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Poor diets are a primary cause of malnutrition and a leading constraint to public health in Tanzania. The consumption of fruit and vegetables in Tanzania is well below the recommended standard as recommended by the WHO. Increasing the intake by consumers of fruit and vegetables requires a year-round availability of these foods, as well as their affordability, accessibility and acceptability. The objective of this study is to contribute to an improved understanding of the informal market of fruit and vegetables in the Arusha Region of Tanzania to better address food loss and waste and food safety issues in the fruit and vegetable chains. To do so, it is important to better understand the motivations and business operations of informal midstream actors, who are key in connecting farmers to most consumers. Through a literature review and survey data among 260 traders, we assessed how social capital of midstream actors in the informal fruit and vegetable sector is related to the performance of the individual firms. We conclude that members of groups that exchange business information have both higher self-reported business performance as well as higher calculated revenues. Members of groups that engage in joint sourcing or price setting have higher revenue, and members of groups that engage in the regulation of physical market space or outward representation have higher self-reported business performance. Finally, we found that traders that are part of a trading group have higher self-reported business performance, but we did not find a significant difference in calculated revenue.

Healthy diets are unaffordable for almost 3.1 billion people worldwide, and in 2018, already 43% of the African population were urban dwellers. Our food systems are changing rapidly, coupled with rising dietary aspirations. What are healthy diets and how can healthy diets be reached and increased in an urban context was the question of project NOURICITY. Looking into different information channels to deliver information on healthy diets in a low-income area in urban Kampala, Uganda, two packages of interventions were developed based on information on the selected focus group discussions with parish representatives. The first package consisted of a flier including graphic information on healthy diets and three food groups (treatment group 1). The second included the same flier plus interactive voice responses (IVRs) as a phone call to deliver the flier information in a different format (treatment group 2). For the study, we targeted 450 randomly selected households, which were randomly assigned into three groups (control, treatment group 1, and treatment group 2). Respondents from Kanyanya (a low-income parish of Kampala city) were randomly selected. They were visited two times in March as well as in December of the year 2021, while the intervention was rolled out in the period from September to November 2021. Healthy diets are measured using the Household Dietary Diversity Score and the food variety score is based on a 7-day food consumption recall, while dietary quality is measured for a subsample of women and the minimum dietary diversity for all of the selected women. The results indicated statistically significant changes per group at household food consumption in March 2021 compared to December 2021. However, the results of the difference-in-difference method between the control and the treatment groups did not display any significant difference at the household level. However, increased dairy and meat consumption in the treatment groups was observed. Over 90%

Yemen faces a multitude of conflict-related and structural challenges, as a result, the agricultural productivity has been low. Coffee has been an important subsector and used to be an important source of income for farmers but nowadays coffee hardly generates a profit. Farmers are expanding qat production due to increasing consumer demand and better profits. An expansion of qat production also puts pressure on the scarce water supply in the country. This study provides insight into how coffee is grown and traded and how the sector can be supported for sustainable development and how it can be more attractive to grow coffee instead of qat., Jemen wordt geconfronteerd met een groot aantal conflictgerelateerde en structurele problemen. In de landbouw is de productiviteit laag. Koffie is van oudsher een belangrijke subsector geweest en zorgde vroeger voor inkomsten voor boeren, maar tegenwoordig maken de boeren nauwelijks nog winst met de koffieteelt. Daarentegen breiden de boeren de productie van qat uit vanwege de toenemende consumentenvraag en de goede winsten voor de boeren. De productie van qat legt ook een druk op de schaarse watervoorraad in het land. Deze studie geeft inzicht in de manier waarop koffie wordt verbouwd en verhandeld in de Jemenitische koffiesector. Ook worden aanbevelingen gedaan over hoe de koffiesector kan worden ondersteund met het oog op duurzame ontwikkeling.

Survey data from analysis of motivations of mid-stream actors in the horticulture sectors of Nigeria and Rwanda (2023-08-14)

Most policies and incentives that aim to enable smallholder farmers towards the intensification of their agri-food production systems focus on supply-side strategies, such as training, technical assistance or credit services. Far less attention is usually given to demand-side drivers, such as the role of midstream value chain actors supporting smallholder’s investments in primary production. This explorative paper provides new insights on the value addition in the production vs. the midstream segments of agri-food value chains. It focusses attention on the influence of value chain integration on smallholders’ production and investment opportunities, and the implications for the structure of primary production. We use data from several value chains in sub-Saharan Africa to illustrate how farmers link to commercial midstream actors are able to enhance resource productivity, efficiency and profitability. In addition, we show that a larger role of the midstream in value added creation is associated with a more equal farm size distribution.

