Monthly Archives: December 2014

Binging public and private sectors together in promoting innovations, partnership and entrepreneurial climate in the Indian agricultural sector, the Agri Innovation Conclave 2014 concluded successfully in New Delhi on 18-19 May.

The Conclave was the culmination of the Krishi Parivartan Yatra, a train journey of 50 National Agricultural Innovation Project’s (NAIP) farmer beneficiaries across five cities to share success stories on agri-ventures, and the Agri-Biz Idol Camps held to reach out to the youth and start-up entrepreneurs. The Conclave convened agribusiness experts, professionals, and other stakeholders from across the country, on a common platform to share NAIP’s success and conceive path breaking ideas for strengthening the future of agribusiness in India.

Organized by of the NAIP of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), in collaboration with the Agri-Business Incubation (ABI) program of ICRISAT, the two-day Conclave marked the successful completion of NAIP, showcasing success stories and best agri- innovative products developed under the project.

“This is just the beginning of big things to come. Transformation is important to enable economies to progress. One of the best ways to achieve this is to promote entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector. Entrepreneurs act as major building blocks of the economy anywhere in the world today. Agribusiness incubation is the only way to solve the many and diverse challenges faced by entrepreneurs,” said Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, in his special address at the Conclave.

“For us, the parameters of success have been the farmers and their growth. We call it an agricultural transformation, as we intended at the end of these five years of NAIP implementation. It has all been about giving, enabling and empowering our fellow farmers,” said Dr S Ayyappan, Director General, ICAR.

“ICAR is trailblazing in many ways. NAIP has benefited about 200,000 farmers in five years. This is the ultimate test of success of any development project and NAIP certainly passed it with flying colors,” said Dr D Rama Rao, National Director, NAIP.
“The joint effort of ICRISAT-ABI and NAIP’s Business Planning and Development (BPD) units has brought in a great change in the entrepreneurial system in the country. This success has to continue and the BPD operations must attain sustainability,” said Dr Kiran K Sharma, CEO, Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP), ICRISAT.

Mr Onno Ruhl, World Bank Country Director for India said that: “NAIP has addressed the challenges by transforming the agriculture sector in the country and enhancing the livelihoods of the farmers. The agriculture system in India has completely changed and now farmers are having access to agricultural technology.”

According to Mr Peter Kenmore, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) representative in India, “The country is on the march towards attaining food security and NAIP has really contributed towards this aim through innumerable innovations and interventions. Development in the agriculture sector should also emphasize off-farm job creation in the rural areas through more innovations.”

A train journey to promote cross learning among farmers across India was kick-started by ICRISAT with its hosting of the first of five Agro-tech and business opportunities expos to take place in five cities traversing through Hyderabad, Nagpur, Bhopal, Mathura and New Delhi.

Krishi Parivartan Yatra (meaning, a journey of agricultural transformation) took 50 farmers and entrepreneurs who are beneficiaries of the World Bank-funded National Agriculture Innovation Project (NAIP) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), on a five-city tour to share new technologies and agri-ventures with fellow farmers.

The first expo held at ICRISAT on 11 May showcased the best of innovations and enterprises developed through NAIP. Parallel sessions and discussions were held, where NAIP farmer beneficiaries shared their success stories with about 200 farmers and entrepreneurs and promoted the tremendous potential of agribusiness in boosting the transformation of Indian agriculture. The train journey was then flagged from the ICRISAT headquarters in Hyderabad for the five-city tour.

“Innovation in agriculture is widely considered as the key to achieve food security. To actualize this vast untapped potential of Indian agriculture, this Krishi Parivartan Yatra is being organized to bring to the fore, the unlimited opportunities that agriculture and agribusiness offer,” said Dr D Rama Rao, National Director, NAIP at the inaugural session of the Yatra.

“We believe smallholder farming in the drylands can be prosperous. And that is why we are engaged in promoting entrepreneurship and agribusiness among the rural communities” said Ms Joanna Kane-Potaka, Strategic Marketing and Communication Director, representing ICRISAT Director General Dr William Dar.

