IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i14p6243-d1440178.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Intervention Options for Enhancing Smallholder Compliance with Regulatory and Market Standards for High-Value Fruits and Vegetables in Rwanda and Zambia

Author

Listed:
  • Morris Akiri

    (CAB International (CABI), Nairobi P.O. Box 633-00621, Kenya)

  • Fredrick Mbugua

    (CAB International (CABI), Nairobi P.O. Box 633-00621, Kenya)

  • Rahab Njunge

    (CAB International (CABI), Nairobi P.O. Box 633-00621, Kenya)

  • Charles Agwanda

    (CAB International (CABI), Nairobi P.O. Box 633-00621, Kenya)

  • Negussie E. Gurmessa

    (CAB International (CABI), Nairobi P.O. Box 633-00621, Kenya)

  • Noah A. Phiri

    (CAB International (CABI), Lusaka P.O. Box 37589, Zambia)

  • Richard Musebe

    (JUVILE Options and Solutions Ltd., Nairobi P.O. Box 24682-00100, Kenya)

  • Jean Pierre Kalisa

    (Rwanda Agriculture Board and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), Kigali P.O. Box 5016, Rwanda)

  • Bellancile Uzayisenga

    (Rwanda Agriculture Board and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), Kigali P.O. Box 5016, Rwanda)

  • Monica K. Kansiime

    (CAB International (CABI), Nairobi P.O. Box 633-00621, Kenya)

  • Daniel Karanja

    (CAB International (CABI), Nairobi P.O. Box 633-00621, Kenya)

Abstract

Agriculture is vital for economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa. In Rwanda and Zambia, the sector drives economic output, particularly the horticulture sector, which has emerged as a significant contributor to export revenue and employment for resource-poor rural communities. As agri-food value chains become globally connected, there are increasing concerns about food safety and both the social and environmental sustainability benefits of production, which has underscored the need for producers to comply with certain regulatory standards. This paper uses a value chain analysis approach to assess the factors influencing compliance among smallholder fresh fruit and vegetable (FFV) producers in Zambia and Rwanda, and identify practices essential for achieving widespread compliance, to enhance the competitiveness of the sector. The data were gathered from 340 FFV farmers and key informants using structured questionnaires. The results reveal that the value chains for target FFVs are still traditional, predominantly targeting local markets. These markets pose low barriers to entry for smallholders, and often with few safety and quality requirements. As such, there remains a paucity of understanding of market needs and regarding quality and safety standards amongst smallholders, which, coupled with low-input, low-technology farming methods, and inadequate pre- and post-harvest handling, limit the market potential. To bridge these gaps, this study recommends organising farmers into legally recognised entities, to enable access to compliance information, reduce transaction costs, and provide access to high-quality niche markets through public–private partnerships. Countries also need to develop industry codes of practice and quality management systems and support farmers to adhere to them.

