Assessing Training Need of the Extension Agents for Value Chain Development

The article sought to discuss the impact of value chain development and local economic development among rice farmers in Asutuare in the Shai-Osudoku District Assembly of Ghana. The study specifically examined the actors in the rice value chain development process, their roles and how their roles shaped the final output for the consumer and the extent to which the value chain development and local economic development resulted in job opportunity creation, income generation, and poverty reduction in the area. Using the mixed method, the study found that the actors in the value chain process could be grouped into four. They are pre- production actors, which is made of actors involved in activities such as land preparation, tilling, bonding and spraying; production actors who are mainly made up of the actual rice farmers; post production actors who include those involved in harvesting, threshing milling among others; and financing system actors, which involves financial institutions and individual financiers (sponsors). The study opines that rice value chain and local economic development resulted in both direct and indirect employment and income generation for the rice farmers and the “agrigators”. However, there was a mixed outcome in poverty reduction in that 5.3% of the actors sampled for the study were below the poverty line, while the remaining 94.7% were above the poverty line. Challenges such as lack of access to finance, absence of sufficient rice processing factories, poor road networks, and lack of modern agriculture equipment were hindrances to effective rice value chain and local economic development promotion. Based on the findings and challenges, the following were recommended: the establishment of a rice processing factory in the Asutuare area as part of the One District One Factory policy, consistent fiscal policy aimed at supporting rice farmers in the locality, and the provision of modern equipment to modernize rice production.   Key words: Local economic development, value chain, value chain development, poverty reduction.

This paper introduces value chain analysis and development as tools for addressing gender inequities in markets. We describe how factors such as access to assets, gendered education differentials and the nature and value of economic activities affect the way in which men and women participate and gain in value chains, distinguishing among household, institutional and chain levels of analysis. Current empirical evidence for the role of upgrading in value chains in impacting gender inequities in markets is weakened by our as yet imperfect understanding of the issues. However, horizontal coordination can reduce gender-related disparities in bargaining and management power as a precursor to stronger vertical relationships. Improvements in processes, products and functional distribution in value chains can improve chain-level outcomes leading to women's empowerment and, ultimately, to improved household poverty outcomes. However, this progression from positive impacts to desirable outcomes is not a given and depends on often complex context-specific socio-cultural norms. In particular, the benefits of women's participation in agricultural value chains are determined by their control of productive resources and household level decisions. Where both sexes play a role in decision making generic interventions, or even those applied to men only, can benefit both sexes. Where women do not participate in spending decisions a more gender-specific approach that targets underlying gender issues in households and institutions is required. We illustrate that unsound gender analyses can miss the point, resulting in flawed understanding of the real issues and ineffective or even damaging interventions. We conclude that the universal application of packages of generic 'default' interventions risk doing harm and that upgrading strategies should be applied on a case by case basis and only after a thorough and robust analysis of causal factors. We outline for practitioners what a robust analysis should look like and present a menu of policy options for acting to promote gender equity and reduce poverty using the value chain analysis and development approach.

Closing the Gender Asset Gap: Learning from Value Chain Development in Africa and Asia

Value chain and sustainability analysis of fresh-cut vegetable: A case study at SSS Co.

The study specifically examined tasks performed by extension agents in the EKSADP as related to climate change and the task areas in which they needed further training. Using structured questionnaire, data were collected from thirty three (33) randomly selected extension agents in the two agricultural zones of Ekiti State. The major tasks performed by the extension agents on climate change related issues were educating farmers on pest control (90.9%), rendering of technical advice to farmers (84.8%), establishment of SPAT to monitor climate change impacts (81.8%) and indigenous technology development to mitigate climate change impacts (81.8%). The training needs in the following areas as perceived by the extension agents were weather forecast skills on climate change ( x =3.76), pest control skills to reduce pest attack ( x =3.72), soil conservation skills to reduce evapo-transpiration ( x =3.58), programme planning on climate change issues ( x =3.45), agro-chemical skills to reduce weed growth ( x =3.36), indigenous technology development for mitigating climate change impacts ( x =3.30), use of cultural practices to mitigate climate change impacts ( x =3.27), use of information communication technologies (ICTs) for awareness creation on climate risk management ( x =3.21) and statistical analysis of field data on climate change issues ( x =3.03). In order to improve performance and increase awareness on climate change impacts on agriculture, extension staff in the various agricultural organizations in the country needed to be trained and re-trained in the relevant areas.

