Mapping Flows in the Cassava, Rice, Milk, and Fish Supply Chains of the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo: Is There Any Quiet Revolution Taking Place?

Abstract

By applying a stacked survey approach to farmers, processors, and intermediaries, this study estimates and maps aggregate flows of fresh and processed cassava, rice, milk, and fish within the Bukavu-Uvira-Kalemie economic corridor of the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). To achieve this, we develop and implement a comprehensive accounting method to better capture the complex set of activities within all four supply chains as well as an alignment procedure to ensure consistency in flows across their stacks. Apart from operating beyond mere subsistence levels, the findings of this study indicate that much of the vibrant agri-food value chain (AVC) developments observed in other low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are yet to occur in the Eastern DRC: processing levels and new product development are low; intermediaries remain very present in agri-food markets; food losses are high in the midstream segments; and advance payments to farmers have not disappeared. While these observations provide for a dissonant case study, it underscores the huge potential for future upgrading of AVC in the Eastern DRC.