Market Value Chain Research Articles

Agricultural Value Chains and Gender in the Post-reform Era

This article systematically reviewed literature on agricultural market reforms, value chains and gender, selected from Global South developing countries to generate evidence on the changes in smallholder agricultural value chains and gender relations, following liberalization reforms. The study specifically aimed to; identify and critically analyse previous attempts to categorize agricultural value chains; and provide new value chain categorizations and associated gender relations. We found that only 5% of the reviewed 60 publications have attempted to categorize agricultural value chains, however with no consideration of gender relations. A new value chain typology has been provided as: “Traditional”, Digitally-led”, “Group-led” and “Firm-led” value chains, respectively basing on 13%, 35%, 32%, and 24% of the publications. With regard to gender relations, the main finding was that unequal gender relations are inherent in all forms of value chains but tend to be experienced differently by value chain actors –men and women – depending on the type of value chain. The commonly identified underlying factors for gender inequality included; patriarchal structures that bestow upon men decision-making power and control over production resources mostly land. Related were social norms that confine women to the domestic realm, proscribe their mobility and participation in higher value chain nodes and farmer groups. Lastly were gender disparities in education, skills and income leading to differences in access, ownership and use of ICTs. From the results, we note that inasmuch as different forms of value chains present some opportunities for actors, the evolution in smallholder value chains continues to engender equality challenges, mostly affecting women. We contributed to filling the knowledge gap on transformations in post-reform value chains and its effect on gender relations.

Household information and communication technology usage and post-harvest losses in Nigeria

PurposePost-harvest losses are becoming a huge issue globally and predominantly severe in developing countries. Food losses decrease farm income by 15% for about 480m small-scale farming households. With technology adoption, particularly, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) usage, minimising post-harvest losses will be more effective, because of its ability to build households’ human development by bridging the information gap.Design/methodology/approachThis study empirically examines the impact of ICT usage on post-harvest losses in Nigeria, utilising Wave 4 (2018/2019) of the Living Standards Measurement Studies (LSMS), Integrated Survey on Agriculture (ISA). The study engages the Logit regression and Propensity Score Matching (PSM) to analyse the data.FindingsThe findings show that post-harvest losses constitute about 38% of household agricultural production. In addition, it shows that the influence of ICT is statistically significant and positive in reducing post-harvest losses.Research limitations/implicationsIt implies that access to mobile phones and the Internet by households helps in developing their human capital through information access, for example, by linking them to the market and enhancing value chain participation. In addition, the implication is that mobile phone and Internet access contribute 1.87% and 2.68%, respectively, to reducing post-harvest losses. The findings suggest that there is a need for the government to improve support mechanisms for ICT usage among farming households.Social implicationsThe study contributes to the society by examining how the well-being of farmers can be improved upon in order to increase their productivity.Originality/valueThe study on the contribution of ICT to post-harvest losses is relatively sparse in the extant literature. Therefore, this study is among the very few to empirically examine the impact of different ICT indicators, using the LSMS-ISA (2019) data and engaging propensity matching, while focusing on the household heads.

Mitigating antibiotic misuse in dairy farming systems and milk value chain market: Insights into practices, factors, and farmers education in Nyabihu district, Rwanda

