Promoting Inclusive Business in Agriculture and Food Systems Forum
To meet the ambitions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the private sector will need to play a greater role in supporting development objectives. Inclusive businesses offer the opportunity to address development challenges and leave no one behind. Inclusive businesses are companies that: “provide goods, services, and livelihoods on a commercially viable basis, either at scale or scalable, to people living at the base of the economic pyramid making them part of the value chain of companies’ core business as suppliers, distributors, retailers, or customers.”[1]
Inclusive business provide triple wins. They provide market opportunities to enterprises; they provide above market-rate income opportunities and access to affordable essential goods and services for low income and marginalised groups; and they help governments deliver affordable goods and services and lift people out of poverty at scale.
There are a number of valuable models of inclusive business - many in the agribusiness sector - across Asia and the Pacific, that are commercially viable and have social impact at scale. Inclusive business in agriculture shape core business processes in the agri-food sector to address the needs of low-income smallholder farmers and create value for these groups as well as the company. For agri-businesses to be inclusive and remain commercially viable, an innovative mindset and partnerships at the local and regional level, and along the value chain, are critical.
This Forum will be taken forward within the framework of the "Regional Inclusive Business Models in Agriculture and Food Systems" initiative supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and is being organized in collaboration with Invest India.
The aim of the forum is to create awareness about inclusive business in agriculture, share knowledge and experiences on this topic and advocate key public and private stakeholders to promote inclusive business. The first day of the Forum will include a series of presentations and panels which have been divided into the policy and business track. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn and share their experiences in topics such as how governments can promote inclusive business, inclusive business accreditation, measuring and managing impact, financing inclusive business and market opportunities for inclusive business, amongst others. Day two of the forum includes a field visit to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), as well as a roundtable with key agriculture business stakeholders.
Related Documents:
Promoting Inclusive Business in Agriculture and Food Systems Forum - Agenda Day 1