A comparison of socioeconomic dynamics and market performance in lobster and giant freshwater prawn value chains in Sri Lanka

Value chain analysis is a useful tool that guides targeted interventions for developing value chains to enhance economic productivity, social well-being, and environmental performance. Examining value chains from a gender perspective can enable the design of more opportunities for women in the fisheries sector to address gender inequalities. This study examined gender-specific roles and opportunities in finfish and giant freshwater prawn (GFP) value chains within five selected reservoirs in Sri Lanka. The floating coconut model was used to identify gender roles in the selected fishing communities and value chain mapping techniques were used to reflect gender engagement along the chain. The analysis was based on data collected using key informant interviews and focused group discussions in the year 2024. Based on the findings, economic activities within the culture-based fishery community can be categorized as formal or informal. Fishing and selling fish in the local market and selling freshwater prawns to collectors who work for exporters are examples of formal economic activity. However, there are about 40 different kinds of informal economic activities in which both men and women participate. Informal activities highlight the important role of women in the household economy where there is a clear division of labor between women and men. Two different value chains were identified based on the five selected reservoirs: one for finfish and the other for GFPs. Both men and women participate in all stages of the value chains. Men dominate in fishing, fish collection, retailing, and wholesaling, with varying support from female family members. Females dominate in fish processing. The GFP value chain differs from that of the finfish's, as it mainly focuses on the export market, with only a small portion going to the local market. The prawns are mainly caught as by-catch in gillnet fisheries for finfish. Women play a crucial role in carefully handling and storing GFPs to maintain its quality, as they are perceived as patient and meticulous in disentangling GFP from fishing nets without harming them. Engaging in fishing can provide a valuable opportunity to balance work life and family responsibilities. Providing training for members of the fishery community to convert non-economic activities into economic activities would enhance economic and social benefits within fishing households, as well as within the fisheries sector.

صنعت فولاد به عنوان یکی از صنایع مادر کشور نقش بسزایی در اشتغال­زایی و ارزآوری دارد و از صنایع زیربنایی توسعه کشور محسوب می شود. ایران در فاکتورهای مهم تولید فولاد مزیت دارد؛ بر اساس طرح جامع فولاد ایران، کلیه حلقه­های زنجیره ارزش این صنعت می­بایست به صورت متوازن توسعه یابند تا کشور از حیث تامین مواد اولیه و میانی زنجیره خود کفا باشد. در مقاله پیش رو با استفاده از روش تحلیل اقتصادی زنجیره ارزش و تحلیل جریان مواد به واکاوی زنجیره ارزش صنعت فولاد ایران در سال­های 93-95 پرداخته شده است. ابتدا زنجیره ارزش فولاد کشور ترسیم و با استفاده از آمار مربوط به میزان تولید و فروش سالانه در هر حلقه از زنجیره ارزش، آمار واردات و صادرات محصولات مختلف زنجیره و . . . جریان مواد در زنجیره ارزش صنعت فولاد تحلیل گردید. سپس کل ارزش افزوده حاصل از زنجیره و سهم مراحل مختلف و هزینه­های عملیاتی و سربار در هر حلقه شناسایی شد. بر اساس نتایج این تحقیق عدم توزان و عدم بهره­وری در طول زنجیره مشهود است و در هر سه سال کمبود ظرفیت گندله­سازی، گلوگاه توازن زنجیره بوده است. علاوه بر این تنها بدلیل تفاوت ظرفیت اسمی و تولید واقعی در تولید گندله در سال­ 1393 حدود چهارصد میلیارد ریال، در سال 1394 حدود هزار میلیارد ریال و در سال 1395 حدود هشت هزار میلیارد ریال از ارزش افزوده­ای که می­توانست در زنجیره تولید شود، کاسته شده­است. بر اساس نتایج این تحقیق عدم توزان و عدم بهره‌وری در طول زنجیره مشهود است و در هر سه سال کمبود ظرفیت گندله-سازی، گلوگاه توازن زنجیره بوده است. علاوه بر این تنها بدلیل تفاوت ظرفیت اسمی و تولید واقعی در تولید گندله در سال‌ 1393 حدود چهارصد میلیارد ریال، در سال 1394 حدود هزار میلیارد ریال و در سال 1395 حدود هشت هزار میلیارد ریال از ارزش افزوده‌ای که می‌توانست در طول زنجیره تولید شود، کاسته شده‌است.

