scholarly journals Sustainable Agrifood Value Chain—Transformation in Developing Countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 12358
Author(s):  
Dwi Ratna Hidayati ◽  
Elena Garnevska ◽  
Paul Childerhouse

To service high-value international markets, many agrifood value chains in developing countries are required to transform to meet the strict quality and safety standards. This transformation process has become further complicated by increased sustainability expectations. The key players in these countries, typically smallholders, are struggling to meet this new sustainability value focus. Economic drivers pervade in this context, whilst the lack of integration often decouples producers from the end market. To address these challenges, this paper develops a framework to enable sustainable agrifood value chain transformation in developing countries. A narrative review was used to analyse the major enablers and barriers in sustainable agrifood value chain transformation specifically in developing countries. The framework novelty lies in the synthesis and prioritisation of transformations actions, by integrating three central dimensions: sustainability, governance, and value addition. The incorporation of sustainability drivers into value chain governance provides a holistic approach that balances profit maximization with social and environmental impacts, thus enabling smallholders in developing countries to access higher value markets. The framework can assist these value chain actors in identifying their transformation trajectory and guide policymakers, along with the public sector, in prioritising their intervention to overcome barriers.

Author(s):  
Hena M

Modern marketing techniques and restructured markets for agriculture products has made the small holder producers to fight against a number of consequences which they are actually not practiced or trained. As an alternative, new innovative practice like value chain approach has been identified in improving their ability to combat the restructured market conditions. This paper reviews the theoretical justifications and different viewpoints of value chains approach which can benefit the small holder producers in agriculture sector. A review on evidences from agricultural value chain experiences exposed the necessity of a tool or a business model like value chain approach to integrate the small holder producers to viable markets and to capitalize the immense opportunities in the markets, particularly for least developed and developing countries. The literature revealed that small holder producer can access international markets by establishing value chain networks and by building relationships in chain networks.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph M Kungu ◽  
Francis Ejobi ◽  
Collins Atuheire ◽  
Sylivia Baluka ◽  
Dan Brian Kiganira ◽  
...  

Abstract Animal source foods (ASFs) can be sources of illness when poorly handled both at the farms and during processing. Efforts have been undertaken by government to promote good food standards, quality and safety but have not paid off due to limited holistic involvement of all ASFs value chain actors like the farmers, transporters, traders, and the consumers. An assessment was conducted in Kampala and Mbarara districts to determine the level of compliance to existing food control standards.The findings are to help inform policies to adapt, promote and implement standards and quality of ASF products free or with minimal contamination, services to promote local industries and protect consumers as well as facilitate access to international markets. This assessment was carried out in Kampala and Mbarara district with major objective of mapping various institutions involved in designing and implementing food control standards with the core mandate lying with Uganda National Bureau of Standards and assessing of compliance to food control standards along the ASFs value chain.The studies were conducted in Kampala, Uganda’s capital and Mbarara, the second biggest city in the country. These districts constitute the major market hub of agricultural products due to their high consumer population. The ASFs value chain assessments were conducted through workshops using focus group discussions with stakeholders in the meat, milk, poultry and fish value chains.A number of organisations along the food chain were involved in designing and implementing of food safety standards and regulations, as well as regulatory norms for setting and controlling of quality standards for animal source foods in Uganda. These included; farmers, transporters, processors, academia, researchers, trade organisations, government institutions, private organisations, international bodies and consumers’ organisations.Majority of the outlet operators had both operating certificates and health certificates, however the remaining proportion that was noncompliant is still significant considering that they still distribute ASFs products. The study also observed that most of the measures required to ensure safety of ASFs are not followed along the food chain such as; poor transportation of animals and their products and use of antibiotics in animal feeds. It was also observed that product quality and cost of the product greatly contribute to the consumers’ demand and confidence for a particular animal source product.


2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-11
Author(s):  
Muriel Degobert ◽  
Samantha Brangeon

Purpose – This paper aims to analyse the link that exists between “waste” and “resource” in two developing nations where waste is widely available in the public realm and where economic opportunities are scarce. Over the past few decades, researchers, businesses and policymakers have become increasingly interested in analysing the link that exists between “waste” and “resource”. In developing nations, this link is particularly strong, as waste is widely available in the public realm and economic opportunities are scarce. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is the result of two pieces of research carried out simultaneously at Paris Dauphine University. Field data were collected through interviews with different stakeholders involved in the value chain (businesses, scavengers, local authorities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), etc.), as well as observations as a result of time spent by the researchers living and working in these countries. The limits to the methodology used in this paper are linked to the changing economic and political contexts of these countries, which may affect the nature of the obstacles identified in the value chain. Findings – This research has led the authors to identify different types of economic and social “value” which generate and represent waste in developing countries. The authors have analysed waste as a means for value generation for various stakeholders in a given society, as well as an object that can increase in value throughout the recycling process. However, this process of adding value – for those who benefit from the waste, as well as to the waste itself – is, in the case of Haiti and Vanuatu, limited. The authors have attempted to understand some of these limits, which represent a lost opportunity for these countries. Originality/value – In this paper, the authors have chosen to analyze this link between “waste” and “resource” in two island countries (Haiti and Vanuatu), which share similar geographical, economic and social characteristics, and to attempt to understand the various types of value that waste offers at different social levels.