PurposeThis paper is designed to assess the sustainable value chain approaches for marketing channel development opportunities for agricultural products in coastal Bangladesh to combat climate change through an approach of community-based adaptation options.Design/methodology/approachThe study was designed to select the potential value chain candidate and to analyze and establish a value chain map to benefit the crop farmers. In this connection, the resources of the whole context were evaluated. The approach uses few tools to generate three outputs, the last of which are the final list of value chains selected for in-depth assessment to design interventions as community-based adaptation practices of the study to combat climate change in the study areas.FindingsThe study demonstrated that the difference in the institutional circumstances of the end markets of the agriculture products is connected to the different categories of harmonization and control of the facilitating environment throughout the supply chains. National and local networks improve the value chain in terms of the value addition of the agriculture products, technology improvement, market access and profitability of the products. Strengthening the weak financial structure, focus more on formal financial systems and resolving sociocultural and climate change-induced hazard concerns are the major concerns on the development of value chains in the countries. Apparently, guarantee for good governance, checking illegal and unregulated market contexts, proper mitigation measures to climate change are some paramount important issues for the sustainable management of livelihood, yield, income and development.Practical implicationsAll kinds of stakeholders of the agriculture product value chain should focus on competitiveness and productivity and look for and exploit multiple ways to add value once initial success has been attained with a single deal. Ensuring sustainability within the value chains is an important feature to cater to the challenges and changing demands of the age.Originality/valueThe study will help to established a sustainable value chain approach in response to climate change, which process will help to existent opportunities for firms to manage the issue of climate risk by codeveloping and employing adaptation options that may be more preferred or accepted by consumers across the entire chain for the sustainable management of livelihood, yield, income and development.

Global Value Chains - 2[-]Table of Contents - 6[-]Part I Theoretical Contributions - 8[-] 1 Global Value Chains An Overview of the Issues and Concepts - 10[-] 2 The Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP) and the Private Sector A Value Chain Research Approach - 32[-] 3 Value Chains in Developing Countries A Framework for Analysis - 44[-]Part II Local Agricultural Value Chains - 70[-] 4 Beer multinationals Supporting Africa's Development? How Partnerships Include Smallholders into Sorghum-beer Supply Chains - 72[-] 5 Bush-to-energy Value Chains in Namibia Institutional Challenges for Pro-poor Rural Development - 90[-]Part III International Agricultural Value Chains - 118[-] 6 Localizing Global Standards Illustrative Examples from Kenya's Horticulture Sector - 120[-] 7 Using a Partnership to Achieve Sustainable Development of the Palm Oil Value Chain in Malaysia - 138[-]Part IV Value Chains in the Industrial and Services Sector - 164[-] 8 Global Competition in the Semiconductor Industry A Comparative Study of Malaysian and Chinese Semiconductor Value Chains - 166[-] 9 Business-community Partnerships The Link for Sustainable Local Development? - 202[-]Part V Conclusions: Upgrading Value Chains in Developing Countries - 236[-] 10 Upgrading of Value Chains in Developing Countries - 238[-] 11 A Learning Case of a Local Value Chain The Banana Subsector in Arusha Municipality and Arumeru District: Producing Banana Beverages - 252[-]About the Authors - 274[-]Index - 278