The widespread misuse of antibiotics to combat bacterial infections in dairy farming is a global concern contributing to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). To gain insights within small-scale dairy farming, a study was conducted in Nyabihu district of Rwanda from September 2021 to April 2023 to assess practices and factors associated with antibiotic use, investigate antibiotic residues in cow milk and undertake a comprehensive training program to improve quality milk production. A mixed-methods approach, combining cross-sectional and longitudinal intervention studies, involved 42 regular dairy farmers from both open and zero-grazing systems delivering milk to the Union pour la Promotion des Cooperatives des Eleveurs en Nyabihu (UPROCENYA) milk collection center (MCC). Standardized questionnaires and farm interviews were conducted to assess antibiotic use practices while bulk tank milk samples from the same farmers were collected and tested for antibiotic residues using rapid tests over 16 months (8 months before and 8 months after training).Out of 451 bulk tank milk samples tested, 27 samples (6%) contained antibiotic residues, primarily tetracyclines (55.3%) and beta-lactams (44.7%). Before farmers training, 5182.75 l of milk were rejected monthly due to antibiotic residues. Following training, milk rejections decreased to 3192.75 l per month, reflecting 38.35% monthly decrease. However, no statistically significant difference was found by independent t-test (t = 1.441; p = 0.173) between milk rejected before and after training. 97.6% of interviewed farmers reported using antibiotics within six months preceding data collection, with 71.4% primarily used for disease treatment, notably targeting tick-borne diseases (34.0%). Alarming practices included administering antibiotics without referring samples for laboratory examination (100%), disregarding withdrawal periods (88.1%) and administering antibiotics without a veterinary doctor's prescription (85.7%). Factors contributing to these practices included limited farmer’s knowledge on antibiotics, easy access to antibiotics in local agro-veterinary shops, and insufficient veterinary services. Antibiotic-laden milk was used to feed calves (38.6%), consumed at home (26.5%), and sold (12.0%).The observed misuse of antibiotics and disregard for antibiotic withdrawal periods pose significant threats to both milk quality and human health. The authors recommend that dairy farmers prioritize animal health monitoring, seek veterinary advice for disease prevention and treatment and implement biosecurity measures to prevent diseases and thus reduce antibiotic usage. Collaborative efforts among stakeholders are highly recommended to enhance capacity building for dairy farmers and support research initiatives. Furthermore, it is strongly suggested to strengthen regulations on the prudent use of antibiotics within the Rwandan food production system to curb antimicrobial resistance across both animal and human populations.

Social Media Influencers: Customer Attitudes and Impact on Purchase Behaviour

Social media marketing has become a crucial component of contemporary business strategies, significantly influencing brand visibility, customer engagement, and sales growth. The aim of this study is to investigate and determine the key factors guiding customer attitudes towards social media influencers, and, on that basis, to explore their effects on purchase intentions regarding advertised products or services. A total of 376 filled-in questionnaires from an online survey were analysed. The main characteristics of digital influencers’ behaviour that affect consumer perceptions have been systematized and categorized through a combination of both traditional and advanced data analysis methods. Structural equation modelling (SEM), machine learning and multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods were selected to uncover the hidden dependencies between variables from the perspective of social media users. The developed models elucidate the underlying relationships that shape the acceptance mechanism of influencers’ messages. The obtained results provide specific recommendations for stakeholders across the social media marketing value chain. Marketers can make informed decisions and optimize influencer marketing strategies to enhance user experience and increase conversion rates. Working collaboratively, marketers and influencers can create impactful and successful marketing campaigns that resonate with the target audience and drive meaningful results. Customers benefit from more tailored and engaging influencer content that aligns with their interests and preferences, fostering a stronger connection with brands and potentially affecting their purchase decisions. As the perception of customer satisfaction is an individual and evolving process, stakeholders should organize regular evaluations of influencer marketing data and explore the possibilities to ensure the continuous improvement of this e-marketing channel.

Collective market action, farm performance, and household welfare among maize farmers: the role of outgrower scheme in Northern Ghana

ABSTRACT Although outgrower scheme facilitates farmers’ collective action in agri-food value chain market participation, evidence of its impacts on farm performance and welfare is still limited. We examine the determinants and impact of outgrower scheme collective market participation on farm performance and household welfare in northern Ghana, using a multinomial endogenous switching regression (MESR) model to account for selectivity bias. The empirical findings show that participants in collective input and output markets as well as the joint markets outperform nonparticipants in terms of farm performance (commercialization and net farm income) and household expenditure, with the highest gains associated with joint market participation. We also observed that factors such as gender, age, extension service, credit, transaction cost, and awareness of outgrower scheme significantly influence farmers’ inclusion in group marketing. The findings suggest that policies that facilitate farmers’ access to agricultural inputs and output markets in collective action should be implemented through public–private partnerships to enhance farm performance and the livelihood of farmers.

