The conference is by invitation only.

As we come to understand more about the complex challenges facing rural communities and food systems in developing countries, we are recognizing that many of the solutions can only be found through innovative partnerships and collaborations in agricultural research and development.

Partnerships between public research institutions, private firms, and civil society organizations offer a means of tapping the strengths of diverse actors, while channeling knowledge and resources into areas where they can impact poverty reduction, food security, and agriculture-led development and growth. Partnerships in research and innovation enhance our capacity to solve complex development problems and to provide options to smallholder farmers, food-insecure households, rural women, and other vulnerable groups.

To unleash the potential synergies of such partnerships, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is convening an international dialogue on "Pro-Poor Public-Private Partnerships for Food and Agriculture" in Washington, DC on September 28-29, 2005.

The objective of this dialogue is to identify new opportunities, address key policy issues, and develop real solutions that foster more effective pro-poor partnerships covering the full range of opportunities in the agricultural sector: on-farm production, off-farm agroindustry, distribution, and marketing.

This event comes at a critical time. It is a time when private sector investment in agricultural research is growing rapidly and providing new technologies and market opportunities for developing countries. But it is also a time when we are realizing that the Millennium Development Goals cannot be achieved without more effective efforts to enlist private sector support and collaboration in agricultural research and development.

The event will bring together about 75 key actors from developing and industrialized countries, including leading international agribusiness firms, developing country policymakers, scientific research institutes, and non-governmental organizations. The event, organized by IFPRI's ISNAR Division and Communications Division, will begin on the morning of Wednesday, September 28 and end by midday on Thursday, September 29.

To obtain more information, please contact the event organizers, David J. Spielman or Klaus von Grebmer.