The study assessed the training needs of small-scale oil palm processors in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria. In conducting the study, multi-stage random sampling technique was used to select 80 oil palm processors. Data collection were through structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean and percentage while ordinary least square multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypothesis formulated for the study. Findings show that the mean age of the oil palm processors was 42.68 years. The mean farm size of the oil palm processors in the study area was 0.69 hectares and the mean household size was 6 persons per household. The mean monthly income of the respondents was N43,603.86 per month and the mean years of processing experience of the respondents was 11.63 years. Findings also reveal that skimming (x= 3.99), accessing loans and grants (x= 3.91), sterilization (x= 3.89), threshing (x= 3.88), digestion (x= 3.86), access to improved oil palm seeds (= 3.81), filtering (x= 3.79), mechanized boiling (x= 3.73), packaging and branding of palm oil (x= 3.71), extraction (x= 3.68) and training on marketing and management skills (x= 3.61) were the training needs of oil palm processors in the study area. The study also reveals that the age of respondents (-2.396**), level of education (2.844***) and farming experience (2.437**) significantly influenced the training needs of small-scale oil palm processors in oil palm processing in the study area. The study concluded that small scale oil palm processors were highly in need of training in various areas such as skimming, sterilization, threshing, digestion, access to improved oil palm seeds, filtering, mechanized boiling, packaging and branding of palm oil, extraction and training on marketing and management skills. The study recommended that the extension agencies should intensify efforts in educating small scale oil palm processors through workshops, seminars and farmer trainings on their identified training needs especially in the areas of accessing improved oil palm seeds and the use of improved oil processing techniques.

Considerable recent research has tried to link agricultural production and the distribution of nutrient-rich foods to consumption, and hence improved health, of nutritionally vulnerable population groups. However, we are still unsure how agri-food value chains can assure positive linkages between agriculture and nutrition. Badakhshan is a remote region of Afghanistan, where high rates of malnutrition prevail among vulnerable
\npopulation groups. The research reported here is a value chain analysis of a dairy project in Badakhshan that was designed to enhance women’s economic development through investments in production, processing, and marketing, but also had considerable potential for nutritional impact. Using primary data from surveys of project participants and non-participants, focus groups, and key informants, I conclude that building effective value chains can leverage dairy production for better human nutrition, but projects need contextualisation, and further research and value chain development are needed to maximise the potential.

The study was carried out to find out the perceived training needs of livestock farmers in improved animal husbandry practices in Junagadh District of Gujarat. Perceived training needs was assessed in four areas viz., housing management, breeding management, feeding and management practices and health care practices. The data was collected from purposively selected 300 farmers from Junagadh district. Structured interview schedule was developed. Data was collected from respondents through personal contact by using structured interview schedule. The result of the study revealed that 100 per cent farmers expressed their training need in area of construction of low-cost cattle shed, method of heat detection, time of insemination, balance feeding and symptoms of common diseases. Training of farmers to update knowledge and skills and recognizing and encouraging progressive farmers to act as extension agents was received as major suggestion for most effective mode of transfer of technology at field level.

Value chain analysis is an important tool to assess and enhance the performance of agribusiness. This paper analyzes the empirical application of a conceptual framework known as the Rural Web to evaluate the socioeconomic complexity of a specific agribusiness value chain. This can be used as a complementary approach to traditional value chain analysis. The proposed framework goes beyond linear descriptions of product flows and examines how supply chains are built, shaped and reproduced over time and space, while considering social, cultural, environmental and political aspects. The results demonstrate that the proposed framework is a suitable method for value chain analysis, principally for those whose early stages are based on small and medium-sized rural actors. The Rural Web analysis offers decision-makers a platform to identify key actors not traditionally considered in value chain analysis, as well as the social interrelationships that occur at different dimensions. It also enables the identification of corrective and preventive measures to enhance agribusiness value chains.

This chapter aims to assess the performance of and policy responses to Africa’s rapidly emerging traditional staples value chains, which are dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the processing and trading segments. It addresses questions related to policy process issues such as (1) whether public intervention policies in Africa are in line with the needs and performance of the rapidly transforming value chains, and (2) how African governments should align policy interventions in emerging mid-chain segments to foster effective value chain development. The chapter uses the example of one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing staples value chains in Africa, the millet value chain in Senegal, thus contributing specifically to Senegal’s agro-industrial policy discourse. We begin with a review of value chain development evolution as a concept and in practice in Africa as a whole and outline a comprehensive list of critical policy concerns and priorities that must be addressed to respond to the needs of midstream value chain segments.