Implementation of Value Chain and Cooperative Performance: A Case of Twongere Umusaruro Wa Kawa Cooperative Kayonza District, Rwanda

Purpose: In this study, the Twongere umusaruro wa kawa cooperative's value chain implementation and cooperative performance were analyzed. The general purpose of the research study was to evaluate the relationship between the value chain implementation on cooperative performance in the Twongere umusaruro wa kawa cooperative. The study based on value chain and human capital theories. Methodology: The study used a descriptive cross-sectional survey to learn about value chain operations, investigate value chain marketing activities, learn about value chain service, and discover the extent to which these activities affect cooperative performance in Rwanda's Kayonza District. The total population consisted of 170 value chain actors, all of whom were farmers and members of the cooperative. A sample of 119 surveys based on the Slovenian formula used. In this study, the proportional random sampling was used as the sampling method. A questionnaire based on moderately structured interviews used to collect the primary data. The results of the survey were compiled, codified, tabulated, and analyzed. Made a change to improve data accuracy for encoding. The encoded data then entered in Statistical package for Social Sciences version 25. The statistically apparent relationship between factors and cooperative performance was examined with the Qui Square independence test. . Findings: Based on the study results, it was found a meaningful relationship between gender and cooperative performance, service and cooperative performance because p-values associated with gender and service, respectively, were p=0.03 and p=0.00 and did not exceed the 5% significance level. The findings also exposed no significant relation between operations and cooperative performance and marketing and cooperative performance. The findings indicated that the level of significance was above 5% for the operations and marketing-related p=0.462 and p=0.122, respectively. According to the study, value chain operators in cooperatives should pay closer attention to service and gender because of their strong associations with cooperative performance. Value chain developers in operations and marketing should be committed to overcoming any obstacles that hinder the cooperative's performance and should collaborate closely with members and partners to strengthen operations and marketing efforts for the cooperative's sustainability. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Further studies should conduct a thorough analysis in this area by taking into account many independent factors in different districts of the country or the region to clearly show how value chain activities affect cooperative performance and to examine the impact of such changes, research should also invest in collecting data from several cooperatives and various cooperative types.

Examining the European Transition: Central Eastern European Countries Two Decades post-EU Accession

The year 2024 is particularly noteworthy as it marks the 20th anniversary of the European Union's most significant expansion, with ten countries joining the EU. This paper aims to examine the current stage of economic transformation in these 11 Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, 20 years after their accession, and to identify the sources of their success. The study assesses the initial conditions at the time of EU accession for countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Slovenia in 2004, followed by Bulgaria and Romania in 2007, and Croatia in 2013. It then analyzes the economic perspectives two decades post-accession, summarizing the recent growth drivers. Over the past two decades, the CEE-EU bloc has achieved remarkable GDP growth rates and social progress, demonstrating the effectiveness of structural reforms, both political and economic, integration into the European single market and global value chains, as well as openness and a willingness to learn from others.

Participation of farmers in market value chains: A tailored Antràs and Chor positioning indicator

This study presents a micro-level indicator of farmers’ positioning in the market chain, based on the conceptual framework outlined by Antràs and Chor (2013, 2018). The indicator considers the selling location of a farming household and its crop buyers. Using panel data from the World Bank’s ‘Living Standards Measurement Study: Integrated Surveys on Agriculture’ for Ethiopia and Nigeria, this paper applies the proposed indicator empirically and showcases its superior performance in comparison to existing alternatives at the micro-level. Furthermore, by analyzing the dynamics of farmers’ food and total consumption over time and controlling for various household and production characteristics, as well as potential confounding factors, this study shows that moving towards a downstream position in the market chain has a positive impact on farmers’ food and total consumption levels. The results are validated through sensitivity analysis and robustness checks.

