Developing sustainable value chains for small-scale livestock producers

Developing sustainable value chains for small-scale livestock producers
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 158
Release: 2019-08-16
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9251317275

This publication constitutes a practical development tool, which implements the sustainable food value chain framework with a focus on small-scale livestock producers, targeting an audience of project design teams and policymakers. Small-scale livestock producers are important actors in food production, human health and management of landscapes and animal genetic resources. However, they face a number of challenges, which hamper their productivity, access to market, and competitiveness vis-à-vis their larger counterparts. By integrating the concepts of value addition and the three dimensions of sustainability, the sustainable food value chain framework not only addresses questions concerning the competitiveness, inclusion and empowerment of small-scale producers, but also incorporates the cross-cutting issues that are increasingly embedded in development projects. These guidelines take the user through the different steps of value chain development, highlighting the particularities of the smallholder livestock sector, such as multi-functionality, specific production cycles or food safety issues, through concrete examples.

Agricultural Input Subsidies

Agricultural Input Subsidies
Author: Ephraim Chirwa
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 315
Release: 2013-09-26
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0199683522

This book takes forward our understanding of agricultural input subsidies in low income countries.

Effects of agricultural mechanization on economies of scope in crop production in Nigeria

Effects of agricultural mechanization on economies of scope in crop production in Nigeria
Author: Takeshima, Hiroyuki
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 34
Release: 2018-09-06
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

Agricultural mechanization has often been characterized by scale-effects and increased specialization. Such characterizations, however, fail to explain how mechanization may grow in Africa where production environments are more heterogeneous and diversification of production may help in mitigating risks from increasingly uncertain climatic conditions. Using panel data from farm households and crop-specific production costs in Nigeria, we estimate how the adoption of animal traction or tractors affects the economies of scope (EOS) between rice, non-rice grains, legume/seed crops, and other crops, which are the crop groups that are most widely grown with animal traction or tractors in Nigeria. The results indicate that the adoption of these mechanization technologies is associated with lower EOS between non-rice grains, legume/seed crops, and other crops, but greater EOS between rice and other crops. An increase in EOS for rice is indicated in both primal and dual analytical approaches. Mechanical technologies may raise EOS between crops that are grown in more heterogeneous environments, even though it may lower EOS between crops that are grown in relatively similar environments. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper that shows the effects of mechanical technologies on EOS in agriculture in developing countries.

State of Food and Agriculture

State of Food and Agriculture
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Organization
Total Pages: 196
Release: 2017-01-12
Genre:
ISBN: 9789251093740

Unless action is taken now to make agriculture more sustainable, productive and resilient, climate change impacts will seriously compromise food production in countries and regions that are already highly food-insecure. The Paris Agreement, adopted in December 2015, represents a new beginning in the global effort to stabilize the climate before it is too late. It recognizes the importance of food security in the international response to climate change, as reflected by many countries prominent focus on the agriculture sector in their planned contributions to adaptation and mitigation. To help put those plans into action, this report identifies strategies, financing opportunities, and data and information needs. It also describes transformative policies and institutions that can overcome barriers to implementation. The State of Food and Agriculture is produced annually. Each edition contains an overview of the current global agricultural situation, as well as more in-depth coverage of a topical theme."

Disaggregated Impacts of CAP Reforms Proceedings of an OECD Workshop

Disaggregated Impacts of CAP Reforms Proceedings of an OECD Workshop
Author: Moreddu Catherine
Publisher: OECD Publishing
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2011-03-02
Genre:
ISBN: 9789264096530

This report collects papers presented at the OECD Workshop on Disaggregated Impacts of CAP Reforms, held in Paris in 2010, which focused on recent reforms. In particular, it examined the implementation of the single payment scheme since 2005 and the transfer of funds between different measures.

African Farmers, Value Chains and Agricultural Development

African Farmers, Value Chains and Agricultural Development
Author: Alan de Brauw
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2021-11-02
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 303088693X

This book provides a thorough introduction to and examination of agricultural value chains in Sub-Saharan Africa. First, the authors introduce the economic theory of agri-food value chains and value chain governance, focusing on domestic and regional trade in (and consumption of) food crops in a low-income country context. In addition to mainstream and heterodox thinking about value chain development, the book pays attention to political economy considerations. The book also reviews the empirical evidence on value chain development and performance in Africa. It adopts multiple lenses to examine agricultural value chains, zooming out from the micro level (e.g., relational contracting in a context of market imperfections) to the meso level (e.g., distributional implications of various value chain interventions, inclusion of specific social groups) and the macro level (underlying income, population and urbanization trends, volumes and prices, etc.).Furthermore, this book places value chain development in the context of a process the authors refer to as structural transformation 2.0, which refers to a process where production factors (labor, land and capital) move from low-productivity agriculture to high-productivity agriculture. Finally, throughout the book the authors interpret the evidence in light of three important debates: (i) how competitive are rural factor and product markets, and what does this imply for distribution and innovation? (ii) what role do foreign investment and factor proportions play in the development of agri-food value chains in Africa? (iii) what complementary government policies can help facilitate a process of agricultural value chain transformation, towards high-productive activities and enhancing the capacity of value chains to generate employment opportunities and food security for a growing population.