Planeta Valle is a Regional Development Entity that is being established as a joint collaboration between the local (provincial) Government, the private sector (coordinated by the Chamber of Commerce of Cali), the academic and research community spearheaded by a major University (University del Valle) and by CIAT, NGOs and other community organizations. It is truly an inter-stakeholder undertaking based on partnerships among them and on a very strong grass-roots participation. Core budget funding is coming from the local government and from the private sector based on a formal commitment between the two; funding for the programs that will be developed is coming from a variety of sources, including both national and external funds.1 This initiative is aimed at developing, in the Valle del Cauca region, an integrated inter-sectorial strategy for addressing the challenges of poverty eradication, food security, sustainable development and competitive insertion in the globalized world of today. But in doing so, it seeks to mobilize all the stakeholders around a Shared Vision and around a set of strategic issues and action proposals, that have been identified as either obstacles or opportunities for the development of the region.