ANALYZING COSTS AND MARGINS OF SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN THE COFFEE VALUE CHAIN: M4P APPROACH

Author(s):  
Nguyen Ngoc Trung ◽  
Dang Trung Tuyen ◽  
ThiHong Nguyen ◽  
Tran Cuong
Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 462
Author(s):  
Hongyu Wang ◽  
Xiaolei Wang ◽  
Apurbo Sarkar ◽  
Lu Qian

Market-based initiatives like agriculture value chain (AVC) are becoming progressively pervasive to support smallholder rural farmers and assist them in entering larger market interventions and providing a pathway of enhancing their socioeconomic well-being. Moreover, it may also foster staggering effects towards the post-era poverty alleviation in rural areas and possessed a significant theoretical and practical influence for modern agricultural development. The prime objective of the study is to explore the effects of smallholder farmers’ participation in the agricultural value chain for availing rural development and poverty alleviation. Specifically, we have crafted the assessment employing pre-production (improved fertilizers usage), in-production (modern preservation technology), and post-production (supply chain) participation and interventions of smallholder farmers. The empirical data has been collected from a micro survey dataset of 623 kiwifruit farmers from July to September in Shaanxi, China. We have employed propensity score matching (PSM), probit, and OLS models to explore the multidimensional poverty reduction impact and heterogeneity of farmers’ participation in the agricultural value chain. The results show that the total number of poor farmers who have experienced one-dimensional and two-dimensional poverty is relatively high (66.3%). We also find that farmers’ participation in agricultural value chain activities has a significant poverty reduction effect. The multidimensional poverty level of farmers using improved fertilizer, organizational acquisition, and using storage technology (compared with non-participating farmers) decreased by 30.1%, 46.5%, and 25.0%, respectively. The multidimensional poverty reduction degree of male farmers using improved fertilizer and participating in the organizational acquisition is greater than that of women. The multidimensional poverty reduction degree of female farmers using storage and fresh-keeping technology has a greater impact than the males using storage and improved storage technology. Government should widely promote the value chain in the form of pre-harvest, production, and post-harvest technology. The public–private partnership should also be strengthened for availing innovative technologies and infrastructure development.


Author(s):  
Gordon Conway ◽  
Ousmane Badiane ◽  
Katrin Glatzel

Africa requires a new agricultural transformation that is appropriate for Africa, that recognizes the continent's diverse environments and climates, and that takes into account its histories and cultures while benefiting rural smallholder farmers and their families. This book describes the key challenges faced by Africa's smallholder farmers and presents the concepts and practices of sustainable intensification as opportunities to sustainably transform Africa's agriculture sector and the livelihoods of millions of smallholders. The way forward, the book indicates, will be an agriculture sector deeply rooted within sustainable intensification: producing more with less, using fertilizers and pesticides more prudently, adapting to climate change, improving natural capital, adopting new technologies, and building resilience at every stage of the agriculture value chain. This book envisions a virtuous circle generated through agricultural development rooted in sustainable intensification that results in greater yields, healthier diets, improved livelihoods for farmers, and sustainable economic opportunities for the rural poor that in turn generate further investment. It describes the benefits of digital technologies for farmers and the challenges of transforming African agricultural policies and creating effective and inspiring leadership. The book demonstrates why we should take on the challenge and provides ideas and methods through which it can be met.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 66-74
Author(s):  
E.D Oruonye ◽  
◽  
Tukura Ejati Danladi ◽  
M Joseph ◽  
Menwo Ukechi Wilson-Osigwe

The study assesses the impact of IFAD-VCDP on rice yield and farmers’ income, as well as constraints to IFAD-VCDP implementation in the study area. A purposive sampling method was adopted to select 220 rice farmers. Primary and secondary data were used. Questionnaires were used to collect information from the beneficiaries of the programme. The respondents verified the claims of the programme with respect to the provisions of farm inputs, extension service and basic infrastructures. A paired-samples t-test was used to analyze the data. The findings of the study revealed that 55% of the respondents have yields between 1–10 bags (100kg) and after the intervention, 52% of the respondents had yield of 61–80 bags (100kg). Similarly, 43% of the respondents have income between N51,000-N70,000 before the intervention programme and after the intervention, 52% of the respondents have income between N141,000-N170,000 and 42% have between N171,000-N200,000. This shows significant positive impacts on crop yield and income. The results of the paired-sample t-test show that there is difference in the mean income of rice farmers before IFAD-VCDP intervention (M = 2.54, SD = .81) and after IFAD-VCDP intervention (M = 4.35, SD = .59) at the .05 level of significance (t = 27.25, df = 219, n = 220, p< .05, 95% CI for mean difference 1.68 to 1.94). Given the positive impact of the IFAD-value chain development programme on rice farming in the study area, there is a need to extend it to other rice-producing LGA in Taraba State. Keywords: Ardo Kola, IFAD, Rice farming, Smallholder farmers and VCDP.


