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Small farmers' access to high-value markets: what can we learn from the Malawi pigeopea value chain?

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  • Makoka, Donald

Abstract

Access to high-value markets remains one of the major challenges facing smallholder farmers in Africa. The paper applies a value chain analysis to the pigeonpea sub-sector in Malawi to determine ways of improving the access of small farmers to the global pigeonpea markets. The value chain analysis, complemented by primary data from a sample of 200 farmers, investigates the nature of the pigeonpea value chain by highlighting the main actors and the sources of inefficiency along the chain. The study shows that pigeonpea production is dominated by smallholder farmers with limited access to market information and who are also faced with lack of access to improved varieties. For the Malawian exporters, their competitiveness is being undermined by high freight costs and low pigeonpea grain quality. Policies to improve market institutional innovations through the use of the leading farmer organization, NASFAM, have the potential of improving the competitiveness of the producers.

Suggested Citation

  • Makoka, Donald, 2009. "Small farmers' access to high-value markets: what can we learn from the Malawi pigeopea value chain?," MPRA Paper 15397, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:15397
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    File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/15397/1/MPRA_paper_15397.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ponte, Stefano, 2002. "The 'Latte Revolution'? Regulation, Markets and Consumption in the Global Coffee Chain," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 30(7), pages 1099-1122, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Noora-Lisa Aberman & Terry Roopnaraine, 2020. "To sell or consume? Gendered household decision-making on crop production, consumption, and sale in Malawi," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(2), pages 433-447, April.
    2. Me-Nsope, Nathalie & Larkins, Michelle, 2016. "Beyond crop production: Gender relations along the pigeon pea value chain and implications for income and food security in Malawi," Journal of Gender, Agriculture and Food Security (Agri-Gender), Africa Centre for Gender, Social Research and Impact Assessment, vol. 1(3), pages 1-22.
    3. Me-Nsope, Nathalie M. & Nankhuni, Flora J., 2018. "An Analysis Of Malawi’S Pigeon Pea Value Chain," Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy Research Papers 275676, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security (FSP).
    4. Zulu, Leo Charles & Adams, Ellis Adjei & Chikowo, Regis & Snapp, Sieglinde, 2018. "The role of community-based livestock management institutions in the adoption and scaling up of pigeon peas in Malawi," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 141-155.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Pigeonpea; value chain; smallholder farmers; Malawi;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N57 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries - - - Africa; Oceania
    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • B21 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought since 1925 - - - Microeconomics

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