Engaging the domestic and international private sector for smallholder farmers

January 9, 2013. London. Prorustica, advisors on agribusiness partnerships, and africapractice, a Pan-African strategic advisory and communications consultancy, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate and foster agricultural partnerships in Africa  The combined skills and expertise of Prorustica and africapractice will help to develop agricultural partnerships that create value for governments, investors, and rural communities.

The partnership has also joined Farming First, a multi-stakeholder coalition, working on practical, actionable policy recommendations to further sustainable agricultural development worldwide representing the full agricultural value chain, with a focus on the farmer – particularly smallholder farmers. Through Farming First, Prorustica and africapractice will engage with public and private sector stakeholders to strengthen their approach and collaboration.

Marcus Courage, Managing Director of africapractice said: “Agriculture investments throughout Africa have been characterized by too much failure, either because they don’t deliver adequate returns for investors, or because they fail to accommodate the needs of local communities and regulators. Many factors are at play, ranging from licenses and permits, to labour and technology, infrastructure and tax regimes. In many cases, there’s a lack of transparency and an absence of dialogue, which leads to misaligned expectations and a breakdown of trust, resulting in project failure. “