“ICRISAT’s Agri-Business Incubation (ABI) Program has supported more than 200 agribusiness ventures and benefited over 500,000 farmers in Andhra Pradesh and neighboring states. We have identified and supported some very good innovative products and technologies and taken them to the market. The Krishi Parivartan Yatra supports our goal to bring together the best of agri-ventures and enterprises to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers,” said Mr SM Karuppanchetty, Chief Operating Officer, ICRISAT-ABI.

The train journey, along with the just concluded Agri-Biz Idol Camps held in various cities on 5-9 May to reach out to the youth and start-up entrepreneurs, will culminate in the Agri-Innovation Conclave on 18-19 May in New Delhi. The conclave aims to bring together agribusiness experts, professionals, and other stakeholders from across the country, on a common platform to share NAIP’s success and conceive path breaking ideas for strengthening the future of agribusiness in India.

NAIP-ICAR has embarked on this unique initiative to promote awareness on the potential opportunities in agri-business, nurture agri-innovators for future generations, and promote the various business incubation services offered by NAIP’s Business Planning and Development (BPD) units. The BPDs which primarily act as agriculture incubation centers help start-ups or entrepreneurs foraying into agribusiness to flourish by providing comprehensive business solutions.

Over the last five years, 22 agribusiness incubators (BPDs) have been set up throughout India in agricultural universities and research institutes by NAIP-ICAR with support and mentoring by ICRISAT-ABI. The success has led to ICRISAT and ICAR sharing their expertise across the continents to Africa, to coordinate the setting up of food business incubators and food technology laboratories in 10 African countries.

Highlighting opportunities in agribusiness for the youth, the National Agriculture Innovation Project (NAIP) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has embarked on a unique initiative called Agri-Biz Idol Camps. Aimed at reaching out to the youth and start-up entrepreneurs and to showcase the tremendous potential of agribusiness, the camps were successfully organized in five Indian cities, namely Hyderabad, New Delhi, Pune, Coimbatore and Anand from 5 to 9 May.

The camps helped participants understand the various business incubation services offered by NAIP’s Business Planning and Development (BPD) Units. The BPDs primarily act as an agriculture incubation center helping start-ups or entrepreneurs foraying into the agri-business to flourish by providing comprehensive business solutions.

At the camp in Hyderabad on 5 May, start-ups and agri-students were provided with an ideal platform to pitch their business ideas and develop new agri-ventures. Thirty-four students from the National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM) took part in the event along with representatives from five industries.

A total of 12 ideas were pitched at the event, of which two best presentations have been shortlisted for the Agri-Innovation Conclave to be held in New Delhi on 18-19 May. The top two ideas shortlisted are ‘Innovative hyacinth removal device’ by Mr Godasu Narsimhu and Mr Vasu Dev; and ‘Hydroponics based vertical farming’ by Ms Nazhat Kittur and Mr Shelke Sagar.

Present on the occasion were Dr SL Goswami, Director, NAARM; Dr Kalpana Sastry, Joint Director, NAARM; Mr SM Karuppanchetty, Chief Operating Officer, Agri-Business Incubation Program (ABI), ICRISAT; Brigadier Ganeshan from Palle Srujana (an NGO); and Mr Rakesh Reddy, Director, Vishvawani Management Institute.

The BPDs cover the entire spectrum of agribusiness including agriculture, horticulture, veterinary and livestock, fisheries and marine products, animal husbandry, crop production, food processing and agri-inputs, agri-engineering, textile and industrial processing, and postharvest management. ICRISAT’s ABI is currently extending its handholding and mentoring services to the 22 BPDs set up under the World Bank-funded NAIP.

Swayambhu Biologics, a graduate incubatee of ICRISAT’s Agri-Business Incubation (ABI) Program was adjudged the winner of the Social Enterprise Award 2014 under the Agriculture, Food and Livelihoods category at the Sankalp Unconvention Summit 2014, held on 9-11 April in Mumbai, India.

