Agri-Chains and Partnership Approaches to Research

Abstract

This chapter discusses the various types of partnerships that CIRAD has formed with actors of agri-chains. Historical bilateral partnerships, in particular with private groups, producers, and national institutions in the South, have evolved to address the challenges of sustainable development which call for changes at several levels and a strengthening of innovation processes.

CIRAD is thus increasingly involved in coordinating multi-actor partnership platforms in order to orient or accompany innovation processes that respond to a wider demand, co-build innovative solutions, and facilitate the dissemination of innovations at different scales. Two complementary case studies illustrate this evolution. They allow the exploration of the changes in partnerships over the long term in terms of issues of sustainability. The first case is that of the export banana chain in the French West Indies where the identification of the environmental impact on fragile island territories, the French legislative framework, and innovative solutions proposed by the research community have led to the implementation of two platforms for multi-actor innovation within the framework of the Sustainable Banana Plan to promote an agroecological transition of intensive monocultures. The second example is that of the emergence of an organic cotton chain in Burkina Faso. It shows, in a complementary manner, the need for organizational changes in the design and orientation of innovations in order to build up the capacities of producers.