eBook

Building competitiveness in Africa's agriculture : a guide to value chain concepts and applications

Labaste, Patrick, Webber, C. Martin

2010,2009

Overview

Value chain–based approaches offer tremendous scope for market-based improvements in production, productivity, rural economy diversification, and household incomes, but are often covered by literature that is too conceptual or heavily focused on analysis. This has created a gap in the information available to planners, practitioners, and value chain participants. Furthermore, few references are available on how these approaches can be applied specifically to developing agriculture in Africa. 'Building Competitiveness in Africa's Agriculture: A Guide to Value Chain Concepts and Applications' describes practical implementation approaches and illustrates them with scores of real African agribusiness case studies. Using these examples, the 'Guide' presents a range of concepts, analytical tools, and methodologies centered on the value chain that can be used to design, implement, and evaluate agricultural and agribusiness development initiatives. It stresses principles of market focus, collaboration, information sharing, and innovation. The 'Guide' begins by examining core concepts and issues related to value chains. A brief literature review then focuses on five topics of particular relevance to African agricultural value chains. These topics address challenges faced by value chain participants and practitioners that resonate through the many cases described in the book. The core of the book presents methodological tools and approaches that blend important value chain concepts with the topics and with sound business principles. The tools and case studies have been selected for their usefulness in supporting market-driven, private-sector initiatives to improve value chains. The 'Guide' offers 13 implementation approaches, presented within the implementation cycle of a value chain program, followed by descriptions of actual cases. Roughly 60 percent of the examples are from Africa, while the rest come from Europe, Latin America, and Asia. The 'Guide' offers useful guidance to businesspeople, policy makers, representatives of farmer or trade organizations, and others who are engaged in agro-enterprise and agribusiness development. These readers will learn how to use value chain approaches in ways that can contribute to sound operational decisions, improved market linkage, and better results for enterprise and industry development.

• Publisher: World Bank,World Bank Publications,The World Bank
• Subject: ACCESS TO INFORMATION / ACTION PLAN / Africa / Agricultural development / Agricultural industries / Agricultural industries -- Africa / Agricultural industry / AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES / AGRICULTURE / Agriculture -- Economic aspects -- Africa / ARABLE LAND / AUCTION / AUTOMOBILE / BARRIERS TO ENTRY / BENCHMARK / BENCHMARKING / BEST PRACTICES / BRAND NAME / BRAND NAMES / BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT / BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SERVICES / BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT / BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTS / BUSINESS LEADERS / BUSINESS MODELS / BUSINESS PLANS / BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS / BUSINESS STRATEGIES / BUSINESS STRATEGY / BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS / BUSINESSES / BUYER / BUYERS / BUYING POWER / CAPABILITIES / CAPABILITY / CLIMATE CHANGE / COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES / COMMERCIAL TRANSACTION / COMMODITIES / COMMODITY / COMMODITY PRICES / COMMON MARKET / COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE / COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES / COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS / Competition / COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE / COMPETITIVE MARKETS / COMPETITIVE PRICE / COMPETITIVE PRODUCTS / COMPETITIVENESS / Conceptualization / CONSUMER CHOICE / CONSUMER DEMAND / CONSUMERS / CONTESTABLE MARKET / CONTESTABLE MARKETS / COPYRIGHT / COST ANALYSIS / CUSTOMER SATISFACTION / CUSTOMS / DECISION MAKING / DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE / DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS / DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY / DIVISION OF LABOR / DONOR AGENCIES / DONOR AGENCY / E-MAIL / ECONOMIC ACTIVITY / Economic aspects / ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT / ECONOMIC GROWTH / ECONOMIC JUSTIFICATION / ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE / ECONOMIC POLICIES / ECONOMICS / ECONOMIES OF SCALE / ENABLING ENVIRONMENT / END USERS / ENTRY POINT / ENTRY POINTS / ENVIRONMENTAL / EQUILIBRIUM / EQUILIBRIUM PRICES / ESTABLISHED BRAND / EXPENDITURE / EXPENDITURES / EXPORT MARKETS / EXPORT OPPORTUNITIES / EXPORT PROMOTION / EXPORTS / FINANCIAL RESOURCES / FINANCIAL SERVICES / FISH / FISHERIES / FISHING / FOOD POLICY RESEARCH / FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT / FORESTRY / GDP / GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS / GLOBAL MARKET / GLOBAL MARKETS / GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS / GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT / HORIZONTAL INTEGRATION / HUMAN RESOURCES / IDS / IMPLEMENTATIONS / INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT / INFORMATION FLOWS / INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE / INFORMATION SHARING / INNOVATION / INNOVATIONS / INSPECTION / INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK / INTERMEDIATE GOODS / INTERMEDIATE INPUTS / INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE / INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS / LABOR FORCE / LICENSES / MANUFACTURING / MARKET ACCESS / MARKET ANALYSIS / MARKET CONDITION / MARKET CONDITIONS / MARKET DEMAND / MARKET DEVELOPMENTS / MARKET DISTORTIONS / MARKET FORCES / MARKET GLOBALIZATION / MARKET OPPORTUNITIES / MARKET OPPORTUNITY / MARKET POSITIONING / MARKET POWER / MARKET PRICES / MARKET SECTOR / MARKET SEGMENTS / MARKET SHARE / MARKET SHARES / MARKET TRENDS / MARKET VALUE / MARKETING / MARKETPLACE / MATERIAL / MEDIUM ENTERPRISE / MEDIUM ENTERPRISES / MONOPOLY / MULTILATERAL TRADE / MULTIMEDIA / NATURAL RESOURCE / NATURAL RESOURCE BASE / NATURAL RESOURCES / NEW MARKETS / OIL / OPERATING ENVIRONMENT / OUTSOURCING / PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE / POLICY ENVIRONMENT / POLICY FORMULATION / POLICY MAKERS / POSITIVE EXTERNALITIES / PRICE INCENTIVES / PRIVATE SECTOR / PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT / PRIVATE SECTORS / PROCUREMENT / PRODUCERS / PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION / PRODUCT INNOVATIONS / PRODUCT MARKETS / PRODUCT QUALITY / PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS / PRODUCTIVITY / PURCHASING / QUALITY MANAGEMENT / QUERIES / R&D / RESOURCE MANAGEMENT / RESULT / RESULTS / RETAILING / SALE / SALES / SEARCH / SERVICE PROVIDERS / SUBSTITUTE / SUBSTITUTE PRODUCTS / SUPERMARKET / SUPPLIER / SUPPLIERS / SUPPLY CHAIN / SUPPLY CHAIN APPROACH / SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT / SUPPLY CHAINS / SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT / TARGET MARKET / TARGET MARKETS / TAXATION / TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE / TECHNICAL COOPERATION / TECHNICAL EXPERTISE / TECHNICAL SUPPORT / TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS / TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE / TELECOMMUNICATIONS / TELEPHONE / TERMS OF TRADE / TRACEABILITY / TRADE BARRIERS / TRADE FACILITATION / TRANSACTION / TRANSACTION COSTS / USE VALUE / USER / Value / VALUE ADDED / VALUE CHAIN / VALUE CHAINS / VERTICAL INTEGRATION / VOLATILITY / WAGES / WORLD TRADE
• ISBN: 0821379526, 9780821379523, 9780821379646, 082137964X