Poverty and malnutrition hotspots are moving from rural to urban communities, as Africa is urbanizing. The population in cities and countries are faced with the coexistence of overweight, obesity, micronutrient deficiency and undernourishment, the so-called ‘triple’ burden of malnutrition. The question on Who is affected and Why are they affected remains unclear. The project ‘NOURICITY’ sought to answer these questions by engaging in a chain of multi-stakeholder participatory events and fieldwork meant to deliver a blueprint for partnerships seeking to improve urban nutrition in Africa. The project aimed to improve urban nutrition in Uganda by bridging knowledge gaps about its systemic and individual drivers and by developing partnerships for improved nutrition in urban areas.

Worldwide, there is an urgent need to transition towards healthier, more inclusive and sustainable foodsystems. Informal businesses play a critical role in food supply chains, from food production to consumption. Yet, despite their potential, the role of these businesses is generally not recognised – meaning they are insufficiently included in efforts to improve livelihoods, the environment and the safety and accessibility of healthy food. Traders, street vendors and transporters – known as informal midstream businesses – play a critical role in food systems in the Global South, providing affordable food to low-income households. However, negative impacts relating to these businesses may occur as a result of unregulated activities, e.g.,poor working conditions, operating outside of regulation food safety policies, and lack of knowledge around and incentives to enforce adequate hygiene standards. Knowledge on effective approaches to reach out and include informal businesses in enhancing food system outcomes and reducing negative impacts is lacking.This is leading to missed opportunities in achieving zero hunger – Sustainable Development Goal (SGD) 2 and other SDGs. There is a need for improved understanding of the motivations, organisation and governance of informal businesses, so policies and interventions can be adjusted to their realities.

Currently, one in three of the world's population suffer from one or more forms of malnutrition. The Agricultural Development and Nutrition teams at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in collaboration with the UK's Department for International Development (FCDO), seek to investigate the potential of vegetable and fruit supply chains to increase the supply of and strengthen demand for nutritious foods, as well as increase local market opportunities for increased income, especially for women. This report is the synthesis of research in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Burkina Faso and Nigeria. The report identifies several root causes, as well as opportunities for interventions to further develop the fruit and vegetable sectors, and with that enhance consumption., Wereldwijd lijdt een op de drie mensen aan een of meer vormen van ondervoeding. De teams van de Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation die zich bezighouden met landbouw en voeding, in samenwerking met het Britse Department for International Development (FCDO), willen het potentieel van groente- en fruitketens onderzoeken om het aanbod van voedzame voedingsmiddelen te vergroten en te versterken, en om de lokale marktkansen voor meer inkomsten te vergroten, speciaal voor vrouwen. Dit rapport is een synthese van onderzoek in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Burkina Faso en Nigeria. Het rapport identificeert verschillende oorzaken en mogelijke interventies om de fruit- en groentesectoren te verbeteren en daarmee de consumptie te verhogen.

Human diets and their associated environmental impacts differ across segments of the population. There is evidence that consumer choices of food intake can also affect the overall environmental impacts of a food system. This paper analyzes the environmental impact of diets and food choices across a rural–urban transect in Northern Vietnam by using mixed survey data from 619 adult respondents. The average greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) resulting from producing the daily food intake of adults in the urban and peri-urban districts were similar, while the average in the rural district was lower. Although starchy staples contributed the most to energy intake, pork and beef were the largest contributors to GHGE. Metrics of blue water use were higher for diets of males than those of females in all three districts. Interestingly, the difference in mean diet diversity score between urban and rural households was significant, and females’ diets were more diverse than those of males. As expected, urban households were more likely to buy food, while rural households often produced their own foods. Urban households reported prioritizing personal health and the natural content of food and would increase seafood and fruits if their income were to increase. In rural regions, interventions aimed at reducing undernutrition should address improving diet quality without significant increases to diet-related environmental impacts.

The study assess the competitiveness of the fruit and vegetable sector and suggests specific recommendations for further development. It also provides insights in market, trade and investment opportunities. A focus is applied to a limited number of crop specific case studies. In Uganda the production of fruit and vegetable is gaining importance. Despite agricultural practices being weak, farmers in Uganda can make a reasonable profit margin from their farm plots. In addition, key performances indicators of Uganda compared with Kenya show that most products for the domestic and regional markets are very competitive in terms of quality, price and yield.

