New paper: Can a value chain task force help facilitate smallholder growth?

A value chain task force approach for managing private-public partnerships: Zambia's task force on acceleration of cassava utilisation

by M. Chitundu; K. Droppelmann; S. Haggblade. US Agency for International Development , 2007

Abstract (c/o Eldis) 

Smallholder farmers operate in vertical supply chains, so an understanding of key opportunities and constraints up through the value chain becomes necessary for sustaining smallholder growth. Yet market analysis is of little value unless key private and public sector stakeholders agree to implement necessary reforms. This paper advocates an approach which marries together value chain analysis with a stakeholder taskforce to ensure that analysis of opportunities and constraints gets translated into actions that will facilitate commercial growth. Using Zambia's cassava task force as an example, the paper describes the value chain task force method and identifies elements critical to its effective implementation.

Based on the ACU Task Force's experience with this two-pronged approach, the paper suggests a number of practical lessons. These include:

• successful value chain interventions require identification of a sizeable and broad-based commercial opportunity
• integration of the private sector into the value chain diagnostics is critical for
  generating buy-in and subsequent support for key interventions
• in order to be effective, the value chain task force model requires a respected, honest broker
• the task force method defines an ongoing process of collective diagnosis and
  intervention. Ultimately, with achievement of a rapidly growing, well functioning value  chain, the need for the task force may wither.

Full paper available at http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNADI177.pdf