Donors, NGOs, and government agencies have long embraced market-based development approaches for achieving economic growth and poverty reduction. Over the past two decades, value chain development (VCD) has taken the lead among such approaches. This chapter reviews the evolution of these approaches since the 1980s, with emphasis on the contributions and interactions of researchers and practitioners. Adopting the lens of ‘issue-attention cycles’, we show how 1) excitement is built up over a given approach, funding becomes available, and proliferation kicks in; 2) disenchantment follows as awareness builds on the complexity, trade-offs, and resources required to address these; and 3) interest declines, funding sources dry up, and attention moves to new (or rebranded) approaches. Researchers have spurred these cycles by coining new terms, designing tools, and assessing impact, with limited accountability for VCD outcomes. Practitioners, in turn, have promoted own VCD frameworks and tools and trumpeted their success in implementation, while showing limited appetite for scrutiny. More impactful VCD will require productive interactions between researchers, practitioners, and funding agencies, lasting presence on the ground for supporting smallholders and SMEs, and safe spaces for (self-)critical reflection. Review of what has worked in previous cycles, and what has not, is needed to build on proven elements of VCD approaches while addressing evident shortcomings. Shared commitment to continuous improvement with a long-term view and evidence-based achievements will extend the length of issue-attention cycles, if not eliminate them altogether.
Tag: agrifood
Developing holistic assessments of food and agricultural systems: A meta‑framework for metrics users
Food and agricultural (agrifood) systems feed the world and form the basis of our economic, political and cultural systems. At the same time, they are also drivers of environmental change at local and global levels. Given how central agrifood systems are to lives and livelihoods and the environment, it is not surprising that we try to measure, monitor and assess how they are performing.
Considering the diversity of agrifood systems globally, as well as the diversity in objectives of those who wish to collect data on the performance of those systems, there can be no single assessment framework which can meet every objective in all possible contexts. Any group that finds a need for holistic system assessment data has the challenge then, of selecting from available frameworks, adapting them to their needs, or innovating when there is nothing that meets those needs.
Hence, we need a guide through the maze of frameworks to help choose an approach, metrics and process that meet specific objectives. We therefore propose the development of a meta-framework, a scheme to guide or support those groups planning or promoting holistic agrifood systems measurement.
In this document, we put forward general steps for developing a holistic agrifood system assessment, as well as principles to guide decision making at each step of the design process, intended to support metrics-users in navigating the jungle of available approaches and selecting something that meets their needs. By developing a guiding framework for the design of holistic assessment and metrics, we aim to support their wider use, levelling the playing field for sustainable agrifood systems.