Rapid changes are taking place in agri-food markets in middle and low-income countries. The spread of dynamic modern retailers, wholesalers and food processing businesses is reshaping the way that food systems are governed. Small-scale agriculture, which supports the livelihoods of the majority of rural poor, is poorly prepared for these changes. Public policy makers and development partners are generally remote from changes taking place within the market. They lack evidence upon which to support policy dialogue and intervention.

Research and support to the policy process can assist producers, businesses, and policy makers to anticipate and respond to this challenging environment, in ways that contribute to the resilience of rural economies.

The Regoverning Markets programme has been established to provide that research and support. A programe brochure [0]is available for downloading.as well as programme publications [0] .

The overall aim of the Regoverning Markets programme is to provide strategic advice and guidance to the public sector, agri-food chain actors, civil society organizations including economic organizations of producers, and development agencies on approaches that can anticipate and manage the impacts of the dynamic changes in local and regional markets.

Building on exploratory studies undertaken in seventeen countries, an intensive two-year programme (2005-2007) of collaborative research and policy support is being undertaken to:

• Understand the keys to inclusion into these restructured agri-food markets, in order to address implications and opportunities for small-scale producers and enterprises

• Understand what is better practice in connecting small-scale producers with dynamic markets

• Bring these findings into the wider policy arena and thereby inform, with facts and recommendations, practical action, public sector policy and private sector strategies.Photo: IFAD

The programme aims to build the capacity of national stakeholders in both the private and public sectors through their direct leadership and participation in research, innovation and policy processes.

The Work Programme

There are three interactive work components designed to meet the programme objectives. These are supported by a web-based portal, capacity building and information.

Empirical Research (Component 1) Research studies are being undertaken in China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey, Poland and Zambia. These countries represent both a broad geographic coverage and a range of stages of market concentration. The research comprises inter-linked, modular studies. At the national and sub-national levels, food industry change will be explored through key informant interviews, commodity value chain analysis, and product and factor market assessments. At community level, institutional, social, and organizational contexts will be examined using Participatory Rural Appraisal methods. At the farm enterprise level, farm-level surveys and analysis will study practices and response. Country studies will focus on selected key commodities especially the horticulture and dairy sectors.

Innovation and Good Practice (Component 2) Thirty-two case study examples of market links between small-scale producers and dynamic markets will focus on four drivers of innovation: public policy principles, private business models, collective action strategies by small-scale farmers, and intervention strategies and methods of development agencies. Each case study will generate policy lessons and working methods to guide public and private actors. Three dimensions of variation are taken into account in the selection of the case studies: countries in different stages of market restructuring; procurement systems that vary in their stage of development; and cases that represent the different forms of inclusive chain development.

Interactive Learning and Policy Processes (Component 3) Through support to existing and new national processes, the programme will seek to strengthen learning and policy dialogue between the public sector, private and business sector, and civil society. This is to raise awareness and share findings, encourage uptake of new approaches, support networks and policy debate across national boundaries. Guidelines for pre-emptive and anticipatory policy and for corrective policy will be prepared. Linkages and exchange will be supported at international and regional levels including with the private sector networks and the development community. Relevant tools to assist institutional and policy mapping will be developed.

The Framework

The three components are guided by and inform a working framework. The programme recognises that different countries and regions are at different stages of restructuring of the agribusiness and retail sectors. The heart of this programme is the putting in place of the means to anticipate and manage changes which currently have unpredictable consequences for small-scale producers, small-scale agribusiness entrepreneurs and rural workers.

The challenges facing primary producers and their economic organizations in negotiating market access are conditioned by liberalization and modernization. These include technological, organizational and financial demands placed on the small-scale producer.

The empirical research, and the generation of innovation and good practice are thus set within a framework which seeks out entry points and levers to (a) promote small-scale producer inclusion in the market, and (b) minimise the risks of their exclusion. The programme emphasizes analysis of the three segments of the food industry i.e. retail, processing, and wholesaling, as these are intimately connected, in particular in the cases of fresh produce and processed dairy products that are the foci of the country studies.

The programme emphasizes cross-country comparisons within regions and across regions, reflecting varying degrees of food industry restructuring and the different policy environments.

Organizational Structure

The programme is built around a global consortium [0]of Southern and Northern institutions. Each programme component is led by consortium members. The programme covers nine regions worldwide and the programme of each region is led by a regionally-based consortium member. An international Advisory Group is in place with members from the business sector, the OECD, the International Federation of Agricultural Producers, research and academia.

Funding Partners [0]

This programme is supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), ICCO, Cordaid, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Other development partners and related programmes are also networked with this programme at international, regional and country levels.

Contacts

Regional Coordinators

China Centre for Chinese Agricultural Policy (CCAP), China. Jikun Huang - jkhuang.ccap@igsnrr.ac.cn [1]

Central and Eastern Europe: Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary. Csaba Csáki - csaba.csaki@bkae.hu [2]

East Mediterranean and Middle East: Economic Research Centre on Mediterranean Countries, Turkey.- Ali Koc, alikoc@akdeniz.edu.tr [3]

North and West Africa: Association Interdisciplinaire pour le Développement et l'Environnement (TARGA), Aziz Sbai, a.sbai@iav.ac.ma [4]

South East Asia: University of the Philippines in Mindanao, The Philippines.Larry Digal - larryd927@yahoo.com [5]

Latin America: RIMISP Latin American Centre for Rural Development, Chile. Julio Berdegué - jberdegue@rimisp.org [6]

South Asia: Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Pakistan. Abid Suleri - suleri@sdpi.org [7]

East Africa: Tegemeo Institute of Egerton University, Kenya. James Nyoro - jnyoro@tegemeo.org [8]

Southern Africa: University of Pretoria, South Africa. Andre Louw - andre.louw@up.ac.za [9]

Component Leaders

Component 1 Empirical Research to Inform Policy

Centre for Chinese Agricultural Policy (CCAP), China. Jikun Huang - jkhuang.ccap@igsnrr.ac.cn [10]

Michigan State University (MSU), USA. Tom Reardon - reardon@msu.edu [11]

With

UMR MOISA, France. Céline Bignebat - bignebat@ensam.inra.fr [12]

Component 2 Building on Innovation and Guiding Practice

RIMISP Latin American Centre for Rural Development. Julio Berdegué - jberdegue@rimisp.org [13]

Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), Netherlands. Lucian Peppelenbos - l.peppelenbos@kit.nl [14]

With

Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), France. Estelle Biénabe - estelle.bienabe@cirad.fr [15]

Component 3 Learning and Policy Dialogue

Visiting Fellow IIED. Director Felicity Proctor Consulting ltd UK. Felicity Proctor - fjp@proctorconsult.org [16]

University of the Philippines at Mindanao. Larry N. Digal - larryd927@yahoo.com [17]

 With

Wageningen International, Netherlands. Jim Woodhill - Jim.Woodhill@wur.nl [18]

Programme Team Leader

Bill Vorley
International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED),
3 Endsleigh Street,
London WC1H 0DD, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7388 2117
bill.vorley@iied.org