China - Agricultural Technology Project

Page 1 INTEGRATED SAFEGUARDS DATA SHEET CONCEPT STAGE Report No.: AC995 Date ISDS Prepared/Updated: September 8, 2004 I. BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country: China Project ID: P069862 Project Name: Agricultural Technology Project Task Team Leader: Iain Shuker Estimated Appraisal Date: September 12, 2004 Loan/Credit amount ($m.): IBRD: 100 Estimated Board Date: Dcember, 2004 Managing Unit: EASRD Lending Instrument: Specific Investment Loan Sector: Agricultural extension and research (100%) Theme: Rural services and infrastructure (P) Safeguard Policies Specialists in the task team: Gregory Guldin, Sun Chongwu Other financing amounts by source: ($m.) B. Project Objective The objective of the project is to raise rural incomes in selected areas in China by supporting restructuring and modernizing agricultural production, processing and marketing through viable models featured by a high science and technology content, and sustainable and efficient natural resource use. Specifically the project will: 1) strengthen the management of agricultural resources particularly in resource constraint areas, 2) improve the efficiency and speed of transfer of agricultural technologies, 3) support the emergence, inclusiveness and sustainability of new institutional arrangements and 4) make research and technology development more demand oriented. C. Project Description The project is designed to pilot novel approaches for setting enabling environments for agricultural technology development and transfer, as well as for creating partnerships between technology generating institutions, private sector industrial/marketing concerns and small farmers for the purpose of increasing rural incomes. The project would include the following components: Page 2 Component 1. Technology transfer and information markets and services (US$ 16.6 million) Financing for this component would include the building of a set of large scale technology transfer markets in or near the Yangling Development Zone to be used for exhibition and/or trade of agricultural technologies and information. Component 2. Promotion of Commercially Attractive Key Technologies and new institutional arrangements (US$182.2 million) a. Researcher-Investor-Farmer Technologies (US$154.7 million), which would involve the partial financing of typical tripartite joint ventures with the objective of designing successful investment models in which researcher- investor-farmer partnerships are tested b. Targeted Technology Transfer (US$1.3 million), which would finance technology transfers targeting farmer groups who do not have adequate access to information, capital or decision making power to enable them to adopt technologies on their own. c. Public Sector Support Programs (US$4.5 million) This component is dedicated to: a) financing activities that enable the private sector to realize its role in commercializing innovative technologies; and b) directing public funds to technologies that do not appeal to the private sector on commercial grounds, but have a clear public goods nature. d. Innovation Support Fund (US$21.7 million) This fund would be available for supporting a second round of proposals under the sub-components 2a) and 2b) above. Fund would be allocated on a competitive basis with a fixed share going to farmer groups and organizations. Component 3 . Capacity Building, Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation (US$8.1 million) Under this component, the Project would finance a range of capacity building and training activities at all levels including improved policy support, the provision of vehicles and equipment, as well as detailed M&E activities. In addition, the project would pilot several insurance schemes for farmer owned assets (e.g. livestock) D. Project location (Geographic location, information about the key environmental and social characteristics of the area and population likely to be affected, and proximity to any protected areas, or sites or critical natural habitats, or any other culturally or socially sensitive areas.) The project will be located in the Yangling Agricultural High-tech Industries Demonstration Zone, - China