ABSTRACT
This chapter presents two broad objectives. These are to identify: characteristics of private sector links which could be used to improve links between research and technology transfer in the public sector and changes that could be made to government policy to strengthen links within the private sector and between the private and public sectors. The chapter focuses on public sector links, the interaction between public research and technology transfer may be ill defined or inefficient. It explores “marketing” includes the activities of both the marketing personnel and the technical advisors of input producers, distributors and dealers, as well as the extension services of other types of institutions. Six types of private institutions conduct research: input production and supply companies, large farms and plantations, processing companies, consulting firms and agricultural publishing companies, cooperatives and commodity groups and research foundations. Government procurement of agricultural inputs affects the types of links between private research and marketing, and the information flowing through these links.
