IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jfpoli/v121y2023ics0306919223001288.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Viewpoint: Finance needs of the agricultural midstream

Author

Listed:
  • Ambler, Kate
  • de Brauw, Alan
  • Herskowitz, Sylvan
  • Pulido, Cristhian

Abstract

Recent literature suggests that agricultural value chains are changing rapidly and places an increasing focus on the importance of actors and activities taking place in the “midstream” of these value chains, after production and prior to final sale. This article discusses the financial needs of midstream actors in agricultural value chains, emphasizing differences across midstream activities and highlighting how value chain characteristics can influence both financial needs and potential remedies. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of the prospects of digital financial services and policy levers for government actors in this space.

Suggested Citation

  • Ambler, Kate & de Brauw, Alan & Herskowitz, Sylvan & Pulido, Cristhian, 2023. "Viewpoint: Finance needs of the agricultural midstream," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:121:y:2023:i:c:s0306919223001288
    DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2023.102530
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306919223001288
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.foodpol.2023.102530?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. David P. Brown & David E. M. Sappington, 2016. "On the optimal design of demand response policies," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 49(3), pages 265-291, June.
    2. Shoumitro Chatterjee, 2023. "Market Power and Spatial Competition in Rural India," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 138(3), pages 1649-1711.
    3. Marshall Burke & Lauren Falcao Bergquist & Edward Miguel, 2019. "Sell Low and Buy High: Arbitrage and Local Price Effects in Kenyan Markets," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 134(2), pages 785-842.
    4. Suri, Tavneet & Bharadwaj, Prashant & Jack, William, 2021. "Fintech and household resilience to shocks: Evidence from digital loans in Kenya," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    5. Van den Broeck, Goedele & Swinnen, Johan & Maertens, Miet, 2017. "Global value chains, large-scale farming, and poverty: Long-term effects in Senegal," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 97-107.
    6. Dean Karlan & Robert Osei & Isaac Osei-Akoto & Christopher Udry, 2014. "Agricultural Decisions after Relaxing Credit and Risk Constraints," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 129(2), pages 597-652.
    7. Abate, Gashaw T. & Bernard, Tanguy & de Janvry, Alain & Sadoulet, Elisabeth & Trachtman, Carly, 2021. "Introducing quality certification in staple food markets in Sub-Saharan Africa: Four conditions for successful implementation," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    8. Barrett, Christopher B., 1997. "Food marketing liberalization and trader entry: Evidence from Madagascar," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 763-777, May.
    9. John C. Beghin & Miet Maertens & Johan Swinnen, 2017. "Nontariff Measures and Standards in Trade and Global Value Chains," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: John Christopher Beghin (ed.), Nontariff Measures and International Trade, chapter 2, pages 13-38, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    10. Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez‐De‐Silanes & Andrei Shleifer, 2002. "Government Ownership of Banks," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 57(1), pages 265-301, February.
    11. Hendrik Feyaerts & Goedele Van den Broeck & Miet Maertens, 2020. "Global and local food value chains in Africa: A review," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 51(1), pages 143-157, January.
    12. T Le Cotty & E Maître d’Hôtel & R Soubeyran & J Subervie, 2019. "Inventory Credit as a Commitment Device to Save Grain Until the Hunger Season," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 101(4), pages 1115-1139.
    13. Marcel Fafchamps & Ruth Vargas Hill, 2008. "Price Transmission and Trader Entry in Domestic Commodity Markets," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 56(4), pages 729-766, July.
    14. Keijiro Otsuka & Yuko Nakano & Kazushi Takahashi, 2016. "Contract Farming in Developed and Developing Countries," Annual Review of Resource Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 8(1), pages 353-376, October.
    15. Thomas Reardon & Lenis Saweda O. Liverpool-Tasie & Bart Minten, 2021. "Quiet Revolution by SMEs in the midstream of value chains in developing regions: wholesale markets, wholesalers, logistics, and processing," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(6), pages 1577-1594, December.
    16. Kherallah, Mylene & Delgado, Christopher L. & Gabre-Madhin, Eleni Z. & Minot, Nicholas & Johnson, Mi (ed.), 2002. "Reforming agricultural markets in Africa: Achievements and challenges," IFPRI books, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), number 0-8018-7145-X, June.
    17. Suresh de Mel & David McKenzie & Christopher Woodruff, 2009. "Returns to Capital in Microenterprises: Evidence from a Field Experiment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 124(1), pages 423-423.
    18. Fafchamps, Marcel & McKenzie, David & Quinn, Simon & Woodruff, Christopher, 2014. "Microenterprise growth and the flypaper effect: Evidence from a randomized experiment in Ghana," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 211-226.
