The new World Bank World Development Report 2008, for the first time in 25 years, is dedicated to agriculture. The WDR includes a call to action in response to the modernisation of procurement systems in integrated supply chains and supermarkets, so that small farmers can share in these growth opportunities.

German Development Cooperation (BMZ and GTZ), Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC and SECO) and the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) called an international conference on "Value Chains for Broad-based Development", which was held in Berlin on 30-31 May 2007. Around 200 experts in the field of value chain promotion participated.

This series of Information Sheets provides a summary of market changes taking place at national level within key high value agrifood commodity chains. The intention is to serve as a point for public sector, donor and private sector discussions with particular focus on securing and improving income among the rural poor through their participation in new and dynamic markets.

The Information Sheets were prepared in association with a working meeting 15-17 May 2007, in Zambia, of the Regional Resource Centre for Rural Development (RRD)-Sida together with the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Country Information Sheets on Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia, plus information on Public and Private Standards, can be downloaded here. Material from the Zambia workshop can be downloaded here.

Report prepared for the Donor Committee for Enterprise Development

Working Group on Linkages and Value Chains