Swayambhu Biologics was recognized for its path-breaking, proprietary compost technology on Accelerated Rapid Biological Intervention Technology (ARBIT), the first of its kind in the world. This technology composts press-mud in 14 days as against the existing 90-120 days, which is then ready for conversion as Phosphate Rich Organic Manure (PROM). ICRISAT-ABI has been working with Swayambhu Biologics for the past two years in the commercialization of their proprietary ARBIT technology.

The Sankalp Unconvention Summit is one of the largest conferences that focus on identifying and promoting social enterprises in Asia. ICRISAT-ABI has been a regular participant of this Summit, identifying potential innovators and investors for incubator activities.

Dr R Balaji, Managing Director of Swayambhu Biologics received the award while Mr Suneel Vemu represented ICRISAT-ABI at the event.

Aiming to promote innovative initiatives and empower agribusiness incubators, ICRISAT’s Agri-Business Incubation (ABI) Program conducted a training program for managers and clients of the Business Planning and Development (BPD) units of the Network of Indian Agri-Business Incubators (NIABI).

“The training program has been very helpful in linking our business to potential buyers. The one-on-one sessions with the expert panel have helped me understand various government schemes and explore funding sources for my agribusiness venture. I strongly feel that NIABI will help me expand my business all over India,” said Mr Jagadeeshan, a client of the NIABI Business Planning and Development unit, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.

The training on “NAIP Mentoring and Capacity Building Program,” was held at the Global Incubation Services (GINSERV) campus on 26 March, as a side event of the 8th annual conference of the Indian STEP and Business Incubator Association (ISBA) 2014 held in Bengaluru, India.

Mr SM Karuppanchetty, Chief Operating Officer of ICRISAT-ABI, briefed the participants about the training event. Sessions were held on enhancing the success of start-ups through incubator client services, funding agribusiness ventures, marketing and operations of business incubators, and interactions with industry personnel to benefit from their rich experiences and to chart the way forward.

The expert panel consisted of: Mr Raghavendra Prasad, CEO, Wifin Technologies; Mr A Balachander, General Manager, Vellore Institute of Technology – Technology Business Incubator (VIT-TBI); Mr Nagaraja Prakasam, Angel Investor; Ms Dakshayani Suryaprakash, Senior Manager, GINSERV; Mr Janardhan Swahar, Director, Swayam Foods; and Mr Varun Pawar from Village Capital.

ICRISAT-ABI recognized

ICRISAT’s presentation on ‘Innovative initiatives of incubators’ was adjudged the third best at the 8th annual conference of ISBA 2014 held on 24 March. The presentation highlighted the need to think out of the box and to innovate to promote agribusiness incubation in India.

The conference was attended by more than 150 delegates including managers of technology incubator parks and companies that are being incubated in the Science and Technology Entrepreneurs Parks (STEPs), principal investigators, business managers and clients of NIABI, and start-up entrepreneurs from across the country.

ISBA, which is now in its 10th year of operation, promotes business incubation activities in India through exchange of information, sharing of experience, and other networking assistance among Indian Business Incubators, STEPs, and other related organizations engaged in the promotion of start-up enterprises.

Sorghum smallholder farmers in Kenya can now look forward to better entrepreneurship and agribusiness opportunities and become stronger players in the value chain with the launch of the Sorghum Value Chain Development Consortium (SVCDC).

“Market-oriented agriculture is the most efficient way to solve the issues pertaining to small and marginal farmers of Africa. Income from marketed produce will enable farm families to purchase more food and farm inputs. This will further raise farm productivity, kicking off a series of investments that bring about local and national economic growth and creating a self-reinforcing pathway to prosperity of the agricultural sector,” ICRISAT Director General Dr William Dar said during the launch of SVCDC in Kenya on 14 March.

