Markets and Private Sector
Development programmes and projects aim to address the many challenges faced by smallholder farmers and producers. These range from having access to good inputs, strengthening the delivery of business and financial services, facilitating access to markets, and providing timely market information to strengthen the negotiating and bargaining power of smallholder producers. Today, increasingly this is possible through a public-private partnership. The various sessions will showcase examples of:
- innovative public-private partnerships discuss innovative approaches to target nomadic communities
- developing a value-based market for smallholder producers
- different value-chain approaches
Challenges and opportunities of engaging in a private-public partnership: The oil palm experience (69)
This session will highlight amongst other things characteristics of palm oil refining and 1/3-2/3 split in plantation investments by IFAD and the private sector agreed upon in 2000 and initiated in 2004, including the specific challenges of the differing time-frames of smallholder farmers and the private sector. IFAD's Uganda Country Programme Manager will talk about the partnership with and contribution of the private sector and the mechanisms IFAD has put in place for helping farmers to learn so that they can take full advantage of this innovative project. Oil palm in Malaysia and Indonesia has been a “bête-noire” of the NGO community since the late 1990s, and oil palm in Uganda has been judged negatively by innuendo. The session will discuss how IFAD has raised awareness about the economic livelihood opportunities for smallholder oil palm farmers in Uganda and how both the private sector and IFAD have addressed global environmental concerns about the industry.
Marian Bradley
IFAD