New from World Bank: Building Competitiveness in Africa's Agriculture: a guide to value chain concepts and applications

billv — Fri, 21 May 2010 16:25:34 +0000

Webber, C. Martin; and Labaste, Patrick. World Bank, 2010

Abstract:

The development and business communities recently have experienced a tremendous resurgence of interest in promoting value chains development as a way to add value, lower transaction costs, diversify rural economies, and contribute to increasing rural household incomes. This Guide is designed for those who want to know more about value chain-based approaches and how to use them in ways that can contribute to sound operational decisions, improved market linkages, and results for enterprise and industry development.

Regional Publication from SEARCA - Changing Agrifood Markets in Southeast Asia: Impacts on Small-Scale Producers

billv — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 18:14:17 +0000

Edited by Larry Digal, Felicity Proctor, Bill Vorley, 2009
ISBN: 978-971-560-145-0 Publisher: SEARCA, 356 pages

This book is an intensive collaborative research and policy support program undertaken to understand the keys to inclusion into agrifood systems under different degrees of restructuring, to deepen the research on implications and opportunities for small-scale producers and SMEs, to understand what is best practice in connecting small-scale producers with dynamic markets, and to bring these findings into the wider policy arena. The book covers nine regions in the world, though it covers only the research done in Southeast Asia.

New from KIT: Farmers as shareholders

billv — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:56:57 +0000

Bulletin 390 - Farmers as shareholders: A close look at recent experience

Maurits de Koning | Bart Steenhuijsen Piters, de

This bulletin is written for people who want to learn more about the challenges and opportunities of ‘farmers as shareholders', that is, including small-scale farmers' groups and associations in the ownership of companies that add value and market their produce.

Walmart aims to cut supply chain cost

billv — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:27:53 +0000

FT.com January 3, 2010

Walmart is launching a drive this year to cut billions of dollars of costs from its supply chain by combining its store purchasing across national frontiers in a new stage in the globalisation of its business.

The effort is part of plans by the world's largest retailer to increase the proportion of goods that it buys directly from manufacturers, rather than through third-party procurement companies or suppliers.

It includes plans to expand initial combined purchasing of fresh fruit and vegetables for its stores in the US, Canada and Mexico, after an initial pilot test with apples that it says led to a 10 per cent reduction in purchasing costs.

New from FAO, UNIDO, IFAD: Agro-industries for Development

billv — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 07:53:24 +0000

Edited by C A da Silva, FAO, Italy; D Baker, FAO, Italy; A W Shepherd, FAO, Italy; S M da Cruz, UNIDO, Austria; C Jenane, UNIDO, Austria. August 2009

Agro-industries for Development highlights the current status and future course for agro-industries and brings attention to the contributions this sector can make to international development. The book includes contributions from agro-industry specialists, academic experts and UN technical agencies, chapters address the strategies and actions required for improving agro-industrial competitiveness in ways that can create income, generate employment and fight poverty in the developing world.

New from Earthscan and FAO: The Transformation of Agri-Food Systems

billv — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:48:32 +0000

The Transformation of Agri-Food Systems: Globalization, Supply Chains and Smallholder Farmers
Edited By Ellen B. McCullough, Prabhu L. Pingali and Kostas G. Stamoulis. Earthscan with FAO, July 2008

This book presents a comprehensive framework for assessing the impacts of changing agri-food systems on smallholder farmers, recognizing the importance of heterogeneity between developing countries as well as within them. The book includes a number of case studies from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe, which are used to illustrate differences in food systems' characteristics and trends.

New from APHCA: Smallholder dairy development: Lessons learned in Asia

billv — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 20:53:27 +0000

Publication based on a workshop "Improved Market Access and Smallholder Dairy Farmer Participation for Sustainable Dairy Development" held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, 25-29 February 2008.

NEW! Inclusive Business in Agrifood Markets: Evidence and Action, plus Conference Issues Papers

kate — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:07:29 +0000

'Inclusive Business in Agrifood Markets: Evidence and Action' is a report based on proceedings of conference of the same name held in Beijing in March 2008. Over 130 participants from 31 countries, representing farming, policy,agrifood business, research and civil society met to assess how modernization of the food system can include and benefit small-scale farmers.

Also available are five Conference Issues papers looking at the Background to the issues, plus priorities for Business, Policy, Producers, and Linking Actors.

Chain-Wide Learning for Inclusive Agrifood Market Development - A Guide

administer — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:07:51 +0000

New Publication from IIED, Wageningen International and Regoverning Markets

Modern agrifood markets are dynamic. Rapid changes in how food is produced, processed, wholesaled and retailed affects the entire value chain - from producer to consumer. Particularly in countries with developing and emerging economies, the pace of change brings significant challenges for small-scale producers, policy makers and business.

This guide provides concepts and tools for working with actors along the entire value chain so that modern markets can be more inclusive of small-scale producers and entrepreneurs.

Regoverning Markets cohosts conference in Beijing on "Inclusive Business in Agrifood Markets"

billv — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 21:30:45 +0000

Regoverning Markets, in partnership with the Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy and the Office of Agricultural Vertical Integration, Ministry of Agriculture, PR China, hosted an international conference in Beijing to address the challenges of small-scale producers' inclusion in dynamic domestic and regional agrifood markets in developing and transition economy countries. The conference, entitled "Inclusive Business in Agrifood Markets: Evidence and Action" took place in Beijing on March 5-6, 2008.