The Agri-Business Incubation (ABI) program of ICRISAT’s Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP) has facilitated the establishment of the SVCDC, an agribusiness incubator that will work along the sorghum value chain, at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology (JKUAT). SVCDC is one of the six agribusiness incubators being established under the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa’s initiative on Universities, Business and Research in Agricultural Innovation (FARA-UniBRAIN) project with mentoring support from ICRISAT.

“The establishment of agribusiness incubators like SVCDC is significant coming at a time when the Government of Kenya is initiating steps to promote entrepreneurs in agriculture, and ensuring food security,” said the chief guest at the launch, Ms Sisilia Karoke, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Government of Kenya. She also highlighted that breweries in the East African region are consuming large quantities of value-added products of sorghum, thereby creating a large demand for the crop. She also thanked ICRISAT for its commitment and contributions to the agriculture system in the country.

Prof Christine Onyango, Associate Professor and Deputy Principal, Taita Taveta University College, Kenya and Chair of the SVCDC Board, briefed the guests on the consortium’s involvement in creating agribusiness enterprises along the sorghum value chains through the 4Fs: Food, Feed, Fuel and Fiber. This, she added, would benefit the stakeholders through training and capacity building, advisory services and technical backstopping through products and services.

Prof Mabel Imbuga, Vice Chancellor, JKUAT, emphasized that SVCDC will promote entrepreneurs in the sorghum value chain by deriving strength from all the partners of the Agribusiness Innovation Incubator Consortia (AIIC). FARA-UniBRAIN Facility Coordinator, Mr Alex Ariho highlighted the unique partnership between UniBRAIN and its sub-regional partners in different value chains in Africa.

Dr Dar, in his special address, congratulated FARA for its commendable activities in helping small and marginal farmers involved in sorghum cultivation through SVCDC. He also thanked the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and applauded the efforts of UniBRAIN for their commitment to the development of agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa.
Mr SM Karuppanchetty, Chief Operating Officer, ABI, reiterated that agribusiness incubators serve as an excellent platform to bring together all the stakeholders and develop an agricultural innovation system.

Partners in the Africa AIIC include the African Network for Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural Resources Education (ANAFE), Pan African Agribusiness and Agro Industry Consortium (PanAAC), Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF/WECARD), the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA), and the AIP-ICRISAT under the FARA-UniBRAIN project. ABI-ICRISAT is currently handholding and mentoring six AIICs under FARA-UniBRAIN in Kenya (SVCDC), Uganda (ABP & CURAD), Zambia (AgBIT), Ghana (CCLEAR), and Mali (WAARI).

“Creating opportunities for the food processing sector in African countries will promote agribusiness development for the benefit of smallholder farmers. I am seeing the need for the implementation of appropriate food quality standards and enhancing the technical skills of laboratory personnel in order to leverage on the potential of the agribusiness and food processing sector in Africa,” said Dr William D Dar, ICRISAT Director General.

The Director General expressed these views at the inaugural program of the advanced training on “Analytical Techniques and ISO/IEC 17025: 2005 for Food Testing Laboratory Personnel from African Countries” under the India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) II initiative.

The capacity building program exposed the participants to laboratory accreditation (ISO/IEC 17025:2005), food safety and regulatory standards, as well as on rules and regulations in food industry and their implications with respect to international trade barriers. A five day hands-on training on different analytical aspects of food testing was also arranged at one of the most reputed ISO17025: 2005 accredited food testing laboratories in India – the National Collateral Management Services Ltd (NCML), Hyderabad. There were 24 participants from across 10 countries of the African continent.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms Kiran Puri, Joint Secretary (Finance), Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), Government of India, and the Chief Guest for the occasion, elaborated on the importance of this training program in enhancing food testing capabilities of the respective African countries.

Dr Kiran Sharma, CEO, Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP), ICRISAT, emphasized that the “training activities complement capacity building efforts towards the operationalization of the Food Testing Laboratories (FTLs) as well as the Food Processing Business Incubators (FPBICs) being established by AIP-ICRISAT in Africa.”

