Public and Private Partnerships: Improving the Quality of Life for Small Scale Farmers.

Farmers around the world have one thing in common:  They want to grow the best crop they can with as little input cost as possible and they want to be proud of their crop.  This fundamental characteristic of a farmer is the same whether they farm 400,000 hectares in Russia, 150,000 hectares in Brazil, 1,500 hectares in the United States or 0.5 hectare in China or Africa.  The major difference in these farmers is their ability to access the latest technology, inputs and information.  The number of small scale farmers is a significant challenge and unfortunately not often a priority for international or local businesses because the return on the investment seldom meets corporate goals.  Small scale farmers, however, are just as hungry for information, technology and high quality inputs as any of their "large" counterparts around the globe.  Small scale farmers are fully vested in sound economics as their family lives are directly dependent upon their success.  Small scale farmers actually know their farms better than large hectare operations, are good risk managers and want to use the latest techniques.   Private agricultural companies in conjunction with public entities are a viable tool to provide information, education and experiences for small scale farmers to test new technologies, learn techniques and ask questions to improve crop production/profitability on their farm.