Exploring the Market Value Chain Dynamics of Chepa (Semi-Fermented Fish): A Promising Solution to Alleviate Nutritional Deficiency

Chepa, a widely consumed processed fish product in Bangladesh, is prepared through the semi-fermentation process using small fish varieties such as Phaisa and Puti. The study aimed to explore the business dynamics of Chepa production and marketing, focusing on identifying challenges and issues in the process. In the study, focus group discussion (FGD) and face-to-face interviewing were conducted using semi-structured questionnaires. Additionally, PESTLE framework was employed to assess the operational aspects of the Chepa business. The study identified seven key stakeholders in the different nods of the Chepa value chain, highlighting their role alongside supporting entities. The production process involved careful categorization of dried fish based on size and quality. Notable, women constituted predominant workforce in the midstream segment, especially contributing to fish processing. Unlike other food items, Chepa fermenting processes carried out in treated earthen pots without using any chemicals and pesticide, resulting in a distinctive flavor and color. The study underscores the profitability of Chepa industry, although fishermen earned the lowest profit among the shareholders. Furthermore, the declining populations of small fish in water body like haor, posing a threat to their livelihoods. The PESTLE analysis highlighted the importance of an integrated, and multidisciplinary approach to food safety and quality, stressing the importance of training and institutional development. The outcomes of our study offer valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders, guiding efforts toward establishing a sustainable and resilient Chepa industry. Vol. 10, No. 3, December 2023: 353-366

Enhancing Rural Market Access and Value Chain Integration for Sustainable Agricultural Development in Nigeria: A Study of Constraints, Strategies, and Implications

This study investigates rural market access and value chain integration in Nigeria’s diverse agroecological zones—Northern Sahel, Central Savannah, and Southern Rainforest—to enhance sustainable agricultural development. Employing mixed methods, quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews were conducted with smallholder farmers and key stakeholders. The findings reveal variations in market access challenges, value chain engagement, and the impact of strategies across zones. Challenges encompass transportation costs, distance to markets, lack of market information, and post-harvest losses. Farmer cooperatives emerged as a pivotal strategy, enhancing collective bargaining power. For zone-specific interventions, infrastructure development, market information dissemination, value addition, and financial inclusion programs are recommended. This research contributes to localized approaches for addressing challenges and optimizing opportunities in enhancing rural market access and value chain integration, fostering resilient and inclusive agricultural growth.

Blue economy in the green fields: rethinking value chain analysis of inland fisheries in Bangladesh

Bangladesh ranks as the third largest country in terms of inland freshwater resources. This study seeks to explore the current development of the inland cultured fish market value chain and the criteria for its expansion. A field survey was conducted across inland fishery farms in eight districts, representing all eight divisions of Bangladesh. From each district, four farms were selected, including small, medium, and large operations. Regression analyses were performed on various covariates in relation to total sells, with and without resampling. Key factors identified as significant include total production, farmer's age, farm size, electricity costs, minnow expenses, culture duration, loan transactions, and specific regional divisions. The findings suggest that as farmer’s age, expand their farm areas, and extend the culture period, total sells are likely to increase. According to the survey data, retailers enjoy the highest profit margin at 29%, while farm owners or farmers hold the second highest margin at 26% for inland carp fish.

English

English

SMART AND INTELLIGENT PRODUCTION STRATEGY FOR THE FLOWER MARKET USING DATA MINING KNOWLEDGE-BASED DECISION

The agriculture industry has been an enormous economic pillar in the production and consumption market value chain. The agriculture industry resets flower production factors with the agricultural technology revolution. The fastest technology provides innovative and intelligent decision-making strategies in seasonal cut flowers to increase production. This study briefs out existing farming practices, chain activity and farming technology’s significant impacts on the agriculture field and garden industry. Authors try to investigate cut flower production status and analyze production values to design innovative and intelligent strategies, especially for seasonal flower production. The study employs a flower dataset; hence, it applies floral parameter inputs and data mining association rules to create an output of the flower production category, which fits appropriately to evaluate flower market production value in a particular season. The article's result reveals that the proposed flower production strategy provides efficient and intelligent guidelines to increase flower production according to market demand. This study suggests an intelligent and friendly production strategy for gardeners that indicates the flower market gets continuous and quality production to meet consumers’ immediate market demand.

Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Imported Frozen Fish Sold in ‎Damaturu and Maiduguri Fish Markets, Nigeria

Heavy metals bioaccumulation in fish constitute an issue of public health concerns. This study aimed to evaluate the levels of Cadmium (Cd) and Lead (Pb) in the head and muscle tissues of imported frozen fish as well as health risk to man. A total of 30 frozen fish were sampled from different fish markets in Damaturu and Maiduguri in Yobe and Borno States, Nigeria respectively. Heavy metal concentrations were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The highest mean concentration levels (0.60 ± 0.32 mg/kg and 0.06 ± 0.10 mg/kg) of Pb and Cd were found in the head and the lowest (0.09 ± 0.02 and 0.01 ± 0.00) in the muscle tissues respectively. The mean concentration levels of Pb (0.60 ± 0.32 mg/kg) and Cd (0.06 ± 0.10 mg/kg) in fish markets A and D exceed the maximum allowable limits of 0.50 mg/kg and 0.05 mg/kg respectively. Fish markets had statistically significant (p< 0.05) effect on the concentration levels of Pb among the sampled fish. The assessment of potential health risk; estimated daily intake, the target cancer rate, target hazard quotient and hazard index values obtained were below the threshold, indicating consumption of head and muscle of imported frozen fish sold in the study areas is safe and hazardless. However, because of their non-degradable nature and tendency to accumulate in tissues and organs, we recommended that heavy metals contamination in imported frozen fish should be monitored regularly, and packages should contain concentration labels before releasing it into the market value chain.

Profitability of Beef Value Chain Marketing in Delta State, Nigeria

Profitability of Beef Value Chain Marketing in Delta State, Nigeria

Roadmap for value chain analysis on broiler marketing in Makassar

Makassar City is a potential area for the development of the broiler marketing value chain. The main challenge in developing the broiler value chain is high price fluctuations, both input and output. Value chain analysis on broiler marketing in Makassar aims to identify and analyze value chain channels, distribution of costs and benefits, as well as market characteristics. Analysis of the distribution of costs and benefits is carried out using the Hayami method. The results of the research show that there are irregular price fluctuations and imbalances in market structure at each level of the value chain. Each marketing chain of broiler chickens in Makassar City gains a disproportionate profit at each marketing level with the value creation contribution made and the risks borne by each marketing level. The total profits of large retailers are greater than those of brokers and small retailers, while the value creation activities and risks of large retailers are smaller than those of brokers. Unnatural fluctuations in the price of chicken meat are the impact of the government’s lack of role as a supervisor and regulator in the value chain activities of broiler marketing. The development of the broiler marketing value chain must focus on regulatory oversight, improving access to markets, information and capital to increase the competitiveness of business actors.

Impacts of small-scale irrigation on farmers' livelihood: Evidence from the drought prone areas of upper Awash sub-basin, Ethiopia

Irrigation is an important mechanism to mitigate risks associated with the variability in rainfall for the smallholder subsistence farming system. This study analyzed how practicing small-scale irrigation (SSI) impacts the key livelihood assets on farm households' human, physical, natural, financial, and social capitals in Ethiopia's upper Awash sub-basin. The household-level survey data, collected from the 396 sample households, was used to carry out the current study. A Propensity Score Matching (PSM) analytical model was applied to match the SSI user and non-user groups. The difference between the five capital assets of livelihood was estimated using the PSM's Nearest Neighbor, Radius, Kernel Mahalanobis, and Stratification matching criteria. The results indicated that farmers' participation in SSI has enhanced the capital assets of the farm households. Compared to the non-users, the irrigation users were better off in the number variety of food consumed (0.28 ± 0.13 Standard Error [SE]), types of crops produced (0.60 ± 0.17 SE), expenditures on land renting, and agricultural inputs (3118 ± 877 SE) measured in Ethiopian Birr (ETB), as well as on-farm (9024 ± 2267 SE ETB) and non-farm (3766 ± 1466 SE ETB) incomes. Challenges such as the involvement of local brokers in the market value chain and the absence of farmers' marketing cooperatives have reduced the benefit of irrigated agriculture. Hence, the expansion of SSI schemes for the non-user farmers should consider improving the water usage mechanism and productivity, establishing proper water allocation institutions between up and down streams and limiting the role of brokers in the irrigation product marketing chain be future policy directions.