This study explores the relationships between value chain actors in the shea sector in Northern Ghana, the governance mechanism that prevails, and the upgrading opportunities for upstream actors. The value chain analysis (VCA) framework was the main analytical tool employed for this assessment. Participating actors in the shea global value chain were shea kernel producers, shea butter processors, aggregators, and industrial processors and exporters of shea products. The results showed that, although women shea upstream actors (especially shea kernel producers) interface directly with aggregators, the relationship is weak and restricted to spot buying, and arms-length market governance relationship. Although the upstream actors are enthusiastic to upgrade their products, they are constrained by inadequate access to requisite assets, resources, capabilities, and skills. The shea upstream actors were confined to low value-adding segments and activities of the shea-GVC. Industrial processors and exporters appear reluctant to directly support upstream women processors to upgrade through offering credits, technology transfer and skills enhancement. Lowering barriers to upgrading opportunities in the value chain calls for intervention of the government, and support from international development organizations (NGOs), and midstream and downstream actors. Government must create an enabling policy environment that incentivize downstream actors to build capacities of upstream actors.

Combining established methods for value chain and power analyses: Towards a comprehensive next-generation understanding of value chain governance

Summaries Gender is often overlooked in the analysis of global value chains. Analysis of value chains incorporates all aspects from design, through production to final distribution and consumption. These activities are embedded within prevailing gender relations that affect value chains at every node. Conversely the operation of value chains can affect the prevailing gender division of labour in different localities. This article provides an initial contribution to an analysis of gender and value chains, drawing on the example of the horticultural value chain linking South Africa and Chile to European retail. It explores how flexible female employment at one end of the chain provides supply flexibility in the global chain. At the other end, supermarkets exploit changing working and consumption. patterns to sell high value‐added food, previously prepared in the home. Examining the gender dimension provides a much more comprehensive analysis of value chains, through which all aspects of their functioning can be better understood.

Value chain analysis of Eucalyptus poles in around Bahir Dar, Northwestern Ethiopia

Value chain and sustainability analysis of fresh-cut vegetable: A case study at SSS Co.

Fold N. Value chain dynamics, settlement trajectories and regional development, Regional Studies. Global value chain (GVC) analysis has little to say about the interaction between regions and global chain dynamics. However, recent calls to address broader development issues have resulted in efforts to incorporate a spatial dimension in GVC analysis. Addressing this issue, the paper argues that GVC analysis needs to be combined with the examination of livelihoods at settlement level. Livelihood diversification – or lack thereof – indicates particular settlement trajectories that constitute regional development pathways. It is also suggested that the understanding of how regions are shaped by value chain dynamics will improve by adding elements from global production network (GPN) theory to the combined methodology, namely by an examination of territorial embeddedness and value (creation, enhancement, capture, distribution) at settlement level.

Apples constitute the bulk of deciduous fruit produced in South Africa, i.e. in 2000, apples made up the largest percentage of the deciduous fruit crop (43%). From 991/92 to 2002/03 production averaged 574 850 tons per annum with a standard deviation of 43 922 tons. The average distribution of the apple crop between the local market, exports and processing is more or less even. Because of its potential lucrative nature much emphasis in the apple industry is afforded to exports, but relatively little is known about how price transmission takes place on the domestic fresh produce markets (FPMs). Moreover, it is increasingly recognized that the formulation of market-enhancing policies to increase the performance of the local market requires a better understanding of how the market functions. Aggregate market performance is better understood by studying the level of market integration that exists, which in turn is affected by transaction costs in the value chain. Hence, the primary objective of this study was to measure market integration for apples on the South African FPMs to determine the existence of long-run price relationships and spatial market linkages. Specific issues addressed in this study include, (i) determination of the effect of deregulation of the marketing of agricultural products in 1997 on average real market prices, price spread and volatility (risk), (ii) determination of how FPMs where apples are sold are linked and how prices are transmitted across these markets, (iii) determination of the threshold prices beyond which markets adjust and return to equilibrium, and (iv) establish the response of the FPMs to price shocks and how long it takes for shocks to be eliminated. The FPMs included in this study are Johannesburg, Cape Town, Tswhane, Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Kimberley and Pietermaritzburg. The criteria for selecting the FPMs were based on net market positions (surplus or deficit area), geographical distribution, the volume of trade and the importance of the market to the national apple trade flow. The investigation revealed a statistically significant decline in real prices in six of the eight markets investigated, a statistically significant relation in prices (price spread) between the Johannesburg FPM and five other FPMs, as well as that the price spreads between these markets declined after deregulation, and that the variation in real apple prices declined for five of the eight markets after deregulation. Standard autoregressive (AR) and threshold autoregressive (TAR) error correction models were compared to determine whether transaction cost has significant effects in measuring market integration. Larger adjustment coefficients were found in the TAR model. This is an indication that price adjustments are faster in threshold autoregressive TAR models than in AR models. Also half-life deviations in the TAR model are much smaller than in the AR model. The TAR model requires less time for one-half of the deviation from equilibrium to be eliminated than the standard AR model. Therefore, it is better to use TAR models than AR models because TAR models give a more reliable result. In addition, the parameter estimates of the threshold vector error correction model were analyzed. The results show that bidirectional and unidirectional causality exist between Johannesburg FPM prices and other markets. Regime switching estimates to investigate market integration in the selected markets show that no persistent deviation from equilibrium existed for all but one market pair and no clear evidence was found to support improved market integration after market deregulation in 1997. A nonlinear impulse response function to investigate the impact of positive and negative price shocks in the Johannesburg FPM on other FPMs revealed that it takes about six to twelve months for positive and negative shocks to be completely eliminated in all the markets. Generally, the results obtained confirmed strong market integration in terms of apples for selected FPMs.

