Value Chains

In September and October country teams of the RFM initiative hosted scalability and scaling preparedness workshops in Nigeria, Uganda, and Ethiopia to ensure the longevity of the research initiative’s interventions

In an ever-evolving global market, the symbiotic development of new varieties of horticultural products in response to shifting international value chain priorities has become a pivotal factor in the expansion of the food industry. However, with rapid changes in product cycles and value chain processes, there are still significant gaps in how low and middle-income countries (LMICs) adapt and benefit from these innovations. Understanding these challenges, especially in the fruit sector, is crucial to unlocking the full potential of breeding and product development worldwide.

Agrifood value chains are an integral part of food systems, moving food from farms where it is produced to retailers where it is sold to consumers. Agrifood value chains can be quite simple—consumers can buy directly from farms at farmers’ markets, for example—or they can be quite complex, involving processing steps on multiple continents before products reach retailers. Yet research often sets aside these distinctions and depicts agrifood value chains as highly stylized and simple—typically as a simplified series of steps involving traders, aggregators, processors, and/or wholesalers between farms and retailers. The most common method for studying multiple intermediary actors within agrifood value chains—“stacked surveys” that randomly sample respondents within each of these steps—follows this simplified approach.

One of the emerging developments in agrifood systems worldwide is the rise of enterprises which provide farmers with “outsource” agricultural services. These services are emerging in various agricultural operations traditionally carried out by farmers themselves. But what has driven this growth? And how might they impact the future of farms?

The initiative Rethinking Food Markets - CGIAR team organized a one-day stakeholders’ workshop for WP1 global coffee value chain in Honduras on February 2nd, 2023, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. In Central America, the Initiative is led by the Alliance of Biodiversity International & CIAT (ABC), it focuses on two work packages: WP1 focuses on increasing participation and profitability of smallholders and agrifood SMEs in the global coffee value chain, and WP2 on innovations for inclusive and sustainable growth of domestic maize and bean value chains.