Guides for value-chain development

Abstract

Value-chain development (VCD) features prominently in development pro - gramming aimed at stimulating economic growth and increasing the com - petitiveness of the agricultural sector (Humphrey and Navas-Alemán 2010; Staritz 2012). The approach challenges governments and civil society to look beyond individual actors, such as smallholders or cooperatives, when consid - ering how to achieve development goals. It is argued that by focusing on the value chain and the links between the actors spread along it, development interventions can better identify common problems among actors in the chain and solutions that generate win–win outcomes. Improved chain relations and overall chain performance are expected to yield tangible benefits in terms of economic performance and, in some cases, poverty reduction. The potential to include medium- and large-scale businesses as active partners in VCD offers development agencies opportunities for achieving outcomes at greater scale, with potentially increased impact and sustainability. For many development agencies, donors, and governments, VCD has become a principal element of their poverty-reduction strategies