scholarly journals Netherlands Public Private Partnerships Aimed at Co-Innovation in the Potato Value Chain in Emerging Markets

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Kempenaar ◽  
M. Blom-Zandstra ◽  
T.A. Brouwer ◽  
H. De Putter ◽  
S. De Vries ◽  
...  

AbstractSince 2013 the Netherlands Ministries of Economic and Foreign Affairs has been involved in private companies in research and development (R&D) in developing countries. This in a policy going “from aid to trade”. Especially in upcoming markets, R&D is carried out through Public Private Partnerships. Such partnerships not only include R&D organizations in the two countries but specifically also include businesses in both countries. This was to assure a logical flow of material and knowledge by all parties involved. Half of an R&D project is funded by the ministry and the rest is covered by a consortium of companies that contribute in kind and in cash. The policy is aimed at stimulating business development in developing countries and the Netherlands through cooperation and joint R&D. The paper explains how eleven consortia around potato business opportunities were formed, their R&D need was elicited and R&D projects formulated in the Asian countries China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Myanmar, and Ethiopia and Kenya in Africa. In common are fact finding and descriptions of cropping systems, yield gap analysis and value chains in each country. Emphases differ with China looking for an integrated system of field operations, India for optimization of storage and processing, Indonesia to reduce pesticide and nutrient inputs, Vietnam for widening the varietal base, Bangladesh for combating late blight, Myanmar for cultural practices that lead to increased yield, Ethiopia where a potato processing unit is being established and Kenya importing seed potato from the Netherlands. Some content information is given as examples to illustrate the approach and some preliminary conclusion are discussed.

Author(s):  
Johan Swinnen ◽  
Rob Kuijpers

Understanding the development implications of agri-food standards and global value chains is crucial, as they are a fundamental component of developing countries’ growth potential and could increase rural incomes and reduce poverty, but at the same time they present serious challenges and could lead to further marginalization of the poor. This chapter reviews some of the implications of the spread of stringent standards associated with global value chains for developing countries and global poverty reduction. The chapter focuses on five aspects: the interaction between standards and value chain governance; the effects on agricultural productivity and smallholder welfare; farm-level and institutional spillovers; labor market and gender effects; and the interaction between liberalization policies and value chains.


1987 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pieter Huybers

Timber poles are not often used for structural purposes in building, although they are a cheap material with good mechanical qualities. This is due to the fact that the poles often suffer from shrinkage cracks, which makes it difficult to transfer the load from one element to another in a way that is structurally sound. To overcome this particular problem, in the Civil Engineering Department of the Delft University of Technology a manually operated tool has been developed with which strong and tight lacings of galvanized steel wire can be strung around the poles in order to keep them together. This principle has been applied in spatial-type structures, where larger numbers of identical, relatively thin, poles of 10 cm diameter are interconnected to form double-layer grids. According to this principle a few prototype structures have been built and test-loaded, including the load-bearing frames of two agricultural buildings, one at Lelystad in The Netherlands and one at Winchester in England. A few others are under construction. The tool was originally designed for use in developing countries. For other countries a more industrialized way of producing the laced connections is considered.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Smith

<p>Often in developing countries the spatial coverage with surface weather observations is sparse and the reliability of existing systems is lower than in other parts of the world. These gaps in the availability of observation data have significant negative consequences, locally and globally. For decades international funds have been used to acquire meteorological infrastructure with little to no focus on life-cycle management. Furthermore, improvements in one part of the value chain are often not connected with further downstream services meaning local benefits are generated with substantial delay, if at all.</p><p>DTN is one of the few organizations offering comprehensive solutions across the value chain from deployment and operation of observation systems through to weather analytics creating valuable insights for business, consumers and governments across the globe. DTN not only project manages the setup of weather observation systems but also maintains and operates measurement networks on different continents. The sensor agnostic approach enables us to offer the right sensor solution for each situation.</p><p>We see an opportunity to correct the mistakes of the past, changing the focus from acquiring observation systems to life cycle management to ensure the systems are maintained and leveraged effectively to provide forecasts and warnings for protection of life and property and enabling NMSs to focus on fulfilling their mission.</p><p>Funding organizations such as the World Bank must change the focus from hardware procurement to a performance-based PPE/P model that ensures the value of investments in infrastructure are realized. This sustainable approach will; ensure long lasting partnerships, harness the innovation in the private sector, create local jobs maintaining infrastructure and enable economic development through improved ability to manage the impact of weather and climate events.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 237-252
Author(s):  
Josiah Ateka ◽  
◽  
Perez Ayieko Onono-Okelo ◽  
Martin Etyang ◽  
◽  
...  

The inverse farm size and productivity relationship (IR) is a recurring theme in the literature. However, most previous studies were undertaken within a setting of mixed cropping systems. In this article, we investigate the effect of farm size on productivity within the context of a perennial monocropping system, acute competition for farmland, frequent subdivision of farms and declining yields. We apply household survey data of smallholder tea farms in western Kenya and consider both technical efficiency (TE) and the yield per hectare as indicators of productivity. The findings show that the effect of farm size on productivity is nonlinear, with TE initially declining and then rising with farm size. The findings also demonstrate that the farm size and productivity relationship is important for perennial monocrops and that the use of robust measures of productivity is important for the IR. The findings have important implications for agricultural policy in developing countries.


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