Conference, Mumbai, 12-14 January 2018

The main focus of the conference is to understand the tangible outcome of India-Africa partnerships in the agriculture and agri-processing sectors over the past decade, the anxieties, limitations and challenges. Themes of research encompass new approaches, practices, opportunities, anxieties and challenges in the ongoing collaborative activities in agriculture and allied sectors, in the two geographies under study. 

These include, but are not limited to; 

• Agricultural research facilities and training programmes set up by GoI in Africa
• Scholarships to African students enrolled in agricultural universities in India
• Collaboration on climate smart agriculture between ICRISAT and countries in Africa
• Co-operation for livestock development (e.g., the imGoats project, the IT Milk project) between ILRI, India and countries in Africa
• FDIs in agri and agro-processing sectors through private sector and PPP model
• The role of EXIM Bank of India’s lines of credit to build infrastructure and add value in the agriculture and allied sectors
• Value chains and partnerships for capacity building and sharing technology in agro- commodities for example:

- the Cotton Technical Assistance Programme (C-TAP); - sugar in Ethiopia, - Ghana and others), - GoI’s bilateral cooperation initiatives such as Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC), - trilateral cooperation initiatives, inter alia, - with partner countries in East Africa through Supporting Indian Trade and Investment for Africa (SITA) – a Department for International Development (DFID), - government of U.K. programme, - with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), - United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and United Nations Development Program (UNDP), - India’s triple ‘A’ technology and transfer of skills, - inter alia, - for water management, drip irrigation, - soil testing, - storage, - seeds, - and fertiliser in Africa, - Preferential access to least developed countries (LDCs) in Africa for the export of agro-products to India, - Land, - gender and food security, The gendered impact of CSR activities in Africa, - Trading in agro-commodities between countries in Africa and India.

The key objective is to seek evidence-based papers on the outcome of Indian engagement in agriculture and value addition to agro commodities in Africa. 

Our primary aim is to bring together multiple perspectives on the subject under study. We invite submissions from academics, researchers, development professionals, NGO’s, private sector, government and international organizations based in India and Africa. Contributors are requested to submit extended abstracts and full papers in research areas listed above in English/ French. Twenty papers will be selected and their authors invited to participate in a conference-cum-workshop scheduled to be held in Mumbai, from 12th- 14th January 2018. Drafts of research papers will be made available to all participants beforehand and each author will be given time to present their findings followed by brief comments, a general discussion and opportunities for feedback.