives over the next two years to strengthen private sector engagement in the strategy. These include establishing a platform for private sector players in the agricultural sector, forming a high-level committee to give voice to private and public sector stakeholders, and developing a process to engage the private sector in the implementation of the agricultural transformation strategy.
In Uganda, FAO organized a follow-up meeting with the government that led to the development of a strategy to engage the private sector in Uganda’s new National Agricultural Investment Plan. FAO and the AU Commission will continue to support these national processes, starting with a customized training for Ugandan officials in December 2019 to support the launch of Uganda’s Agricultural Sector Strategic Plan 2020. This event will include peer exchanges with public and private sector representatives from Kenya and the Republic of Ireland.
Agribusiness can play a key role in kick-starting Africa’s economic transformation, reducing rural poverty, providing nutritious food, and creating jobs for the millions of young Africans who enter the workforce each year.
Recognizing that the SDGs can only be achieved through partnerships at all levels, FAO actively promotes such collaborations around the world and has developed a set of guidelines for public-private partnerships to help encourage collaborative and innovative approaches to agribusiness development.
PPPs for agribusiness development are critical to SDG 2, ensuring sustainable and resilient food systems needed to deliver healthy diets, and SDG 1, ending poverty.
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