    19. Michael Dolislager & Thomas Reardon & Aslihan Arslan & Louise Fox & Saweda Liverpool-Tasie & Christine Sauer & David L. Tschirley, 2021. "Youth and Adult Agrifood System Employment in Developing Regions: Rural (Peri-urban to Hinterland) vs. Urban," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(4), pages 571-593, April.
    20. Suzuki, Aya & Jarvis, Lovell S. & Sexton, Richard J., 2011. "Partial Vertical Integration, Risk Shifting, and Product Rejection in the High-Value Export Supply Chain: The Ghana Pineapple Sector," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(9), pages 1611-1623, September.
    21. Christopher Blattman & Nathan Fiala & Sebastian Martinez, 2020. "The Long-Term Impacts of Grants on Poverty: Nine-Year Evidence from Uganda's Youth Opportunities Program," American Economic Review: Insights, American Economic Association, vol. 2(3), pages 287-304, September.
    22. Nicole M. Mason & Robert J. Myers, 2013. "The effects of the Food Reserve Agency on maize market prices in Zambia," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 44(2), pages 203-216, March.
    23. Bjorn Van Campenhout & Bart Minten & Johan F. M. Swinnen, 2021. "Leading the way – foreign direct investment and dairy value chain upgrading in Uganda," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 52(4), pages 607-631, July.
    24. Shawn Cole & Xavier Giné & James Vickery, 2017. "How Does Risk Management Influence Production Decisions? Evidence from a Field Experiment," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 30(6), pages 1935-1970.
    25. İhsan Yanıkoğlu & Dick den Hertog & Jack P. C. Kleijnen, 2016. "Robust dual-response optimization," IISE Transactions, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(3), pages 298-312, March.
    26. Abate, Gashaw T. & Abay, Kibrom A. & Chamberlin, Jordan & Kassim, Yumna & Spielman, David J. & Paul Jr Tabe-Ojong, Martin, 2023. "Digital tools and agricultural market transformation in Africa: Why are they not at scale yet, and what will it take to get there?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    27. Christopher B. Barrett & Thomas Reardon & Johan Swinnen & David Zilberman, 2022. "Agri-food Value Chain Revolutions in Low- and Middle-Income Countries," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 60(4), pages 1316-1377, December.
    28. George F. N. Shoukry, 2016. "Criminals' Response To Changing Crime Lucre," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 54(3), pages 1464-1483, July.
    29. Miet Maertens & Johan F.M. Swinnen, 2012. "Gender and Modern Supply Chains in Developing Countries," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(10), pages 1412-1430, October.
    30. Minten, Bart & Randrianarison, Lalaina & Swinnen, Johan F.M., 2009. "Global Retail Chains and Poor Farmers: Evidence from Madagascar," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(11), pages 1728-1741, November.
    31. Gautam Gowrisankaran & Keith A. Joiner & Jianjing Lin, 2016. "How do Hospitals Respond to Payment Incentives?," NBER Working Papers 22873, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    32. Boubakri, Narjess & El Ghoul, Sadok & Wang, He & Guedhami, Omrane & Kwok, Chuck C.Y., 2016. "Cross-listing and corporate social responsibility," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 123-138.
    33. Fafchamps, Marcel & Minten, Bart, 2001. "Property Rights in a Flea Market Economy," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 49(2), pages 229-267, January.
    34. Diederik W. R. Balkenende & Christophe A. Monnier & Gina L. Fiore & Christoph Weder, 2016. "Optically responsive supramolecular polymer glasses," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-9, April.
    35. Manuel A. Hernandez & Shahidur Rashid & Solomon Lemma & Tadesse Kuma, 2017. "Market Institutions and Price Relationships: The Case of Coffee in the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 99(3), pages 683-704.
    36. Stefan Dercon & Douglas Gollin, 2014. "Agriculture in African Development: Theories and Strategies," Annual Review of Resource Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 6(1), pages 471-492, October.
    37. Leonardo Iacovone & David McKenzie, 2022. "Shortening Supply Chains: Experimental Evidence from Fruit and Vegetable Vendors in Bogota," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 71(1), pages 111-149.
    38. David McKenzie, 2017. "Identifying and Spurring High-Growth Entrepreneurship: Experimental Evidence from a Business Plan Competition," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(8), pages 2278-2307, August.
    39. Alison L. Sexton Ward & Timothy K. M. Beatty, 2016. "Who Responds to Air Quality Alerts?," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 65(2), pages 487-511, October.
    40. Dries, Liesbeth & Germenji, Etleva & Noev, Nivelin & Swinnen, Johan F.M., 2009. "Farmers, Vertical Coordination, and the Restructuring of Dairy Supply Chains in Central and Eastern Europe," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(11), pages 1742-1758, November.
