Both the sub-Saharan Africa and the Southern Africa Regional Synthesis reports are available to download and read.

These reports compile all the information together in each region from the Regoverning Markets programme.

Nine policy briefs from the University of Pretoria, forming part of the Recovering Markets study in Southern Africa. They analyse market concentration in the food processing and retail sectors, as well as to predict future dynamics in the sectors which have emerged as a result of the restructuring of the food market and the rapid changes taking place in the structure and governance of local, national and regional agri-food markets and the implications of the changes for small/medium producers in the restructuring of the food industry, together with the implications for policies and programmes within the context of the agri-food market.

Source: IFAD Rural Poverty Portal

In Mozambique if you shop at Shoprite, Africa's largest food retailer, with operations in 16 countries, you'll be buying vegetables produced locally by small-scale farmers.

The IFAD-funded Agricultural Markets Support Programme (PAMA) supports the implementation of major economic reforms launched by the government during the 1990s, including the commercialization of small-scale farming through better access to markets and improved linkages with private-sector operators.

The programme, funded by a US$23.6 million loan, enables small-scale farmers in Boane, 30 km south of Maputo, to grow cabbages, potatoes, tomatoes and other cash crops in the rehabilitated irrigation schemes that were severely damaged during 16 years of civil war. Today, in the Boane area, the irrigation schemes cover 405 ha of land and the programme works with approximately 400 farmers.

A Regoverning Markets Agrifood Sector Study

by Andre Louw, Davison Chikazunga, Danie Jordaan and Estelle Biénabe

South Africa's national food market, like much in South Africa, is characterised by dualism with a very well developed, highly sophisticated food marketing system on the one hand and a well-organized informal food food marketing system on the other hand. The highly sophisticated food marketing system is dominated by a small number of retail groups who distribute food through a variety of supermarket formats located in the major cities and towns of South Africa. Conversely, the informal food marketing system distributes food through general dealers, cafes, spaza shops, street vendors, hawkers and tuck shops and street corner stalls in areas like townships and former homelands where supermarket retail outlets are absent or have been until now.

Linking small-scale producers and processors to dynamic and restructured local, regional and international markets for high value products

The Regional Resource Centre for Rural Development (RRD)-Sida together with the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zambia, hosted a working meeting 15-17 May 2007, in Zambia. The meeting shared experiences from the Regoverning Markets programme, the agri-standards programme and other relevant initiatives in the Southern Africa region with Sida regional and country teams on the theme of Linking small-scale producers and processors to dynamic and restructured local, regional and international markets for high value products in East and Southern Africa.

Amongst the resource persons were the authors of five country information sheets and the information sheet on standards for export which had been prepared through RRD-Sida funding. The workshop report and the supporting presentations offer possible policy and intervention entry points that can remove barriers and increase access to dynamic markets for small-scale producers in SSA.

Country Information Sheets can be downloaded here

Workshop Presentations can be downloaded here

Building bridges between processors and smallholders in Africa: are contracts an answer?

Sautier, D.; Vermeulen, H.; Fok, M.; Biénabe, E. / Latin American Center for Rural Development (RIMISP) , 2006

This paper presents specific experiences in Africa, involving small and medium farmers and agri-processors. It illustrates the capacity of farmers and food processors to leverage agricultural growth , take advantage of untapped sources of growth and generate pro-poor development through adequate institutions.

Acknowledging that small and medium size farmers in Africa face unique and difficult market constraints, the paper highlights the potential of contractual arrangements in governing relationships farmers and agroprocessors. Although the effectiveness of contracts can vary, the case studies in this document show ways through which contractual arrangements can support the market participation of small and medium farmers and foster agricultural growth for poverty alleviation.

The case of local procurement schemes from small-scale farmers by rural-based retail chain stores

by Estelle Bienabe & Hester Vermeulen

In contrast to the centralised fresh produce procurement systems of South African retailers relying on preferred commercial suppliers, this paper draws on an in-depth analysis of the innovative procurement schemes of two rural-based supermarket chain stores in the Limpopo Province to source fresh vegetables locally from small-scale farmers. The objective is to derive lessons to guide public and private sector actors in promoting greater participation of small-scale producers in dynamic supply chains, through the exposure of the key drivers and success factors affecting the inclusion of small-scale vegetable farmers.

KIT BookKIT | Faida MaLi | IIRR |

This is a book of hope for Africa's smallholder farmers. It shows how they can earn more from their crops and livestock by taking control over the value chains they are part of - chains that link them with consumers in Africa's towns and cities, as well as in other countries.

The book describes two basic strategies that groups of farmers can use to improve their incomes: vertical and horizontal integration. Vertical integration means taking on additional activities in the value chain: processing or grading produce, for example. Horizontal integration means becoming more involved in managing the value chain itself - by farmers' improving their access to and management of information, their knowledge of the market, their control over contracts, or their cooperation with other actors in the chain.

This book contains 19 case studies showing how groups of farmers throughout Africa have adopted one or both of these strategies to improve their incomes. It shows how development organizations have helped them do this - how they have succeeded, and how they have sometimes failed. It shows the need to invest in improving the quality of existing products, developing new products, establishing market linkages, and building farmer organization and capacity.

The book provides numerous insights for those striving to empower smallholder farmers to develop markets. It will be of particular interest to government policymakers and staff involved in agricultural development, non-government organizations, university faculty and students, trainers, evaluators, and donors seeking ways to promote agriculture in Africa and elsewhere in the developing world.

The book is written in easy-to-understand language and is richly illustrated with line drawings.

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

Paper by Denis Sautier, Hester Vermeulen, Michel Fok, Estelle Biénabe. RIMISP, November, 2006

Abstract (c/o Eldis)

This paper, part of a series of contributions by RIMISP to the preparation of the World Development Report 2008, presents specific experiences in Africa, involving small and medium farmers and agri-processors. It illustrates the capacity of farmers and food processors to leverage agricultural growth , take advantage of untapped sources of growth and generate pro-poor development through adequate institutions.