Transporting fresh tomatoes from farmer to retailer in Nigeria in plastic crates instead of raffia baskets can substantially decrease post-harvest losses both in quantity and in quality. We apply the Value Chain Laboratory (VC-Lab) method to analyse the importance for the long-term acceptance of these plastic crates of trust in other chain actors, risk attitudes and social norms of chain actors, a price bonus for transporting tomatoes in crates, the costs and lifespan of crates, and who should invest in crates. The price a farmer receives from a wholesaler, risk attitudes of the actors, and social norms were the most important drivers for the long-term use of crates., Door in Nigeria verse tomaten van boer tot retail te transporteren in plastic kratten in plaats van in traditionele rieten manden kunnen naoogstverliezen worden verminderd, zowel in kwantiteit als in kwaliteit. Met de Value Chain Laboratory-methode (VC-Lab) analyseren we het belang van vertrouwen tussen ketenpartijen, de risicohouding en sociale normen van de ketenactoren, een prijsbonus voor vervoer met kratten, de kosten en levensduur van kratten, en wie er investeert in kratten voor de acceptatie op lange termijn van deze plastic kratten. De prijs die een boer van de groothandel ontvangt, de risicohouding van de actoren en je houden aan de sociale norm waren de belangrijkste drijfveren voor het gebruik van plastic kratten op lange termijn.

Development programmes are increasingly supporting inclusive value chains (VC), in which resource-poor farmers are included in commercially viable VC opportunities. Strengthening social capital elements between VC actors is key to improve the farmers’ livelihood. This article presents a novel impact evaluation method called the VC-Lab to assess the effectiveness of such development programmes, including long-term effects. The method is based on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the sorghum VC in Kenya. It consists of different components: (1) a VC analysis; (2) games to assess risk attitude and trust relationships between VC actors; and (3) an agent-based model (ABM) to assess the long-term impact. ABM parameter settings are based on the outcomes of the VC analysis and game results. The level of trust of participating farmers delivering to the participating trader is significantly higher than the level of trust of non-participating farmers in their trader. ABM simulations indicate that in the long run the PPP will lead to higher levels of trust and increased income, whereby training is the key intervention mechanisms. The VC-lab proves to be a valuable evaluation tool. Application of the VC-lab to other VCs, to other commodities and in other countries is needed to test wider applicability of the methodology.

Development projects on interventions to reduce postharvest losses (PHL) are often implemented largely independently of the specific context and without sufficient adaptation to the needs of people who are supposed to use them. An approach is needed for the design and implementation of specific, locally owned interventions in development projects. Our approach is based on Participatory Development and includes Living Lab and World Cafés. We applied the approach in a case study on reducing PHL in tomato value chains in Nigeria. The approach consists of nine steps. After scoping the sector, selected value chain stakeholders (case: farmers, transporters, traders, retailers) were gathered in Living Lab workshops. In the workshop, participants analyzed the product, information, and monetary flows in their own value chain, identified causes for PHL, and selected potential interventions to reduce these (case: plastic crates instead of raffia baskets to transport tomatoes). Selected interventions were implemented, tested, and monitored in pilot projects with the workshop participants. This was followed by an evaluation workshop. At the end of the case study, 89% of participants bought crates to keep using them in their value chain. Our approach resulted in context-specific, locally owned interventions to reduce PHL in the case study on tomato value chains in Nigeria. Its application in other countries, commodities, or interventions is needed to determine the effectiveness of the approach in a broader scope.

The IPPMS model has been developed to map the global potential of floriculture production. For this purpose an overview of the relevant location theories was made and the development of floriculture production in a number of countries has been analysed. These insights have been used to develop a model structure in which factors, subfactors and indicators are determined by applying a phased approach. Subsequently, various experts have been ask to score the different factors, subfactors and indicators in order to weigh the model. With the IPPMS prototype various countries have been analysed in order to determine the attractiveness for floriculture production., Het Internationaal Productie Potentie Model Sierteelt (IPPMS) is ontwikkeld met als doel de productiepotentie van snijbloemen en potplanten in de wereld in kaart te brengen. Voor dit doel is een overzicht gemaakt van de belangrijkste locatietheorieën en is de ontwikkeling van sierteelt in verschillende landen geanalyseerd. De inzichten uit dit voorwerk zijn gebruikt om een modelstructuur te ontwikkelen waarbij factoren, subfactoren en indicatoren zijn bepaald volgens het principe van stapsgewijze verfijning. Vervolgens is op basis van het oordeel van verschillende experts een weging gekoppeld aan de factoren, subfactoren en indicatoren. Met het IPPMS-prototype zijn ten slotte voor meerdere landen scores bepaald voor de aantrekkelijkheid van sierteelt- en potplantenproductie.

This study quantifies the time investments of grape exporters in South Africa in order to comply withvarious certification schemes and buyer protocols. In addition, the sources and reliability of the dataare identified.