“During the recent visits by the ICRISAT team to the African partner countries where we are implementing five FTLs under IAFS II, it was identified that laboratory accreditation (ISO/IEC 17025:2005), hands on analytical training, trouble shooting, instrument maintenance, and servicing were the areas that need to be strengthened,” said Dr Saikat Datta Mazumdar, COO, NutriPlus Knowledge (NPK) Program, AIP, in explaining the training program design.

Speaking at the valedictory function on 18 March, Ms Joanna Kane-Potaka, Director, Strategic Marketing and Communication, ICRISAT, said “With this training program for food testing laboratory personnel from African countries, we have achieved another important milestone towards our commitment to boost India-Africa partnerships. Building new leaders in Africa is important and these participants are some of the new leaders for African development.”

As part of the feedback on the training program, Mr Robert Kelly Salati from Zambia said: “The trainers inspired us to think critically. We not only learnt more skills but better ways of thinking. Most of the food testing laboratories in Africa have not been accredited and so this training will be helpful to lead us to changing this. This will help us develop Africa”.

Ms Kemi Oladipo from Nigeria in her feedback said “We learnt a lot on how to use equipment and we learnt better scientific practices. Not only did we learn the technical part of the process and analysis, but we were also able to understand the reasoning behind the analysis. It was important to understand why we undertake these practices. We need to go back to our countries and conduct in-house training to pass on our new knowledge”.

The two-week training program held on 3-18 March at the ICRISAT headquarters was organized by the NutriPlus Knowledge (NPK) Program of ICRISAT’s Agribusiness Innovation Platform (AIP).

“We are committed to work closely with our partners in Africa to boost the agri- and food-processing sectors across the continent through strategic interventions that strengthen value chains, promote food safety, develop innovative products and technologies, facilitate entrepreneurship, and ultimately help the smallholder farmers,” said ICRISAT Director General, Dr William Dar.

“Our mission is to make smallholder farmers in the drylands prosperous, not just self-sufficient. And that is why we are engaged in promoting an inclusive and technology-based entrepreneurship and agribusiness program,” Dr Dar added.

The Director General was speaking at the inaugural session of the ‘Development of agribusiness and food processing business incubation centres’ held from 18 February to 1 March at the ICRISAT headquarters.

Twenty-four food processing and agribusiness professionals from Africa from Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Mozambique, Angola, Cameroon, Ghana and Mali attended the training program organized by ICRISAT through its Agri-Business Incubation (ABI) Program under the Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP).

The activity was part of ABI’s ongoing Food Processing Business Incubation Centre (FPBIC) Project supported by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India (MoFPI, GoI) under the India-Africa Forum Summit-II.

The activity was in line with ICRISAT’s South-South Initiative which aims to capitalize on the already established strong and successful India-Africa partnership, to strengthen the institute’s role as driver of prosperity and economic opportunities in the dryland tropics. The Initiative provides a platform for focused and systematic international relationships critical for a more effective and inclusive development cooperation between India and Africa.

Mrs Kiran Puri, Joint Secretary (Finance), MoFPI, GoI, attended the training’s valedictory program on 28 February as Chief Guest and spoke on the importance of the activity in setting standards in food manufacturing and in enhancing the food processing business incubation initiatives in Africa.

The two week program was designed taking into account the existing ground realities and gaps prevailing in the participating African countries with respect to setting up of food processing business incubators.

Participants were involved in dedicated sessions on food biotechnology and nutraceuticals, health and nutrition though modern biotechnology, probiotics and bioactive foods, nutrition research, challenges in development and commercialization of functional foods, combating health and nutrition challenges through a partnership approach, incubator planning, operations management, leadership, governance, financial, investments, and client scouting and engagement. Field visits were also organized to some of the agribusiness incubators under the Network of Indian Agri Business Incubators (NIABI).

Participants were also provided with hands on training on management practices for efficiently and profitably managing food business incubators.

