Agricultural value chain transformations and policy instruments : The case of the rice value chains in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire

Agricultural value chains (AVC) are undergoing stages of transformation from traditional to transitional and to modern as a response to economic, demographic and consumption changes. One characteristic of the transitional stage is the growth and importance of SME midstream actors who respond to demand-side as well supply-side factors by means of upgrading. While this stream of research acknowledges the role of policies in conducing those transformations, it still lacks evidence as to what constitute the context-specific policy conditions. This study therefore explores the way policy instruments target midstream segment actors to address upgrading challenges in the context of AVC transformations, exploring the case of the processing segment of the rice value chains in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. We adopt a policy tools approach and undertake a content analysis of 138 policy documents related to the implementation of the National Rice Development Strategies since 2010 coupled with 43 interviews with rice stakeholders. Our results demonstrate that the types of policy instruments deployed and the specific actors targeted determine the capacity and capability of processing segment enterprises to undergo upgrading.