I appreciate the excellent contributions so far. I would like to share my point of view as a plant scientist whose long career was mostly spent in the private sector (food & beverage industry), and who served as president of the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform.
Throughout the thread of contributions, I noticed the inclusion of the ‘private sector’ as a possible or current player in agricultural research, which can, in turn, inform policy. Below I am highlighting what I see as shortcomings and opportunities of food & beverage industry engagement in agricultural sciences.
- Private Sector Delineation: First and foremost, I think that any time we mention private sector in reference to agriculture, we should specify whether we are talking about input providers (and if possible, differentiate between agrochemical or seed or fertilizer suppliers), or farm machinery, or technology, or food & beverage (end users or consolidators), etc. The reason that this is critical is because it allows us to discern drivers and zeal for engagement. While most private sector players will cite the Triple Bottom Line as a guiding force for their businesses, it would be naïve to ignore the weight that profit (or lack thereof) has in decision making processes. So having clarity on how agricultural science impacts a company’s bottom line, is a critical element in judging if, how and to what extent a company is willing to engage in agricultural research efforts.
- Interest Drives Engagement: While some food and beverage companies such as Nestle or McCain, have had a distinct interest in agriculture and how it impacts their supply from a quanti- and qualitative point of view, it is in recent years that more companies are claiming concern about the matter. That said, the insertion of agricultural sciences in strategic decisions, priorities and funding of many food and beverage companies are usually at a basic level. “Big egos and shallow pockets” claimed a stakeholder referring to big brands that do not commit much funding to agricultural projects. Furthermore, because historically agricultural research has not been a part many food and beverage companies, they are not staffed to handle this critical activity. With greater urgency to act on the climate crisis and given the awareness of the impact of agriculture on climate, we could see more interest of private sector players in helping catalyze solutions.
- Collaboration of Authentic Stakeholders: One key to the success of agricultural projects embedded in food and beverage companies, it the formation of alliances with ‘authentic’ stakeholders. In general, food and beverage companies are not equipped to carry the weight of these projects, so forming alliances can spread the weight among stakeholders. From an expertise point of view, collaboration is also critical. As other colleagues have pointed out, the inclusion of social dimensions is imperative in these types of projects and working alongside gender/inclusion/equity experts becomes a necessity.
- Construct for Success: Collaboration with the private sector can lead to formidable success or failure (risk of greenwashing, lack of continuity, false expectations, etc.). No efforts should be withheld in conducting a through ex-ante analysis of the project scope and all its stakeholders and ramifications.
Best,
Ernesto Brovelli, PhD, Courtesy Professor
Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida
Dr Ernesto Brovelli