In the face of increased competition in domestic and international agricultural markets, small and medium-sized farms and agribusinesses are undergoing a transformation. Advanced technology facilitates farm competitiveness and growth through product development, expanded business opportunities, and niche market creation. However, many technological innovations are not efficiently transferred and commercialized due to various bottlenecks such as slow technological transfer, adoption, and commercialization rates.

To address this problem, the APO organized the seminar on Best Practices in Agriculture Technology Transfer, in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture Development and Agrarian Services and National Productivity Secretariat of Sri Lanka, in Colombo, 5−9 November. The purpose of the seminar was to identify the various techniques in agricultural technology management and dissemination, discuss the main impediments to the transfer and commercialization of agricultural technologies, and establish appropriate strategies for effective agricultural technology transfer in member countries.

Four international resource speakers and one local expert provided the theoretical background and knowledge on the main issues of the seminar along with exemplary case studies for 25 participants from 14 member countries.

Dr. Kalim Qamar, USA, started the seminar by introducing an overview of agricultural technology management, transfer, and commercialization focusing on the Asia-Pacific region. Guest Professor Moon-Hee Lee, Chungbuk National University, Republic of Korea, introduced Korean examples and best practices on the first day. On the second day, three experts, Executive Director R. Rajapakshe, Sri Lanka Council for Agricultural Research Policy; Associate Researcher Chin-I Chang, Council of Agriculture, ROC; and Professor Harvinder Singh Chawla, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, India, made presentations on a conducive environment for, innovative approaches to, and intellectual property rights associated with agriculture technology transfers, respectively.

Site visits were made to Kadahatha village to observe the facilities built under a Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS) project. Participants spent the remaining two days sharing and exchanging ideas and information for effective agricultural technology transfer during country paper presentations and group discussions.