2013 ◽  
pp. 689-699
Author(s):  
Siegfried Kofi Debrah ◽  
Isaac Kwadwo Asare

Development partner efforts and private sector initiatives on ICT applications in agriculture have brought new opportunities for farmers and traders to reduce transaction costs and increase incomes. The applications are primarily used for linking actors in the agricultural value chain, accessing real time information on prices, buyers and sellers, transport and haulage, and other relevant information services in the agricultural value chain. Limited evidence from Ghana and elsewhere show that cell phone applications have resulted in increased incomes but the impacts and sustainability of other ICT applications have proven elusive. The role of ICT in overcoming the key constraints in the agricultural value chain and for making evidence-based decisions will be greatly enhanced if farmers, aggregators, and other stakeholders in the value chain pay attention to their business scope and schedule planning, executing, monitoring and control, procurement, risk planning, and stakeholder communications in a “project management” context. When this is done, ICT applications will facilitate supply chain management through sharing of timely and pertinent information on producers, buyers and other services, thereby helping to promote industry competitiveness. The major challenges to the widespread use and sustainability of ICT remain access to the appropriate ICT tool, poor road and storage infrastructure (particularly in the farming communities) and illiteracy on the part of the majority of smallholder farmers.


Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 117
Author(s):  
Humera Iqbal ◽  
Anam Afzal ◽  
Khizar Hayat ◽  
Emma Hand ◽  
David McGill

In Pakistan, smallholder farmers are primarily engaged in dairy farming while keeping beef animals as secondary products. Farmers experience poor production due to lack of focus on beef farming, traditional calf rearing practices and limited resources. The objective of this study was to understand the perceptions of smallholder farming households of beef production and the available resources for farmers to engage in beef fattening to increase overall farm profitability. Data was collected using a focus group discussion approach, from farming households in villages across Punjab (n = 7) and Sindh (n = 8). An integrated framework incorporating gender and value-chain considerations was used as a tool to assess farmer interest, goals and resources for rearing livestock. The data was analyzed using content analysis. The majority of farmers interested in calf fattening were more resource rich, with livestock as their primary source of income. A smaller proportion of farmers, with limited resources, also took interest in calf fattening. Women from a few villages mentioned that they were reluctant to be involved in beef businesses due to an emerging focus on childhood education as well as a lack of agency for livestock sales and control over income. Another factor contributing to farmer perceptions of beef included their enterprise focus (dairy or cropping). Overall, smallholder farmers perceived that calf fattening could be a profitable business if claves were reared properly, had adequate feed resources and good market return. Training and farm support targeting these areas is critical for calf fattening to become a profitable market strategy.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 537-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanita Kataike ◽  
Durga Prasad Venkata Modekurti ◽  
Eric Butali ◽  
David Magumba ◽  
Andrew Ronnie Mugenyi ◽  
...  

PurposeEffective rural agribusiness development requires dedicated training programmes therefore, this paper is an attempt to investigate smallholder farmers’ TNs in the dairy agribusiness sector. The purpose of this paper is to study a bigger research project of the dairy value chain in agribusiness framework in the Rwenzori region.Design/methodology/approachA sample size of 100 dairy farmers were randomly selected from two Districts in the Rwenzori region. The descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) provided a basis for discussion. Furthermore, parametric Pearson coefficient test was conducted to examine the smallholder farmers’ TNs and assess its association with selected socio-demographic characteristics of the dairy farmers.FindingsThe analysis indicated that dairy farmers expressed the need for a training program. Most frequently requested topics include: fodder cultivation, quality and safe milk handling, milk marketing, calf feeding and rearing, animal nutrition and financial literacy out of 12 topics. The least desired TNs was record keeping.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings contribute to the understanding of dairy farmers’ TNs.Practical implicationsThe identified 12 key training intervention areas for the dairy farmers inform policymakers Dairy Development Authority and other development bodies in the Rwenzori region to address the challenges and improve smallholder dairy farming practices.Originality/valueThe study applies a synthesis review to identify theoretically acceptable variables that measure smallholder farmers’ TNs in the dairy agribusiness. The paper also shares the empirical evidence of a pioneering attempt to identify smallholder dairy farmers’ TNs in Uganda.