Assessing the Economic Value Chain of Potatoes in Hunza District, Gilgit-Baltistan

This study aims to identify the demographic characteristics of potato growers, investigate the marketing channels and value chain actors available in Hunza, Pakistan, and determine the significant production and marketing problems faced by potato growers in the area. Primary data collected from potato growers in Hunza using a multistage sampling technique and a pre-tested questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the demographic characteristics of potato growers, and the marketing channels of the potato value chain were studied using supply linkage. A simple linear regression model was used to identify the significant variables affecting potato yields. The regression model showed that variables such as sex of household head, family size, education status, distance to the market, farming experience, potato farm size, off/non-farm income, and quantity of potato supplied to the market significantly affected potato yields. The study also identified constraints and opportunities for potato growers.

Effect of milking routines and hygiene practices and evolution along the market value chain on raw camel milk quality in Tunisia

This study investigated the effect of on-farm practices on milk production, chemical and microbiological quality and on Somatic Cell Count (SCC) as well as the evolution of milk quality along the camel dairy value chain in southern Tunisia. A survey of 12 periurban dairy camel farms showed that the use of machine milking is limited (16.7%). The milking hygiene practices need to be improved with only 25% of farmers practiced teat dipping and washed the material with hot water and detergents. In addition, 75% of farmers milked their animals in bedding area. Conservation and marketing conditions for raw camel milk were mediocre. Analysis of on-farm milk quality showed that use of machine milking was related to increased milk production but also caused an increase in the microbial load. Quality assessment at different stages of the production chain showed that the chemical composition of milk was conserved, whereas the physical and microbiological quality was altered. At production, the load in Mesophilic Total Aerobic Flores (MTAF) was low with 17.4 × 104 cfu/mL, compared to bulk and point of sale milk, which had a significantly higher load (21.2 × 105 cfu/mL and 61.2 × 105 cfu/mL, respectively). The acceptability threshold of Acidity, MTAF, Total Coliforms and S. aureus prevalence were exceeded in all samples purchased from points of sale. Therefore, improvements in milking hygiene, milk storage, and transport conditions are essential in order to guarantee the quality of camel’s milk to meet the needs of the consumer. Highlights The use of machine milking for dromedary camels in Southern Tunisia is limited and most she camels are milked by hand with suckling of the calf. Milking routine affect significantly the bacterial load of camel milk. Sanitation problems and keeping the cold chain are the biggest challenge in the dairy camel sector.

Blue economy: industrialisation and coastal fishing livelihoods in Ghana.

The growing focus on the blue economy is accelerating industrial fishing in many parts of the world. This intensification is affecting the livelihoods of small-scale fishers, processors, and traders by depleting local fishery resources, damaging fishing gears, putting fishers' lives at risk, and compromising market systems and value chain positions. In this article, we outline the experiences, perspectives, and narratives of the small-scale fishing actors in Ghana. Drawing on qualitative interview data, we examine the relationship between small-scale and industrial fisheries in Ghana using political ecology and sustainable livelihood approaches. We demonstrate how industrialised, capital-intensive fishing has disrupted the economic and social organisation of local fishing communities, affecting incomes, causing conflicts, social exclusion and disconnection, and compromising the social identity of women. These cumulative impacts and disruptions in Ghana's coastal communities have threatened the viability of small-scale fisheries, yet coastal fishing actors have few capabilities to adapt. We conclude by supporting recommendations to reduce the number and capacity of industrial vessels, strictly enforce spatial regulations, and ensure "blue justice" against marginalisation.