Article published by Céline Bignebat, Ahmet Ali Koç, Sylvaine Lemeilleur. Agricultural Economics Volume 40 (November 2009)

Abstract : A wide range of empirical studies show the extent to which the rise of supermarkets in developing countries transforms domestic marketing channels. In many countries, the exclusion of small producers from so-called dynamic marketing channels (that is, remunerative ones) has become a concern. Based on data collected in Turkey in 2007 at the producer and the wholesale market levels, we show that intermediaries are important to understanding the impact of downstream restructuring (supermarkets) on upstream decisions (producers).

In a newly published paper "Reaching the rural poor through rural producer organizations? A study of agricultural marketing cooperatives in Ethiopia" (Food Policy 34, February 2009) Tanguy Bernard and David J. Spielmana examine the notion of inclusiveness in rural producer organizations (RPOs) and the extent to which such RPOs can be used to reach the rural poor in sub-Saharan Africa. Using farmer cooperatives in Ethiopia as a case in point, the paper examines the role of RPOs in supporting smallholder commercialization, and the extent to which principles of an inclusive, bottom-up approach relate to their marketing performance. Based on a combination of nationally-representative household- and cooperative-level survey data, the authors find that poorer farmers tend not to participate in these organizations although they may indirectly benefit from them. When they do participate, they are often excluded from decision-making processes. Finally, the authors investigate the relationship between marketing performance and inclusiveness and uncover evidence of significant tradeoffs between them.

This ESRC funded IMPACT project builds on this emerging research agenda and investigates what notions of responsibility underpin the management of transnational retail operations in host economies. It examines what corporate social and environmental responsibility means for the largest retail TNCs and how corporate responsibility (CR) programmes are developed and implemented along retailers' supply chains and in overseas operations.

by Stefano Ponte, Danish Institute for International Studies

Chronic Poverty Research Centre  Working Paper, June 2008 No. 111

Abstract

This paper aims at developing an explicit ‘vertical' dimension to chronic poverty research that focuses on ‘adverse incorporation and social exclusion' (AISE). So far, AISE research has been quite successful in unpacking the local, regional and national contexts within which some of the structural and causal elements of chronic poverty play out. Yet, it has been much less concerned with the dimensions of context that go beyond the nation state, with the exception of generic links to the dynamics of contemporary capitalism(s). At the same time, an effort is made here to sensitise literatures that are almost exclusively concerned with ‘vertical' elements of marginalisation (such as global value chain analysis) to the need for more systematic attention to the impact of chain functioning and/or restructuring on marginal groups and/or communities along the various stages of commodity trade.

By articulating national farmers' organisations in developing countries with researchers and consultants, the ESFIM programme will strengthen the capacities of national farmers' organisations in developing pro-active policy proposals. Proposals that will be adapted to their specific national context, but enriched with the experiences of other farmers' organisations inside and outside their country.

This ESFIM research and policy development programme focuses on successful and replicable regulatory policies and institutional arrangements that can empower smallholder farmers in markets. It will have the farmers organizations in the driving seat: for identifying research priorities and for learning and reflecting on research outputs. ESFIM will build on the outputs of other research programmes like Regoverning Markets, GFAR - LSFM, and research in the ECART Institutes.

The project originator is IFAP - International Federation of Agricultural Producers; and the Research Partner is ECART-EEIG - European Consortium for Agricultural Research in the Tropics.

Supermarkets And Agri-Food Supply Chains: Transformations in the Production and Consumption of Foods

Edited by David Burch and Geoffrey Lawrence. July 2007. Edward Elgar Publishing

Photo: IDRCby  Achilles Costales et al. IFPRI Research Report No. 151, March 2007

A dramatic increase over the past fifteen years in domestic pork demand and production in the Philippines has created a potentially profitable opportunity for poor rural and agricultural households. In Southern and Central Luzon, the two biggest markets, however, smallholder pig producers hold only a minority share of total production compared to larger commercial farms. This report seeks to assess the scope for smallholders to remain in business by analyzing the relative profitability of small and large farms. Using field data from pig-producing households, the researchers assess the role of internal and external factors in determining a household's participation in production and marketing and examine the combination of technical and allocative efficiency exhibited by specific farms under particular circumstances. They conclude that the smallest-scale pig producers will not survive market competition and will require alternative occupations. Many others, however, could profit from pig production if policy and institutional changes ensure their access to inputs, to animal health services that can guarantee output quality, and to markets for higher quality output. These findings are a valuable contribution to poverty reduction efforts in the Philippines.

UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION (UNIDO)

By John Humphrey and Olga Memedovic

Abstract

This paper is about agriculture and poverty reduction in the context of globalization.

Agricultural growth is central to poverty reduction in rural areas, and one opportunity for such growth lies in increasing exports of agricultural products from poor countries to global markets.

Global agricultural markets have become increasingly complex because of concentration at all points in the value chain and the increasing scope and complexity of food standards, particularly those relating to food safety. Therefore, realizing the potential benefits of agricultural export growth for poverty reduction requires careful analysis of trends in global markets and the policies that will unlock the potential for growth and poverty reduction.

Regoverning Markets: A Place for Small-Scale Producers in Modern Agrifood Chains?
Edited by Bill Vorley, Andrew Fearne and Derek Ray

Gower Sustainable Food Chain Series. April 2007

This book offers a contemporary look at what happens when the modernisation of food supply chains comes face to face with the livelihoods of rural and poor people. The authors are drawn from eighteen countries participating in the 'Regoverning Markets' programme, which aims to not only improve our understanding of the way modernisation and re-structuring of food supply chains is affecting food production and distribution systems, but also identify best-practice in involving small-scale producers in supermarket supply chains, and ascertain the barriers to inclusion which need to be removed.

JEG brochureJournal of Economic Geography   Volume 7 Number 4 (July 2007)

The special issue will include contributions from leading researchers in economic geography, development studies, agricultural economics, and management studies, from a British Academy sponsored conference held in July 2006.