1st Edition

Regoverning Markets A Place for Small-Scale Producers in Modern Agrifood Chains?

Edited By Bill Vorley, Andrew Fearne, Derek Ray Copyright 2007

    The internationalisation of food retailing and manufacturing that has swept through the agri-food system in industrialised countries is now moving into middle- and low-income countries with large rural populations, causing significant institutional changes that affect small producer agriculture and the livelihoods of rural communities the world over. Farmers and policy-makers are struggling to keep up with the wave of new demands being made on their supply chains by food manufacturers and retailers. In the process, new questions and challenges are arising: Can small-scale farmers organise to meet the demands of corporate giants? Should governments liberalise Foreign Direct Investment in the retail sector and expose numerous small shops to competition from multinationals? Can distribution systems be adapted to make markets work better for the poor? This book offers a contemporary look at what happens when the modernisation of food supply chains comes face to face with the livelihoods of rural and poor people. The authors are drawn from eighteen countries participating in the 'Regoverning Markets' programme, which aims to not only improve our understanding of the way modernisation and re-structuring of food supply chains is affecting food production and distribution systems, but also identify best-practice in involving small-scale producers in supermarket supply chains, and ascertain the barriers to inclusion which need to be removed. The book is aimed primarily at academics but will also appeal to practitioners in developing countries, civil servants, policy-makers and NGOs.

    Preface; Part 1 The Economic and Policy Context; Chapter 1 The Internationalization of Food Retailing: Opportunities and Threats for Small-scale Producers, Estelle Biénabe, Dave Boselie, Marie-Hélène Collion, Tom Fox, Pierre Rondot, Petra van de Kop, Bill Vorley; Part 2 Country Studies: Countries with Consolidating and Expanding Supermarkets and their Supply Chains; Chapter 2 Central America, Fernando Balsevich, Julio A. Berdegué, Louis Flores, Pilar Jano, Thomas A. Reardon, Paul Schuetz; Chapter 3 Ecuador, Miguel Zamora; Chapter 4 Thailand, Aree Wiboonponse, Songsak Sriboonchitta, Dave Boselie, Petra van de Kop; Chapter 5 Philippines, Larry N. Digal, Sylvia B. Concepcion; Chapter 6 South Africa, André Louw, Hilton Madevu, Danie Jordaan, Hester Vermeulen; Part 3 Country Studies: Countries in Transition from State Control; Chapter 7 Hungary, Imre Fert?, Csaba Forgács, Anikó Juhász, Gyöngyi Kürthy; Chapter 8 Poland, Jerzy Wilkin, Malgorzata Juchniewicz, Dominika Milczarek; Chapter 9 Romania, Dinu Gavrilescu, Mariana Grodea, Camelia Serbanescu, Crina Turtoi; Chapter 10 China, Xiang Bi, Xiaoxia Dong, Jikun Huang, Dinghuan Hu, Scott Rozelle; Chapter 11 Vietnam, Phan Thi Giac Tam; Part 4 Country Studies: Countries with Emerging Modern Supply Chains; Chapter 12 India, K.K. Upadhyay, Raghwesh Ranjan; Chapter 13 Pakistan, Syed Qasim Ali Shah, Mosharraf Zaidi, Muhammad Ijaz Ahmed, Huma Nawaz Syal; Chapter 14 Bangladesh, Khandaker Mainuddin, Moinul I. Sharif, Mozaharul Alam, Dwijendra lal Mallick; Chapter 15 Kenya, James K. Nyoro, Joshua Ariga, Isaac K. Ngugi; Chapter 16 Uganda, Lucy Aliguma, James K. Nyoro; Chapter 17 Zambia, Rosemary A. Emongor, André Louw, Johann F. Kirsten; Part 5 Conclusions; Chapter 18 Restructuring of Agri-food Systems and Prospects for Small Producers, Bill Vorley, Andrew Fearne, Derek Ray;

    Biography

    Dr Bill Vorley is with the International Institute for Environment and Development, which has a focus on policy and market research for sustainable agriculture and rural development. He has coordinated the Regoverning Markets programme since 2003. Previously, he was with the Institute for Agriculture Trade and Policy in Minneapolis, Minnesota as director of the Environment and Agriculture Programme. Dr Andrew Fearne is Principal Research Fellow at Kent Business School (KBS), University of Kent, where he is the Director of the Centre for Supply Chain Research. He is also the founding editor of the International Journal of Supply Chain Management. Derek Ray was a senior lecturer in agricultural economics in higher education before becoming a freelance writer and editor. He has lived and worked in the UK, and abroad in Malawi and the Sudan, and on projects in countries such as Kenya, Uzbekistan, Russia and India.

    The Authors make recommendations for different stakeholders for supporting smallholders to anticipate and adjust to dynamic retail changes. These include more government and donor attention to upgrading quality and services in traditional "wet" markets and building the capacity of farmer organizations to consolidate volumes of produce supplied and improve their quality, logistics and managerial expertise. The Journal of Pesticide Action Network UK. ’An important and thorough look at what happens when supermarkets meet small-scale producers in low- and middle-income countries. The editors' top recommendations for governments in countries experiencing rapid supermarket expansion are to invest in traditional markets, control supermarket power and support producer organisations.’ - Tom Macmillan, Food Ethics, The Magazine of the Food Ethics Council