GOOD PRACTICE NOTES

GPN-6 (1)

Good Practice Notes On Institutional Innovations-6-Catalysing Grassroot Entrepreneurship Through Satellite Incubation Centres in India

Agribusiness incubation plays a key role in creating and nurturing viable agricultural entrepreneurships involving diverse stakeholders. Currently, agribusiness incubation is campus bound, offering cohort-based pre-incubation and other incubation services. This strategy has an inherent limitation of leaving out grassroot incubation, something that has always been associated with agricultural value chains. With this in mind the Agri-Business Incubator of the ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (ICAR-CTCRI ABI) has developed the concept of Satellite Incubation Centres – a collaborative system for decentralising incubation services to the grassroot level. From 2021, the ICAR-CTCRI ABI has built a strong network of Satellite Incubation Centres (SIC) for serving agripreneurs, farmers’ collectives, startups and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in the southern, eastern and north-eastern Indian states. The SICs were developed in collaboration with agricultural and veterinary universities and established in states or district level units.
GPN-5-Cover image

Good Practice Notes on Institutional Innovations-5-Competitive Research Grants: Learning from Krishi Gobeshona Foundation, Bangladesh

The creation of Competitive Research Grants (CRGs) is globally recognized as an institutional innovation for improving the effectiveness of agricultural research. Unlike block grants for research, CRGs are expected to bring in many top-quality proposals from a wide range of actors, selecting the best out of them and thus getting more value for money. The Government of Bangladesh established the Krishi Gobeshona Foundation (KGF) in 2007 as an agency to administer and promote competitive research grants in agriculture. Beyond this, KGF was also tasked with building partnerships and strengthening research capacities. Over the last 15 years, KGF has funded 10 basic research proposals and 260 Competitive Grant Proposals (CGPs). It has also supported several short-term projects/studies. KGF, over the years, has also promoted pluralism in agricultural research and multi-institutional research functioning. Along the way, it also made several changes in its governance, and rules related to grant making as well as management processes. In this Good Practice Note, Dr Wais Kabir, reflects on the performance of KGF over the years, its success and challenges and he draws several lessons for all those who are trying to initiate and promote CRGs in agriculture.
Capture02.12.2023

Good Practice Notes on Institutional Innovations-4-Institutional Innovation to Facilitate Low-Cost Organic Certification – How Participatory Guarantee Systems (PSG) Work in Vietnam

Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) and short organic supply chains have emerged as promising solutions for smallholder farmers to provide organic produce to nearby consumers. PGS is an institutional innovation that builds trust among producers, traders and consumers through a low-cost transparent and participatory certification mech- anism. They have particularly gained a foothold among smallholder farmers in middle-income countries, where third-party certification costs are often unaffordable. In Vietnam, PGS schemes have now been set up in more than seven provinces in Vietnam (Ha Noi, Ha Nam, Hoa Binh, Tuyen Quang, Cao Bang, Ben Tre, and Hoi An). With training and coaching by the Vietnam Organic Agriculture Association (VOAA), at least five other local governments have expressed their intention to set up organic PGS groups in their respective provinces. Nevertheless, the local organic sector in Vietnam has grown slowly in recent years. PGS-certified vegetable production in Vietnam is generally more profitable and sustainable compared to non-certified production. However, it is constrained by crop productivity challenges and requires higher returns to labour.
Capture-GPN-3

Good Practice Notes on Institutional Innovations-3 | Shaping Farmers for Tomorrow: Innovation in Agricultural Education in South Korea

The Korea National University of Agriculture and Fisheries (KNUAF)’s innovative program is helping South Korea overcome issues relating to its ageing rural population while simultaneously developing elite human resources to establish and promote a highly competent agriculture sector. Since its inception, the KNUAF has been producing young highly competent professionals to manage its high tech agriculture either as entrepreneurs or farm managers. KNUAF has developed a unique program that selects youth who are willing to take up farming and fisheries, provides them hands on experience with farming, support them in establishing a startup of their choice and provide continued support for another 7-10 years after they graduate. This holds several lessons for countries trying to attract and retain their youth in agriculture, says Dr. Song Yong-sup in this Good Practice Note.
All articles loaded
No more articles to load
Load more