Dr Kiran Sharma, Chief Executive Officer of the AIP stated that the training activity was in accord with ICRISAT’s vision of a prosperous, food secure and resilient dryland tropics. Mr SM Karuppanchetty, Chief Operating Officer of ABI Program stressed that the main focus of the bilateral project is the establishment of state of-the-art FIBCs wherein ICRISAT shall provide in-house training, hand-holding, mentoring and technical support to the staff deployed. Mr Aravazhi Selvaraj, Manager, ABI Program gave a detailed overview of the training program to the participants.

Photo: S Sharma, ICRISAT

Responding to the call for game-changing, sustainable agricultural innovations and showing how thinking out of the box can feed the world, ICRISAT shared its big ideas and innovations, such as the crucial role of agribusiness and entrepreneurship to build the economy, at the Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture (GFIA).

“We at ICRISAT are working to create global awareness and build competencies on agribusiness incubation to promote start-up agribusiness ventures for the benefit of farmers by establishing agribusiness incubators. This, we believe, is one of the keys to our Inclusive Market-Oriented Development (IMOD) strategy.”

This view was expressed by ICRISAT Director General Dr William D. Dar as one of the panelists in the plenary session on “Africa: The Frontier for Arid Farming” at the GFIA held on 3-5 February in Abu Dhabi.

“ICRISAT already has a proven model for agribusiness incubation based on our experience in setting up 22 agribusiness incubators in India, the same model that is now being adopted in setting up 6 incubators in Africa, the first one of which was launched recently in Mali. Five food processing business incubator centers and five food testing laboratories will also be set up in Africa through the initiative of the Government of India,” Dr Dar said.

“Our IMOD strategy to reduce poverty, hunger, malnutrition and environmental degradation includes the development of equitable, sustainable, and resilient systems that connect African subsistence farmers to higher-value markets,” Dr Dar added.

Dr Dar then shared ICRISAT’s scientific innovations that can be scaled up to boost smallholder agriculture productivity, create jobs and improve livelihoods, as well as strategies to facilitate public-private partnerships and knowledge transfer, and create investment opportunities for smallholder farmers.

ICRISAT is now working on the Big Ideas concept, a collection of ICRISAT innovations and avenues for partnerships to tackle the biggest hurdles and opportunities critical for the development of agriculture and agribusiness in the drylands. Some of these ‘big ideas’ include: building climate resilient communities, a model for sustainable management of natural resources, dryland cereals and grain legumes breeds for the future, empowering women, center of excellence in nutrition and food safety, nutritional security for rural communities, ICT agro-advisories , and new opportunities for business and development.

GFIA 2014 with the theme “Driving Innovation for an Agricultural Revolution” served to showcase innovations and new technologies needed to drive the future of global agriculture. It brought together an unprecedented array of world-renowned innovators, investors, food producers, retailers, governments, scientists, and non-government and agricultural organizations. The multi-faceted event included an exhibition with over 125 exhibitors plus a 1,800-delegate conference comprising keynote sessions, panel discussions, an African Ministerial discussion and 150 innovation presentations by 180 speakers.

Addressing the assembled dignitaries via video address at the opening ceremony, Mr Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, used his speech to emphasize the significance of technological innovation in combating the problems of the poor.

“In a world where most of the poorest are farmers, investments in agriculture are the best weapons against hunger and poverty. To help the poorest seize agriculture’s potential, we need to unleash as much innovation as possible,” said Mr Gates.

Dr Frank Rijsberman, Chief Executive Officer of the CGIAR Consortium, focused his message on why dry areas should invest massively on innovation to ensure food security. “History shows us that the most effective route to keeping global food prices low is to massively increase investment in agricultural innovations,” said Dr Rijsberman.

At the conference, Dr Dar took the opportunity to hold a series of Ministerial discussions with delegations led by: HE Rashid Pelpuo, Minister of State Private Sector Development and Public Private Partnerships, Ghana; HE Robert K Sichinga, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Zambia; and Ms. Anna Olivia, Agriculture Secretary, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Kenya.