A conceptual study of value chain analysis as a tool for assessing a veterinary surveillance system for poultry in Great Britain

bjective: To analyze the sociocultural dimension of the maize value chain in the Frailesca region, Chiapas, Mexico, in order to contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the system. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research was exploratory and descriptive, combining quantitative and qualitative methods. The value chain and systems analysis approaches were integrated. Two types of information were used: primary data, through semi-structured interviews with actors in the production chain, and secondary data, through available official statistical information. Results: The main results indicate that traditional management, product use, and technological modernity influence marketing channels in a non-linear manner. The production link is based on family labor; the transformation and consumption links are based on local food culture. The sociocultural factor is a determinant of the maize agroecosystem value chain in Chiapas. Study Limitations/Implications: It is necessary to consider sociocultural aspects in the development programs for maize production and consumption in La Frailesca, with an approach that goes beyond value chain analysis and recognizes networks and production-consumption systems. Analyzing the value chain of agricultural product use and transformation from a scientific research perspective contributes to identifying critical limitations among actors and their relationships for the improvement of the agroecosystem. Findings/Conclusions: The production link is based on family labor and small production systems with diverse potentials in the four municipalities studied. The transformation and consumption links are driven by local food culture, creating feedback that also affects the production sector. The maize value chain in the Frailesca region is characterized by encompassing family and local domains, with significant sociocultural influence, where the value addition flow is far from linear. Although not hegemonic, the sociocultural factor plays a predominant role in the maize agroecosystem value chain in La Frailesca.

Introduction: This article delves into the intricate dynamics of the tourism village community organizations, elucidating the essential role of a business mindset in navigating the complexities of the tourism industry. As a new tourism village, Neglasari village was designated as one of the pioneer tourism villages of the Southern part of Garut Regency in 2021. Followed by the formation of two village community organizations namely the village-owned enterprise (Bumdes Bangun Jaya) and the tourism awareness group (Pokdarwis Neglasari) in 2023. Some of potential tourist attractions among others Jagapati Waterfall and Puncak Lendra Tea Plantation.Methodology: This qualitative research used focus group discussions technique explore and collect the data from all members of the community organizations, Pokdarwis Neglasari and Bumdes Bangun Jaya.Findings: The village community organizations have passions for solving problems and willingness to accept changes. The business mindset of Pokdarwis Neglasari and Bumdes Bangun Jaya revolves around community empowerment, collaboration, sustainable practices, and continuous improvement through value chain analysis. By leveraging their cultural and natural assets, these organizations not only enhance the tourism experience but also foster socio-economic development within their communities.Conclusion: Based on the tourism value chain, that tourist village have uniqueness that is the basis for the development of tourism village products, and based on tourism supply chain, their high collaboration with suppliers improves the quality of their products and provides advantages to enhance their competitive position in the market.

Value chain analysis of the natural gas industry: Lessons from the US regulatory success and opportunities for Europe

Value chain analysis has a central role in determining the distribution of benefits of the participants to upgrade solutions to the value chain. This paper is based on an integrated approach of methods and results of research on agricultural product value chain analysis. Research focuses on analyzing value chain approaches commodity chain analysis, Porter’s value chain model, Global value chain and GTZ organization, the number of actors in the value chain, profit distribution among actors participating in the chain, some popular tools in value chain analysis, and solutions to upgrade the chain. On that basis, the paper also points out the gaps in the current agricultural value chain research: 1) There is no combination of SCP analysis framework with other approaches; 2) Researchers have not analyzed the causes of the markup through the actors or the market power of the actors; 3) There are few studies combine all three models: Porter’s five forces, PEST and SWOT to have a complete basis for proposing solutions to upgrade the value chain.

Value chain analysis has a central role in determining the distribution of benefits of the participants to upgrade solutions to the value chain. This paper is based on an integrated approach of methods and results of research on agricultural product value chain analysis. Research focuses on analyzing value chain approaches commodity chain analysis, Porter’s value chain model, Global value chain and GTZ organization, the number of actors in the value chain, profit distribution among actors participating in the chain, some popular tools in value chain analysis, and solutions to upgrade the chain. On that basis, the paper also points out the gaps in the current agricultural value chain research: 1) There is no combination of SCP analysis framework with other approaches; 2) Researchers have not analyzed the causes of the markup through the actors or the market power of the actors; 3) There are few studies combine all three models: Porter’s five forces, PEST and SWOT to have a complete basis for proposing solutions to upgrade the value chain.