Markets and rural poverty : upgrading in value chains / edited by Jonathan Mitchell and Christopher Coles.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

A methodology for integrating developmental concerns into value chain analysis and interventions / Simon Bolwig... [and others] -- Summaries of the seven action research projects. 'Increasing the economic benefits derived by poor rural women producers from the incense sticks (agarbatti) value chain' (or 'The incense stick project') / Bhargavi Motukuri... [and others] ; 'Enriching collective action-the fonio value chain in Mali'(or 'The fonio project') / Bougouna Sogoba... [and others] ; 'Upgrading, downgrading and out-grading smallholders in the Vietnamese pangasius catfish value chain'(or 'The pangasius project') / Nguyen Tri Khiem, Simon R. Bush, Christopher Coles ; 'Unlocking market opportunities for small scale cassava farmers in Tanzania'(or 'The cassava project') / Ntengua Mdoe... [and others] ; 'Developing entrpeneurship in value chains of cinnamomum tamala bay leaf: linking poor producers to markets of essential oils and spices'(or 'The bay leaf project') / Dyutiman Choudhary... [and others] ; 'Analysing the octopus value chain and the implications of certification schemes in the area of Mbour: a case study of Nianing and Pointe Sarene'(or 'The octopus project') / Papa Gora Ndiaye, Moustapha Kebe, Jonathan Mitchell ; 'Enhancing participation of small-scale producers and labourers in high-value kalamansi chain' (or 'the kalamansi project') / Larry Digal, Pedro Tuason, Christopher Coles -- Working together- horizontal coordination as an upgrading strategy / Christopher Coles, Jonathan Mitchell -- Going for win-win - Upgrading through vertical coordination / Christopher Coles -- Doing different things- functional upgrading / Christopher Coles, Jonathan Mitchell -- Better quality and working smarter - product and process upgrading / Christopher Coles, Jonathan Mitchell -- Skills transfer - inter-chain upgrading / Christopher Coles -- Who runs this place? The external enabling environment for value chain development / Kate Schrekenberg, Jonathan Mitchell.

This book explores the place of poor people within a rich variety of value chains, focusing upon lagging, rural regions in Africa and Asia, and how they can oûpgradeo ̈within such chains. Upgrading is a key concept for value chain analysis and refers to the acquisition of technological capabilities and market linkages that enable firms to improve their competitiveness and move into higher-value activities. The authors examine a range of evidence to assess whether the ob̂ottom billiono ̈people, living mainly in the rural areas of low-income countries, can improve their position through productive strategies and, if so, how? They propose an innovative conceptual framework of value chain upgrading for some of the most marginal producers in the poorest local economies. They demonstrate how interventions can improve poverty and the environment for poor people supplying a wide range of services and agricultural and food products to local, regional and global markets. This analysis is based on empirical research conducted in Senegal, Mali, Tanzania, India, Nepal, the Philippines, and Vietnam. The main focus is on poverty, environment and gender outcomes of upgrading interventions, and represents one of the key challenges of contemporary development economics.