Author(s):  
Julius J. Okello ◽  
Edith Ofwona-Adera ◽  
Oliver L.E. Mbatia ◽  
Ruth M. Okello

This article examines an ICT-based intervention (known as the DrumNet project) that has succeeded in integrating smallholder-resource and poor farmers into a higher value agricultural chain. The article assesses the design of the project, and how it resolves the smallholder farmers’ idiosyncratic market failures and examines member-farmers’ marketing margins. The article finds that the design of the DrumNet project resolves smallholder farmers’ credit, insurance and information market failures and enables them to overcome organizational failure. The article concludes that successful ICT-based interventions for integrating farmers into higher value agricultural value chains require an integrated approach to tackling smallholder farmers’ constraints. The findings have implications for the design of future ICT-based interventions in agriculture.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 4999
Author(s):  
Veronica Mwangi ◽  
Samuel Owuor ◽  
Boniface Kiteme ◽  
Markus Giger ◽  
Johanna Jacobi ◽  
...  

Smallholder farmers and pastoralists produce the largest proportion of food consumed in sub-Saharan Africa. However, they remain among the food insecure populations. This paper explores the food (in)security among smallholder farmers and pastoralists using a sample of 175 households in three agro-food value chains of wheat, dairy, and beef in the north-west Mt. Kenya region. The study seeks to answer if a farmer’s participation in a particular agro-food value chain determines his/her food security situation. We use the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and two Poisson regression models, parsimonious and full, to assess the household food security status and determinants of food security among the smallholder farmers and pastoralists. The results show that 61% of the households were either mildly, moderately, or severely food insecure. Households in the beef value chain experienced relatively higher incidences of food insecurity compared to households in the wheat and dairy value chains. The HFIAS scores revealed a wide gap between households with minimum and maximum score. Household size, income and income-related variables (ability to save and borrow to meet family needs), transport assets, membership in farmers’ associations, and household energy were significant in determining household food security, while access to credit and to extension services was not. Strategies that focus on boosting smallholder farmers’ incomes, building strong and resilient farmers associations to improve inclusive and equitable value chains have the potential to get smallholder farmers out of recurrent food insecurity.


2016 ◽  
Vol 118 (8) ◽  
pp. 1857-1882 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raffaele Dicecca ◽  
Stefano Pascucci ◽  
Francesco Contò

Purpose – Smallholder farmers often deal with lack of information and knowledge, weak financial capacity and limited collaboration and network orientation. This is hampering their ability to adopt or co-develop innovation, and to participate in value chain exchanges. This calls for using intermediary organizations. The purpose of this paper is to understand how innovation intermediaries engage with smallholder farmers and provoke value chain reconfigurations. Design/methodology/approach – The authors systematically review literature to draw cases on intermediaries operating in the agri-food sector in several geographical and socio-economic contexts. The authors then adopt a theory building from cases approach to identify relationships between smallholder farmers and innovation intermediaries, and their effects in the reconfiguration of value chains. Findings – Consultants, knowledge transfer organizations (KTOs) and broker organizations (BOs) are the three typologies of intermediaries identified. While consultants facilitate change by modifying the way smallholders engage in transactions with their buyers and input providers, KTOs focus on farmers engagement in the value chain by stimulating the formation of knowledge platform or partnership. BOs operate in a similar way as compared to KTOs but mainly by forming and facilitating access to informal networks. Practical implications – The authors build a framework in which relationships between typologies of intermediary organizations and types of innovation processes are connected with changes at value chain level. Originality/value – The authors highlight how diverse forms of intermediations may stimulate not only smallholder farmers’ participation in innovation networks but also value chain reconfigurations.


2016 ◽  
Vol 83 ◽  
pp. 70-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Duff Rutherford ◽  
Holly M. Burke ◽  
Kelly K. Cheung ◽  
Samuel H. Field

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