Intini Research and Consulting South Africa – Our Seed Our Feed
About Intini Research & Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Intini Research and Consulting (Pty) Ltd is a strategy and innovation management consulting company based in Pretoria, South Africa. The firm offers advisory and consulting services in innovation management, business strategy, project management with emphasis in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, healthcare technology management, agricultural biotech, and agro-processing industry sectors.
Through the RISA Fund, Intini Research and Consulting in consultation with innovators in South Africa and Kenya, developed a tailor-made cooperation framework to provide access and transfer of technologies by smallholder farmers to enhance food and nutrition insecurity.
How the RISA Fund Grant was Used
Stakeholder consultative forums were held to discuss components and modalities of a cooperation framework between South Africa and Kenya on food security for small holder farmers.
Key informant interviews were conducted with officials from the Department of Science and Innovation, South Africa; Technology Innovation Agency, South Africa; and Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Kenya. The aim was to understand their expectations on an effective framework of cooperation and how to transfer technologies required by smallholder farmers.
The team conducted a literature review to identify the needs of the small holder farmers in the two countries, existing gaps, and approaches in their farming activities for partnership and collaboration.
Investor-ready projects were developed in consultation with a section of smallholder farmers and innovators. These were narrowed down to food chains that existed in both countries and were critical in the space of agriculture. Four projects were identified and grouped into two overarching programmes focusing on the development of seed for vegetables as well as feed for fish and poultry by cooperatives in the two countries.
Achievements and Recommendations
- Policies in Kenya and South Africa were analysed to enhance trade, and facilitate the exchange of technologies, cooperation, and the gaps between the two countries.
- Cooperation approaches between the two countries were explored and innovative instruments, tools, knowledge exchange, and training to sustain the cooperation were identified.
- Pilot projects to be utilised in Kenya and South Africa were set up for investments by both parties.
- The cooperation framework on food security, which highlights key areas for South Africa and Kenya to collaborate on, was developed and shared with government departments for review and adoption.
- The framework will ensure innovative technologies reach the small holder farmers for growth and sustainability through support from the government and private funders.