New from World Economic Forum: The Next Billions: Business Strategies to Enhance Food Value Chains and Empower the Poor

World Economic Forum, January 2009 

Business actions to strengthen food value chains in developing countries fulfil two vital goals. For the private sector, they open up opportunities in a growing, profitable and largely untapped market. For poor communities, innovative approaches can improve livelihoods. Challenges in the business operating environment have historically limited business incentives to engage in poor regions. But many companies are discovering new approaches which can overcome such challenges and even transform them into opportunities. 

The report documents a series of commercially viable business models that have proven effective at strengthening food value chains in developing countries, and offers recommendations for scaling them up. It presents examples of specific business approaches that can engage poor producers, consumers and entrepreneurs along the food value chain. It outlines design principles for companies interested in developing such initiatives, and suggests actions that all stakeholders can take to facilitate expansion of these business approaches.

Available for download at www.weforum.org/pdf/BSSFP/NextBillionsBusinessStrategiesEnhanceFoodValueChains.pdf