    41. ., 2023. "Waqf for small and medium enterprises," Chapters, in: Islamic Social Finance, chapter 6, pages 105-133, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    42. Manuel A. Hernandez & Shahidur Rashid & Solomon Lemma & Tadesse Kuma, 2017. "Market Institutions and Price Relationships: The Case of Coffee in the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 99(3), pages 683-704.
    43. Reardon, Thomas & Minten, Bart, 2021. "Food value chain transformation in developing regions," IFPRI book chapters, in: Agricultural development: New perspectives in a changing world, chapter 12, pages 397-438, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    44. Felix Kwame Yeboah & Thomas S. Jayne, 2018. "Africa’s Evolving Employment Trends," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(5), pages 803-832, May.
    45. Marcel Fafchamps, 2002. "Returns to social network capital among traders," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 54(2), pages 173-206, April.
    46. Bart Minten & David Stifel & Seneshaw Tamru, 2014. "Structural Transformation of Cereal Markets in Ethiopia," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(5), pages 611-629, May.
    47. repec:oup:qjecon:v:129:y:2014:i:2:p:697-752. is not listed on IDEAS
    48. Lorenzo Casaburi & Tristan Reed, 2022. "Using Individual-Level Randomized Treatment to Learn about Market Structure," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 14(4), pages 58-90, October.
    49. Lauren Falcao Bergquist & Michael Dinerstein, 2020. "Competition and Entry in Agricultural Markets: Experimental Evidence from Kenya," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 110(12), pages 3705-3747, December.
    50. Bart Minten & Seneshaw Tamru & Ermias Engida & Tadesse Kuma, 2016. "Transforming Staple Food Value Chains in Africa: The Case of Teff in Ethiopia," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(5), pages 627-645, May.
    51. Jeffrey D. Michler & Steven Y. Wu, 2020. "Relational Contracts in Agriculture: Theory and Evidence," Annual Review of Resource Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 12(1), pages 111-127, October.
    52. Meijerink, Gerdien & Bulte, Erwin & Alemu, Dawit, 2014. "Formal institutions and social capital in value chains: The case of the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(P1), pages 1-12.
    53. Swinnen, Johan & Kuijpers, Rob, 2019. "Value chain innovations for technology transfer in developing and emerging economies: Conceptual issues, typology, and policy implications," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 298-309.
    54. Christopher Blattman & Nathan Fiala & Sebastian Martinez, 2014. "Generating Skilled Self-Employment in Developing Countries: Experimental Evidence from Uganda," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 129(2), pages 697-752.
    55. Thomas Reardon, 2015. "The hidden middle: the quiet revolution in the midstream of agrifood value chains in developing countries," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 31(1), pages 45-63.
    56. Coulter, J. & Onumah, G., 2002. "The role of warehouse receipt systems in enhanced commodity marketing and rural livelihoods in Africa," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 319-337, August.
    57. Kolavalli, Shashidhara & Vigneri, Marcella, 2017. "The cocoa coast: The board-managed cocoa sector in Ghana," IFPRI books, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), number 978-0-89629-268-0, June.
    58. Alan de Brauw & Johan Swinnen, 2023. "Building inclusive value chains for smallholders: the role of finance," Chapters, in: Valentina Hartarska & Robert J. Cull (ed.), Handbook of Microfinance, Financial Inclusion and Development, chapter 11, pages 181-193, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    59. Lenis Saweda O. Liverpool-Tasie & Ayala Wineman & Sarah Young & Justice Tambo & Carolina Vargas & Thomas Reardon & Guigonan Serge Adjognon & Jaron Porciello & Nasra Gathoni & Livia Bizikova & Alessand, 2020. "A scoping review of market links between value chain actors and small-scale producers in developing regions," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 3(10), pages 799-808, October.
    60. Sitko, Nicholas J. & Jayne, T.S., 2014. "Exploitative Briefcase Businessmen, Parasites, and Other Myths and Legends: Assembly Traders and the Performance of Maize Markets in Eastern and Southern Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 56-67.
    61. Wu, K.Y.K. & Li, W.K., 2016. "On a dispersion model with Pearson residual responses," Computational Statistics & Data Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 17-27.
    62. Reardon, Thomas & Chen, Kevin Z. & Minten, Bart & Adriano, Lourdes (ed.), 2012. "The quiet revolution in staple food value chains: Enter the dragon, the elephant, and the tiger," IFPRI books, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), number 978-92-9092-911-6, June.
    63. Williamson, Oliver E, 1995. "Hierarchies, Markets and Power in the Economy: An Economic Perspective," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 4(1), pages 21-49.
    64. Scott Rozelle & Johan F.M. Swinnen, 2004. "Success and Failure of Reform: Insights from the Transition of Agriculture," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 42(2), pages 404-456, June.