Although hemp cultivation is increasingly perceived as a promising option in terms of crop diversification, especially in semi-arid conditions such as in the Mediterranean region, its adoption remains limited thus constraining the development of hemp value chains at a larger scale. Our objective was to explore suitable conditions, at farm and downstream levels, for organic hempseed oil production in Sicily, taking on an action-research perspective that involves local actors. Based on a preliminary characterisation of barriers to organic hemp development at different value chain levels, we carried out targeted complementary investigation: (i) assessment on agroenvironmental performances of integrating hemp in durum wheat-based rotations; (ii) chemical analysis of local hempseed oil; (iii) exploration of marketing opportunities and value chain development. Our results showed that the lack of technical and economic knowledge as well as the deficiencies of suitable cultivars and adequate machinery were the main barriers for the organic hemp value chain development in Sicily. The analysis of agroenvironmental performances also revealed both strengths and weaknesses of hemp introduction in durum-wheat based rotations. Despite the identified limitations, we demonstrated that the organic hemp value chains represent interesting perspectives for the Sicilian farming sector, particularly in case of substantial barriers removal or adaptation.

Relevance of the research topic. Climate change is one of the key challenges of today, which has evolved into a global undertaking on an unprecedented scale. In order to ensure that industrial growth is not accompanied by a negative impact on the environment, but rather ensures sustainable development, the world community has proposed various ideas and initiatives, such as the adoption of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992), the first step towards tackling climate change; Kyoto Protocol (1995), Paris Agreement (2016), European Green Agreement (2019) as a new growth strategy aimed at transforming the EU into more equitable and prosperous societies , with a modern cost-effective and competitive economy based on zero-level decoupling greenhouse gas emissions in 2050. Ukraine is also joining these processes by setting up an interagency group to coordinate the effects of climate change under the European Green Agreement. The primary issue is to substantiate the mechanisms for involving Ukrainian industry in the Green Agreement. Addressing these challenges is the integration of Ukrainian producers into value chains, which determines the relevance of this study. Formulation of the problem. The growing danger of catastrophic global environmental changes and other aspects of irrational policies for the natural resources using threaten the future safe development of society and the ability to meet the needs of consumers. All these challenges require decisive action and adaptation of manufacturers to new operating conditions. Selection of unexplored parts of the general problem. Given the transformation of the model of organization of production, which in the face of increasing international competition is organized within global value chains and strengthening environmental requirements for the integration of producers at different stages of the production process, the problem of substantiating mechanisms for adapting producer’s instruments of state regulation to intensify cooperation of export-oriented industries s producers Ukraine with foreign partners. Setting the task, the purpose of the study. The task of the study is to substantiate the importance of implementing circular principles as a strategic priority for the development of global value chains and substantiate the mechanisms to support Ukrainian producers in the integration into circular (closed) value chains. Method or methodology for conducting research. The work uses general scientific methods: abstract-logical, system; analysis and synthesis, statistical comparisons, grouping, sampling; expert assessments. The field of application of results. The results of this study can be applied in the formation of state policy on the main aspects of export development of industry in the context of integration processes, as well as in the development of industry "greening". Conclusions. Based on the analysis of the development of global value chains, the peculiarities of the formation of circular value chains are revealed and effective tools of industrial policy for intensification of industrial landscaping processes and integration of national production into circular value chains are proposed.

Objects: Michael Porter used the term “Value Chain” in his book “Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance” (1985). The value chain analysis describes the activities of Government performs and links them to the institution’s competitive position to create jobs for Liberians, through exports. This case study research analyzes the value chain on natural resources exports in Liberia in the concessions contracts from 1847 to 2015. Methods: During the review period, the researcher has observed that Liberia has been and is currently used as a raw material country that lacks manufacturing within Liberia. Natural resources are produced outside the country. This study recommends exports of natural resources from outside the country to within Liberia, with a future focus on exportation to other end users. The research is significant to more than 5 million people in Liberia, engaging educators who want to learn more about the process and possibilities of bettering the economic condition of Liberia through the value chain and institutionally-based systems that will improve the living and job market condition of Liberia. Results: Seventy-five percent (75%) of the Liberian population will have jobs when the Government puts a value chain system to create jobs. Conclusion: Youth under the age of 25 to 35 will have an excellent opportunity to work and have quality life/living conditions, health care and infrastructure development for the Liberian population. The lack of a value chain has caused 80% of people not to have jobs currently. The future recommendation is put forward to Liberia, which needs a future-thinking. The Government needs Ato to sign quality values chain concessions that will create jobs for its citizens.