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Smallholder Participation in Agricultural Value Chains: Comparative Evidence from Three Continents

Author Info

  • Barrett, Christopher B.
  • Bachke, Maren E.
  • Bellemare, Marc F.
  • Michelson, Hope C.
  • Narayanan, Sudha
  • Walker, Thomas F.

Abstract

Supermarkets, specialized wholesalers, and processors and agro-exporters’ agricultural value chains have begun to transform the marketing channels into which smallholder farmers sell produce in low-income economies. We develop a conceptual framework through which to study contracting between smallholders and a commodity-processing firm. We then conduct an empirical meta-analysis of agricultural value chains in five countries across three continents (Ghana, India, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Nicaragua). We document patterns of participation, the welfare gains associated with participation, reasons for non-participation, the significant extent of contract non-compliance, and the considerable dynamism of these value chains, as farmers and firms enter and exit frequently.

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File URL: http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/27829/1/MPRA_paper_27829.pdf
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Paper provided by University Library of Munich, Germany in its series MPRA Paper with number 27829.

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Date of creation: 30 Dec 2010
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Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:27829
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Keywords: Agricultural Value Chains; Contract Farming; Africa; Asia; Latin America;

Find related papers by JEL classification:

  • L23 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Organization of Production
  • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
  • L24 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Contracting Out; Joint Ventures
  • Q12 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets
  • O14 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Industrialization; Manufacturing and Service Industries; Choice of Technology

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  1. Patrick Bajari & Steven Tadelis, 1999. "Incentives versus Transaction Costs: A Theory of Procurement Contracts," Working Papers 99029, Stanford University, Department of Economics.
  2. Foster, Andrew D. & Rosenzweig, Mark R., 2010. "Microeconomics of Technology Adoption," Working Papers 78, Yale University, Department of Economics.
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  9. Michelson, Hope & Reardon, Thomas & Perez, Francisco Jose, 2010. "Small Farmers and Big Retail: trade-offs of supplying supermarkets in Nicaragua," Staff Papers 62124, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
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  11. Thomas Reardon & C. Peter Timmer & Christopher B. Barrett & Julio Berdegué, 2003. "The Rise of Supermarkets in Africa, Asia, and Latin America," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 85(5), pages 1140-1146.
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  18. Trienekens, Jacques H. & Willems, Sabine, 2007. "Innovation and Governance in International Food Supply Chains: The Cases of Ghanaian Pineapples and South African Grapes," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IAMA), vol. 10(4).
  19. Sashi Sivramkrishna & Amalendu Jyotishi, 2008. "Monopsonistic exploitation in contract farming: articulating a strategy for grower cooperation," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 20(3), pages 280-296.
  20. Christopher B. Barrett & Michael R. Carter, 2010. "The Power and Pitfalls of Experiments in Development Economics: Some Non-random Reflections," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 32(4), pages 515-548.
  21. Sandmo, Agnar, 1971. "On the Theory of the Competitive Firm under Price Uncertainty," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 61(1), pages 65-73, March.
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  24. Barrett, Christopher B., 2008. "Smallholder market participation: Concepts and evidence from eastern and southern Africa," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 299-317, August.
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Cited by:

  1. Sudha Narayanan, 2012. "Safe gambles? Farmer perceptions of transactional certainty and risk-return tradeoffs in contract farming schemes in Southern India," Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai Working Papers 2012-021, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai, India.
  2. Narayanan, Sudha, 2014. "Profits from participation in high value agriculture: Evidence of heterogeneous benefits in contract farming schemes in Southern India," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 142-157.
  3. Rosch, Stephanie & Ortega, David, 2014. "Looking for Causes of Effects: Imperfect Contract Enforcement in Kenya's French Bean Market," 2014 Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2014, Minneapolis, Minnesota 170553, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
  4. Suzuki, Aya, 2014. "Risk on Dynamic Behavior of Farmers in the Export Market: A Case from the Pineapple Industry in Ghana," 2014 Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2014, Minneapolis, Minnesota 170665, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.

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