    65. Collier, Paul & Dercon, Stefan, 2014. "African Agriculture in 50Years: Smallholders in a Rapidly Changing World?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 92-101.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mohamed Abouaziza, 2022. "Farmer constraints and relational contracts: evidence from agricultural value chains in East Africa," Economics PhD Theses 0122, Department of Economics, University of Sussex Business School.
    2. Giambra, Samuele & McKenzie, David, 2021. "Self-employment and migration," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    3. Brian Dillon & Chelsey Dambro, 2017. "How Competitive Are Crop Markets in Sub-Saharan Africa?," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 99(5), pages 1344-1361.
    4. Dhingra, Swati & Tenreyro, Silvana, 2020. "The Rise of Agribusiness and the Distributional Consequences of Policies on Intermediated Trade," CEPR Discussion Papers 14384, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    5. Sitko, Nicholas J. & Chisanga, Brian, 2016. "How Is Multinational Investment in Grain and Oilseed Trading Reshaping the Smallholder Markets in Zambia?," Food Security Collaborative Working Papers 234948, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    6. Nicholas J. Sitko & Brian Chisanga & David Tschirley & Thomas S. Jayne, 2018. "An evolution in the middle: examining the rise of multinational investment in smallholder grain trading in Zambia," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(2), pages 473-488, April.
    7. Reardon, Thomas & Echeverria, Ruben & Berdegué, Julio & Minten, Bart & Liverpool-Tasie, Saweda & Tschirley, David & Zilberman, David, 2019. "Rapid transformation of food systems in developing regions: Highlighting the role of agricultural research & innovations," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 172(C), pages 47-59.
    8. Delelegne A. Tefera & Jos Bijman, 2021. "Economics of contracts in African food systems: evidence from the malt barley sector in Ethiopia," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 9(1), pages 1-21, December.
    9. Rosegrant, Mark W. & Fan, Shenggen & Otsuka, Keijiro, 2021. "Global issues in agricultural development," IFPRI book chapters, in: Agricultural development: New perspectives in a changing world, chapter 2, pages 35-78, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    10. Johan Swinnen & Alessandro Olper & Senne Vandevelde, 2021. "From unfair prices to unfair trading practices: Political economy, value chains and 21st century agri‐food policy," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 52(5), pages 771-788, September.
    11. Simone Schaner, 2018. "The Persistent Power of Behavioral Change: Long-Run Impacts of Temporary Savings Subsidies for the Poor," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 10(3), pages 67-100, July.
    12. Hendrik Feyaerts & Goedele Van den Broeck & Miet Maertens, 2020. "Global and local food value chains in Africa: A review," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 51(1), pages 143-157, January.
    13. Bjorn Van Campenhout & Bart Minten & Johan F. M. Swinnen, 2021. "Leading the way – foreign direct investment and dairy value chain upgrading in Uganda," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 52(4), pages 607-631, July.
    14. Liesbeth Dries & Domenico Dentoni, 2015. "Private sector investments to create market-supporting institutions: The case of Malawian Agricultural Commodity Exchange," Working Papers 2015/08, Maastricht School of Management.
    15. Songsermsawas, Tisorn & Kafle, Kashi & Winters, Paul, 2021. "Decomposing the Impacts of an Agricultural Value Chain Investment by Gender and Ethnicity: The case of Nepal," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315047, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    16. Gazeaud, Jules & Khan, Nausheen & Mvukiyehe, Eric & Sterck, Olivier, 2023. "With or without him? Experimental evidence on cash grants and gender-sensitive trainings in Tunisia," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    17. Oriana Bandiera & Robin Burgess & Erika Deserranno & Ricardo Morel & Imran Rasul & Munshi Sulaiman & Jack Thiemel, 2022. "Microfinance and Diversification," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 89(S1), pages 239-275, June.
    18. Rob Kuijpers & Johan Swinnen, 2016. "Value Chains and Technology Transfer to Agriculture in Developing and Emerging Economies," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 98(5), pages 1403-1418.
    19. Thomas Reardon & Lenis Saweda O. Liverpool-Tasie & Bart Minten, 2021. "Quiet Revolution by SMEs in the midstream of value chains in developing regions: wholesale markets, wholesalers, logistics, and processing," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(6), pages 1577-1594, December.
    20. Liz Ignowski & Bart Minten & Johan Swinnen & Bjorn Van Campenhout & Senne Vandevelde, 2021. "Trade, Value Chain Technology and Prices: Evidence from Dairy in East Africa," LICOS Discussion Papers 42221, LICOS - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance, KU Leuven.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:121:y:2023:i:c:s0306919223001288. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/foodpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.