What Ipar Think Tank does

IPAR Think Tank (Initiative Prospective Agricole et Rurale) is a Senegal-based non-profit policy research organization founded in 2004 and headquartered in Dakar. It produces strategic analysis, policy-oriented research, and multi-stakeholder dialogue on agricultural, food, and territorial systems across West Africa. Its primary constituents are Senegalese government ministries (notably MASAE), farmer organizations (CNCR, FONGS, ASPRODEB), international development partners (FAO, CRDI, Gates Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, GIZ), and West African regional bodies. IPAR provides technical coordination for Senegal's LOASP agricultural policy revision process and conducts field research across multiple regions of Senegal and neighboring countries.

The organization's core outputs are knowledge products: studies, working papers, policy briefs, annual reports, and video content (maintained through a videothèque). Notable methodological offerings include participatory territorial prospective and scenario planning (e.g., the Bignona 2045 scenarios), geospatial parcel measurement tools for land governance (developed with the University of Bern under the COINS project), and embedded research with academic partners such as Lares at Université Gaston Berger. IPAR operates no commercial software products, APIs, or technology platforms; its "technology" is primarily its research methodology, convening capabilities, and accumulated field data.

IPAR is funded entirely through institutional grants and donor support from at least ten development partners and the Government of Senegal, with no commercial revenue streams. It charges nothing for its research and policy outputs. The 2024-2028 Strategic Plan organizes its work around six thematic priorities, and the organization maintains a staff of 11-50 across program, research, and administrative functions. Recent activity includes expansion into sanitation policy research (2026), new program launches in Bignona and the Senegal River Valley, and the 2025 award of "Organization of the Year" by RAMES.

Name

Ipar Think Tank

Legal name

Initiative Prospective Agricole et Rurale (IPAR)

Website

https://ipar.sn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IPAR Think Tank is a Senegal-based non-profit producing policy research, strategic analysis, and multi-stakeholder dialogue on agricultural, food systems, and land governance for governments, farmer organizations, and international development partners across West Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research and Advisory Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ)

Keywords

• Agricultural policy research
• Food systems analysis
• Rural development advisory
• Land governance research
• Policy think tank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dakar

HQ country

Senegal

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding and Grants: IPAR is funded by institutional donors, development finance institutions, and government grants. Partners include the Government of Senegal, CRDI (IDRC), Hewlett Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and other development partners. Funding supports research programs, policy dialogue, and capacity-building activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IPAR Think Tank (Initiative Prospective Agricole et Rurale) is an independent policy research and advisory think tank that produces strategic analysis, policy-oriented research, and multi-stakeholder dialogue on agricultural, food, and territorial systems across Senegal and West Africa. It delivers commissioned research studies, policy briefs, working papers, and facilitated consultation processes for government ministries, farmer organizations, and international development partners.

Product overview

Ipar Think Tank (Initiative Prospective Agricole et Rurale) is a policy research and agricultural think tank focused on agricultural and rural development in Senegal and West Africa. The organization does not offer traditional software products or technology services. Instead, it provides research-based knowledge products including studies, scientific articles, working documents, annual activity reports, and video content. Its core offering consists of strategic analysis, policy-oriented research facilitation, and multi-stakeholder dialogue on agricultural, food, and territorial systems across West Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ARTS (Agroecology for Resilient Territories in Senegal) A consortium research and development program on agroecology for resilient territories in Senegal, implemented in Bignona and Mbour. It is delivered for development partners and farmer communities to advance sustainable agricultural transitions at the territorial level.
• 3P-MILSAO (Promotion of Millet in Institutional Procurement) A four-year project (2022-2025) co-implemented with Inter-Réseaux to strengthen the national dynamic for promoting local millet products in institutional procurement across West Africa, including Senegal, Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Togo, and Mali.
• SEEN SUUF (Land Management Support Project) A GIZ-commissioned project implemented by a GFA-IPAR consortium to improve land management in Senegal, including land-use planning and parcel inventory support.
• PCR-SAT (Prevention of Conflicts and Resilience of Food Systems) A cross-border project with GRDR focused on conflict prevention and food system resilience between Senegal and Mauritania, including the SALCSS school canteens component.
• Index-Based Agricultural Insurance Research Program Applied research and field study program on index-based agricultural insurance, conducted jointly with Lares (Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis), involving 346 surveyed farmers in the Fatick and Kaolack regions.
• Territorial Prospective / Scenario Planning Service Participatory prospective service that develops long-horizon scenarios for food systems at the territorial level, combining social-science research with art and cultural mobilization, exemplified by the Bignona 2045 exercise.
• LOASP Revision Technical Coordination (CERAL) Technical coordination service for the revision of Senegal's agricultural framework law (LOASP) led in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture (MASAE) and other ministries.

Quantifiable outcome

• IPAR study estimated post-harvest losses at more than 5.6 billion FCFA in the Podor department
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Inter-RéseauxcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Inter-Réseaux is a French development NGO that co-implements the 3P-MILSAO project (Partenariats, Plaidoyers et Partages de savoirs pour la promotion du mil) with IPAR Think Tank from 2022 to 2025, focused on promoting millet in institutional procurement across West Africa.
• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAO and IPAR collaborate on responsible investment in agriculture, climate-agriculture assessments, land governance, and food systems policy in Senegal and West Africa. IPAR participated in the FAO-IPCC expert meeting in Rome (June 2026).
• GFA (German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGFA partnered with IPAR in a consortium to implement the SEEN SUUF project (GIZ-funded) focused on improving land management in Senegal through land-use planning and parcel inventory support.
• ENDA PRONATcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerENDA PRONAT (Environment and Development in Africa - Natural Resources) is a key consortium partner in the ARTS project (Agroecology for Resilient Territories in Senegal), collaborating on agroecological research and territorial development in Bignona and Mbour.
• GIUB (Geographisches Institut der Universität Bern)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGIUB (Geographic Institute of the University of Bern, Switzerland) is a consortium partner in the ARTS project, providing research expertise on agroecology and resilient territories in Senegal.
• GRDR (Migration, Citizenship, Développement)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGRDR is a French NGO that partners with IPAR on the SALCSS project (school canteens) and the PCR-SAT project (Conflict Prevention and Resilience of Food Systems), focused on cross-border food resilience between Senegal and Mauritania.
• CICODEV (Centre Africain pour le Commerce, l'Intégration et le Développement)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCICODEV is a pan-African NGO that partners with IPAR on multi-stakeholder initiatives including the SALCSS project (school canteens) and land governance workshops.
• Lares (Laboratoire de Recherche en Économie, Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLares (University of Saint-Louis, Senegal) collaborated with IPAR on a study on index-based agricultural insurance, surveying 346 farmers in Fatick and Kaolack regions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbk-q0VSj1vyUs1lUukxOqQ
• Xx.com/articles
• Facebookfacebook.com/IPARNEWS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ipar-think-tank

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ipar Think Tank