During the event, the African agribusiness incubation network initiated by UniBRAIN – Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) in association with ICRISAT was launched by Dr Dar, along with Prof Wale Adekunle, Director of Partnership, FARA; Mr Alex Ariho, Facility Coordinator, UniBRAIN, and ICRISAT’s Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP) team led by its CEO, Dr Kiran Sharma. This initiative will enhance the promotion and development of agribusiness incubation network in Africa through capacity building and communication on opportunities, and will be an association partner of the Global Agri-Business Incubation (GABI) network.

Dr KK Sharma also organized a round table session on “A developmental model of linking youth and women entrepreneurs: leveraging mutual strengths.” The session attracted a large number of delegates and was attended by Dr Mark Holderness, Executive Secretary, Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR); Mr Raman Sehgal, Managing Director, Misr Seeds, Egypt; Mr Alex Ariho, Facility Coordinator, UniBRAIN, FARA, Ghana; and Mr Amit Mehra, Founder and CEO, Reuters Market Light, India.

Dr K Sharma served as one of the members of the GFIA Steering Committee responsible for mapping out the GFIA agenda, composed of 20 international experts in the fields of academia, research and development, science, industry and investment.

Along with Drs Dar and Sharma, S Karuppanchetty and Aravazhi Selvaraj of AIP participated in the three-day event. ICRISAT also set up an exhibit booth during the conference showcasing AIP’s activities, services and achievements in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, and joined in the CGIAR Consortium booth.

The Agri-Business Incubation (ABI) Program under ICRISAT’s Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP) has facilitated the establishment of the first ever full-fledged agribusiness incubator in West Africa. The West African Agri-Business Resource Incubator (WAARI) was officially inaugurated on 23 January in the Selingue province of Mali.

WAARI is one of the six agribusiness incubators being established under the Universities, Business and Research in Agricultural Innovation (UniBRAIN) project of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), in which ABI is the handholding and mentoring partner. The incubator was inaugurated by Professor Moustapha Dick Monsieur, Minister of Science and Technology, Government of Mali, in the presence of Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT.

Dr Dar congratulated the FARA-UniBRAIN project team, ABI and the team of WAARI for establishing this agribusiness incubator and emphasized on the importance of agribusiness incubation in promoting entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa.

“Public-Private Partnerships hold the key for activating the IMOD strategy in order to replicate and scale-up the benefits of technology interventions and science-based solutions for millions of smallholder farmers. One of the best ways of achieving this is to promote entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector. Agribusiness incubation creates agro-enterprises and jobs which ultimately benefit the smallholder farmers,” Dr Dar said.

Dr Dar also interacted with several entrepreneurs and urged them to efficiently utilize the services and facilities of WAARI. Products from women cooperative groups of WAARI were on display at the event.

Dr Kiran Sharma, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), AIP-ICRISAT congratulated Dr Ibrahim Togola, CEO, WAARI and his team for their contributions in establishing the incubator. He assured the team and UniBRAIN that AIP and its component programs were committed towards providing full support and services in facilitating the establishment and successfully operating all incubators in the project.

ICRISAT’s ABI Program also organized a one-day training program on Seed Business Incubation (SBI) on 21 January for seed entrepreneurs in the Selingue province with support from ICRISAT scientists from West and Central Africa.

The scientists provided technical inputs in seed production to the seed entrepreneurs. The objective of this training program was to promote and enhance the capacity of farmers, farmer intermediaries and seed entrepreneurs on seed production business. A unique methodology involving technical awareness, scientific inputs and sessions was adopted for this workshop.

During the training program Mr SM Karuppanchetty, Chief Operating Officer, ABI and Mr R Bhubesh Kumar, Deputy Manager, ABI emphasized on the importance of the SBI Program in bridging the demand and supply gap in the seed industry. They also explained how the program could create a system which will replicate itself in supplying seeds to more number of farmers, thereby creating an impact and making it a business venture for the rural entrepreneurs, thus, promoting entrepreneurship in the areas of agribusiness.