Suggested Citation

  • Morris Akiri & Fredrick Mbugua & Rahab Njunge & Charles Agwanda & Negussie E. Gurmessa & Noah A. Phiri & Richard Musebe & Jean Pierre Kalisa & Bellancile Uzayisenga & Monica K. Kansiime & Daniel Karan, 2024. "Intervention Options for Enhancing Smallholder Compliance with Regulatory and Market Standards for High-Value Fruits and Vegetables in Rwanda and Zambia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-21, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:14:p:6243-:d:1440178
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/14/6243/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/14/6243/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kibet, N. & Obare, G.A. & Lagat, J.K, 2018. "Risk attitude effects on Global-GAP certification decisions by smallholder French bean farmers in Kenya," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 18(C), pages 18-29.
    2. Beatrice Wambui Muriithi & John Mburu & Margaret Ngigi, 2011. "Constraints and determinants of compliance with EurepGap standards: a case of smallholder french bean exporters in Kirinyaga district, Kenya," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(2), pages 193-204, Spring.
    3. Shafaeddin, Mehdi, 2007. "Who Does Bear the Costs of Compliance with Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures in Poor Countries?," MPRA Paper 6646, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Jiping Ding & Paule Moustier & Xingdong Ma & Xuexi Huo & Xiangping Jia, 2019. "Doing but not knowing: how apple farmers comply with standards in China," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 36(1), pages 61-75, March.
    5. Geraldin M. W. Lengai & Alex M. Fulano & James W. Muthomi, 2022. "Improving Access to Export Market for Fresh Vegetables through Reduction of Phytosanitary and Pesticide Residue Constraints," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-20, July.
    6. Fédes Rijn & Ricardo Fort & Ruerd Ruben & Tinka Koster & Gonne Beekman, 2020. "Does certification improve hired labour conditions and wageworker conditions at banana plantations?," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 37(2), pages 353-370, June.
    7. Todd M Schmit & Gretchen L Wall & Elizabeth J Newbold & Elizabeth A Bihn, 2020. "Assessing the costs and returns of on-farm food safety improvements: A survey of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) training participants," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(7), pages 1-18, July.
    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. Lijiao Hu & Yuqing Zheng & Timothy A. Woods & Yoko Kusunose & Steven Buck, 2023. "The market for private food safety certifications: Conceptual framework, review, and future research directions," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 45(1), pages 197-220, March.
    2. Wambua, Dennis Kyalo, 2017. "Influence Of Social Capital And Networks On Marketing Performance Of Smallholder Grain Farmer Groups In Tharaka North And Tharaka South Sub-Counties, Kenya," Research Theses 276430, Collaborative Masters Program in Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    3. Muriithi, Beatrice W. & Matz, Julia Anna, 2015. "Welfare effects of vegetable commercialization: Evidence from smallholder producers in Kenya," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 80-91.
    4. Tina D. Beuchelt & Rafaël Schneider & Liliana Gamba, 2022. "Integrating the right to food in sustainability standards: A theory of change to move global supply chains from responsibilities to impacts," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 44(4), pages 1864-1889, December.
    5. Muriithi, Beatrice W., 2013. "Does commercialization of smallholder horticulture reduce rural poverty? Evidence based on household panel data from Kenya," 2013 Fourth International Conference, September 22-25, 2013, Hammamet, Tunisia 161563, African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE).
    6. Rattiya Suddeephong Lippe & Ulrike Grote, 2017. "Determinants Affecting Adoption of GLOBALG.A.P. Standards: A Choice Experiment in Thai Horticulture," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(2), pages 242-256, April.
    7. DaSilva Glasgow, Dianna & Hosein, Roger, 2018. "Non-tariff Barriers to Trade: What Does the Experience of Guyanese Exporters of Food and Agriculture Products Reveal?," Estey Centre Journal of International Law and Trade Policy, Estey Centre for Law and Economics in International Trade, vol. 19(1), June.
    8. Cyrielle Gaglio & Simone Pfuderer & Bodo Steiner, 2024. "Sustainability initiatives in food supply chains from stakeholders' perspectives: An analysis of predictors of cognition-based trust and trust initiatives," French Stata Users' Group Meetings 2024 24, Stata Users Group.
    9. Giordano Ruggeri & Stefano Corsi, 2021. "An Exploratory Analysis of the FAIRTRADE Certified Producer Organisations," World, MDPI, vol. 2(4), pages 1-14, October.
    10. Dimitrios Tselempis & Philippos Karipidis & Alexandra Pavloudi & Anastasios Semos, 2015. "Is quality certification in fruit and vegetable production a market-driven choice in Greece?," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 3(1), pages 1-12, December.
    11. Xue, Yang-chen & Geng, Xian-hui & Kiprop, Emmanuel & Hong, Miao, 2020. "How Does the Spillover Effect Affect Companies Food Safety Risk Management? New Orientation of Food Safety Management," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304310, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    12. Laura T. Raynolds, 2021. "Gender equity, labor rights, and women’s empowerment: lessons from Fairtrade certification in Ecuador flower plantations," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 38(3), pages 657-675, September.
    13. Russo, Carlo & Perito, Maria Angel & Di Fonzo, Antonella, 2014. "The Strategic Use of Private Food Safety Standards to Manage Complexity: a Moral Hazard Perspective," 2014 International Congress, August 26-29, 2014, Ljubljana, Slovenia 182795, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    14. Carlos F. B. V. Alho & Amanda F. Silva & Chantal M. J. Hendriks & Jetse J. Stoorvogel & Peter J. M. Oosterveer & Eric M. A. Smaling, 2021. "Analysis of banana and cocoa export commodities in food system transformation, with special reference to certification schemes as drivers of change," 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 1555-1575, December.
    15. Isaac Maina Kariuki & Jens‐Peter Loy & Thomas Herzfeld, 2012. "Farmgate Private Standards and Price Premium: Evidence From the GlobalGAP Scheme in Kenya's French Beans Marketing," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(1), pages 42-53, January.
    16. Chenchen Yang & Jianhua Wang, 2019. "Evaluation of Policies on Inappropriate Treatment of Dead Hogs from the Perspective of Loss Aversion," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-20, August.
    17. Benavides-Franco, Julián & Gómez, Juan M. & Pérez-Uribe, Miguel A., 2023. "Determinants of Project Finance success for renewable energy," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 188-201.
    18. Muriithi, Beatrice W. & Matz, Julia Anna, 2014. "Smallholder Participation in the Commercialisation of Vegetables: Evidence from Kenyan Panel Data," Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture, Humboldt-Universitaat zu Berlin, vol. 53(2), pages 1-28, May.
    19. Shaoze Jin & Xiangping Jia & Harvey S. James, 2021. "Risk attitudes within farmer cooperative organizations: Evidence from China's fresh apple industry," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 92(2), pages 173-205, June.
    20. Luitfred Kissoly & Anja Faße & Ulrike Grote, 2017. "The integration of smallholders in agricultural value chain activities and food security: evidence from rural Tanzania," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 9(6), pages 1219-1235, December.

    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:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:14:p:6243-:d:1440178. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.