This Thematic Research Note reviews the evolution of collective action among smallholders. It assesses determinants of their success such as incentives, capacities, and social impediments. The Note also discusses lessons and options for future action. These include lessons from collective action for market participation by African smallholders, value chain penetration by developed country farmers, and natural resources management among pastoralist communities. The Note also looks at the possibility of using Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to build the institutional, commercial, and technical skills of smallholder producer organizations such as to help their members overcome the obstacles mentioned earlier and effectively integrate the rapidly modernizing agricultural value chains.
Wealth creation through integrated development of potato production brings together a wide range of positive livelihood changes for potato farmers in the highlands of Ethiopia (Nairobi, Kenya) The Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) released evaluation reports on a CFC-funded and...
This project report from Wageningen UR (as a contribution to the CGIAR Humid Tropics research program) examines ‘critical issues for reflection when designing and implementing research for development in innovation platforms.’
The Capacity Development Results Framework (CDRF or the Framework) is a powerful new approach to the design, implementation, monitoring, management, and evaluation of development programs. Originally conceived to address well-documented problems in the narrow field of capacity development, the Framework...
The Convergence of Sciences programme has spent the past decade exploring new pathways for agricultural innovation that focus on enabling smallholders to capture opportunity. Its approach relies on bringing together different actors who can achieve major change in an agriculture...
The purpose of this paper is to re-examine the role that benchmarking can play in rural and agricultural innovations. Although generally known as 'traditional sector', rural activities are far from static but rather driven by old and new challenges pleading...