Author(s):  
Ramnik Kaur

E-governance is a paradigm shift over the traditional approaches in Public Administration which means rendering of government services and information to the public by using electronic means. In the past decades, service quality and responsiveness of the government towards the citizens were least important but with the approach of E-Government the government activities are now well dealt. This paper withdraws experiences from various studies from different countries and projects facing similar challenges which need to be consigned for the successful implementation of e-governance projects. Developing countries like India face poverty and illiteracy as a major obstacle in any form of development which makes it difficult for its government to provide e-services to its people conveniently and fast. It also suggests few suggestions to cope up with the challenges faced while implementing e-projects in India.


1986 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-204
Author(s):  
Shamim A. Sahibzada ◽  
Mir Annice Mahmood

There has lately been an increasing emphasis on methods of evaluating development projects in the developing countries. The traditional focus, which relies on only a financial appraisal of projects, is no longer a favourite topic with project analysts, especially in the public sector. In order to capture the full impact of projects, several methodologies, focusing on the economic and social aspects, have been introduced in the literature during the late Sixties and early Seventies. Moreover, to enhance/facilitate the applicability of these methods to actual projects, the need for Manuals, Guidelines, and Guides of project appraisal has been felt from time to time. Some well known attempts in this area have been made by OECD [2], UNIDO [1; 5], ODA [6] and ODM [7].


Author(s):  
Johan Swinnen ◽  
Rob Kuijpers

Understanding the development implications of agri-food standards and global value chains is crucial, as they are a fundamental component of developing countries’ growth potential and could increase rural incomes and reduce poverty, but at the same time they present serious challenges and could lead to further marginalization of the poor. This chapter reviews some of the implications of the spread of stringent standards associated with global value chains for developing countries and global poverty reduction. The chapter focuses on five aspects: the interaction between standards and value chain governance; the effects on agricultural productivity and smallholder welfare; farm-level and institutional spillovers; labor market and gender effects; and the interaction between liberalization policies and value chains.


2007 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-97
Author(s):  
Rune Wigblad ◽  
John Lewer ◽  
Magnus Hansson

Both the public and private sectors have since the 1980s relentlessly cut the size of their workforces. The downsizing has regularly been reported to lead to closure of a whole or a part of a corporation or organization. Some studies which have analyzed the closures have reported that remarkable, counterintuitive improvements in labor productivity occurred during the time-period between the closure announcement and the final working day. Testing an elaborated cybernetic model on a Swedish case study, and on an exploratory basis, this paper proposes a holistic approach to generate a better understanding of this phenomenon. The main holistic pattern is a new order where management control is replaced by more “Self-management” on the plant level, and very strong psychological reactions based on feelings of unfairness.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7513
Author(s):  
Joshua Lozano ◽  
Joonghyeok Heo ◽  
Mijin Seo

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the public water contamination levels of Winkler County, in West Texas. With water scarcity becoming more prevalent in arid climates like West Texas, it is important to ensure the water quality in these areas. The Dockum and Pecos Valley aquifers were analyzed for inorganic pollutants that could inhibit the water. The parameters such as copper, lead, arsenic, nitrate, chloride, and chromium level reports were provided from 1972 to 2018 to analyze and compare to other studies such as the ones conducted in the Midland/Odessa area. The results were compared to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) safety standards, and conclusions were made for the safety consumption of water within the county. We found that inorganic pollutants resulted mainly from the mobilization of the contaminant from anthropogenic activities such as chemical fertilizers, oil and gas developments. This research provides important information for inorganic pollutants in the sinkhole region of Winkler County and contributes to understanding the response to the aquifers. The significance of water quality in West Texas is now more important than ever to ensure that everyone has clean drinking water.


Author(s):  
Nathan G. Johnson ◽  
Mark Bryden ◽  
Angran Xiao

Combustion of biomass in open fires and ad hoc unventilated stoves is the primary form of household energy for two to three billion people worldwide. These cookstoves have significant health, social, and economic impacts on poor families in developing countries. These impacts include disease, injury, excess time spent gathering fuel, deforestation, and high fuel costs relative to income. In an attempt to address many of these problems numerous non-governmental organizations have developed several biomass cookstove designs in the past five to ten years. These designs have generally focused on increasing fuel efficiency, and to a lesser degree, reducing particulate emissions. This emphasis has been driven largely by the availability of relatively straight forward fuel efficiency tests for biomass cookstoves developed 10–20 years ago and the ability of researchers to adapt current air pollution testing methods for stoves. In contrast there are no safety standards or hazard evaluations available for biomass cookstoves. Because of this the safety of the cookstove is seldom explicitly considered as a part of the design process. This paper addresses the basic safety issues that should be considered in the design of biomass stoves used in developing countries, describes the reasoning behind these safety issues, and proposes a set of safety guidelines for testing and evaluating stove safety. These guidelines are intended for testing and evaluating in the field as well as in the design lab.


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