Sandra Rotman Centre for Global Health, Toronto
1 Nov 2012
Researchers identify building blocks of trust: Honesty, transparency, capability, accountability, solidarity and generosity
Trust between partners is a fundamental requisite in agricultural biotech projects, according to Canadian researchers who today published insights from a four year study into what built or undermined trust in eight African case studies.
In a special supplement published in the UKbased journal Agriculture and Food Security, the research team from the Sandra Rotman Centre at the University Health Network and the University of Toronto, concluded trust within such projects has six key determinants: honesty, transparency, capability, accountability, solidarity and generosity.
The body of work examines in unprecedented depth the issue of trust in agricultural biotechnology, capturing important conclusions from 80+ interviews with stakeholders in eight African agbiotech projects spanning seven countries Burkina Faso, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. None of the study team members was involved in the work of the projects.
“Our interviewees agreed that trust is a very important, if not the most important, factor in the success or failure of an agbiotech publicprivate partnership,” said lead researcher Obidimma Ezezika of the Sandra Rotman Centre.
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