The adaptation and adoption of conservation agriculture (CA)-based crop management through innovative techniques like reduced soil movement, adequate surface retention of crop residues and economically viable and diversified crop rotations are the way forward to address the emerging challenges mentioned above. This could help in ensuring sustainable food security and offer several environmental benefits in sustainable way. This is relatively a new strategy to deal with food security and environmental degradation in unfavourable agriculture system.

This GCARD Session will help to improve knowledge about public-private-civil partnerships in agricultural research. Discussion will focus on what models and mechanisms exist, learn from experiences and define some critical elements of a successful partnership. The session outcomes will articulate how GCARD stakeholders can move forward in improving public-private-civil cooperation in agricultural research for development.

New organizational arrangements which place the user of research central in the definition of research priorities and in uptake processes are required. This includes a central role for organizations which represent the interests of the smallholders in particular farmer organizations but also for the private sector, trade and commodity associations and procurement officers in government programmes.

In 2012, GFAR and partners launched a new mechanism “Gender in Agriculture Partnership (GAP)” 2 while continuing to provide support to the Young Professionals Platform for Agricultural Research and Development (YPARD). In Africa for example, there are several programs e.g. the ANAFE-SASACID, FARA UniBRain, TEAM Africa, AWARD, and USAID’s Borlaug Fellowships, which aim to build up a cadre of professionals who are sufficiently well-prepared, committed and motivated.