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Feed the Future holds first Public-Private Partnership Technical Forum

SUBMITTED BY AgTeam ON Wed, February 22, 2012 11:19am  | Comments (1)

This post was adapted from a news feature that appeared on the Feed the Future website on January 30, 2012. To view the article, click here »

The Forum is invitation-only and will take place on February 22, 2012. The opening (1:00-2:00 p.m.) and closing plenary (4:00-4:30 p.m.) sessions of the event will be webcast for public viewing. Learn more »

Feed the Future will host its first Public-Private Partnership Technical Forum on Wednesday, February 22, 2012, in Washington, DC. The Forum is the latest iteration of an ongoing dialogue with critical partners on Feed the Future goals and implementation, such as the Feed the Future Research Forum last June and monthly non-governmental organization stakeholder forums. (Learn more about the upcoming FTF Stakeholder Meeting on February, 24, 2012)

Engaging with our private-sector partners is critical to our efforts to advance long-term agricultural and economic growth. By working together, we can help create a better and more prosperous future for all. To this end, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of State are convening this Forum to identify specific activities and mechanisms for such partnership. 

In four simultaneous breakout sessions, participants will brainstorm and identify opportunities and mutually-beneficial activities for U.S. Government and private sector technical collaboration to support Feed the Future.

Papers framing the following four breakout sessions are available below.

The Forum is invitation-only and will take place at the White House Conference Center in Washington, D.C. on February 22, 2012, from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. We will webcast the opening and closing plenary sessions of the event.

Feed the Future is the U.S. Government’s initiative on global hunger and food security. “Win-win” partnerships that advance agricultural development and foster private sector-led growth are a key feature of Feed the Future, highlighting its focus on long-term agriculture and economic sector growth to address food insecurity and sustainably reduce chronic hunger, poverty and undernutrition.

Supporting Resources

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Efforts to Enhance Resilience in the Horn of Africa
KDID event
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Comments (1)
Support for Private Sector Development
Jim Thaller |
February 23, 2012   10:34 AM

I agree 100% in the need for public-private partnerships when it comes to Feed the Future initiatives.  So often in Africa, the issue of "food insecurity" is not one of unavailability, but rather of more critical issues of unemployment (no money to buy food), storage, distribution and other private-sector driven efforts.  The need to include the private sector, enabling the people who create jobs, build storage facilities and warehouses and who lead the food industry, is exactly the kind of interventions needed in FTF.  Combining FTF efforts with value-added food processing initiatives, extension services support initiatives and agribusiness incubation initiatives are solid steps forward.  Improving inputs, and conducting training programs on better post-harvest handling techniques is simply not enough, as it has little to no impact on the consumers themselves and the industry that makes these efforts possible.