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.

This report focuses on business models that are proving effective along the food value chain in poor regions. It presents an array of specific examples, outlines design principles that companies and partners can use to guide new initiatives, and recommends actions that all stakeholders can take to scale up effective models.

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