This chapter focuses on the issue of inclusiveness in agro-industries. The 'business model' is defined as the way by which a business creates and captures value within a market network of producers, suppliers and consumers. The chapter describes a range of business models that improve the inclusiveness, fairness, durability and financial sustainability of trading relationships between small farmers and downstream agribusiness. It is argued that the chief challenge for modern agrifood businesses in working with small-scale farmers is the difficulty of organizing supply chains so as to ensure that the benefits of logistics, economies of scale, traceability and compliance with private sector standards are achieved. Despite the difficulties faced, there are sound business reasons for agro-processors, retailers, exporters and other buyers to include small farmers in the farm-to-consumer value chain. A typology of organizational models, covering models organized by the producers themselves, by the end-customer companies or by an intermediary such as a trader, wholesaler or exporter, is introduced. It is argued that evidence on benefits and impacts of the different models is still weak, and that no single modality is inherently superior for smallholders. It is argued that despite the recent trends towards increased inclusiveness, the participation of smallholders and SMEs in modern markets is still more of an exception than the rule. They identify three priorities for enhancing competitiveness and inclusiveness of smaller-scale sup pliers. The first is skills development to prepare farmers to be reliable partners and suppliers. The provision of key infrastructure services, public investments in services such as agricultural research, education and extension, and policies to maintain competitive markets, is emphasized. The third is for private sector actors to ensure that their procurement practices work to the benefit, rather than the detriment, of small-scale producers and suppliers.
ABSTRACT. In Namibia, as in many parts of Africa, households are highly dependent on forest resources for their livelihoods, including energy needs. Using data originally collected for Namibia's forest resource accounts and insights from a non-separable household model, this paper estimates household fuelwood demand. Specifically, the factors underlying the substitution between fuelwood collected from open access forest resources, cow dung, and fuelwood purchased from the market are analysed. Heckman two-step estimates show that households respond to economic scarcity, as measured by the opportunity costs of collecting fuelwood, by reducing energy consumption slightly more than by increasing labour input to collection. There is limited evidence for substitution from fuelwood to other energy sources, particularly with declining availability of forest stocks. Market participants may be more sensitive to price changes than non-participants. All estimated elasticities are low, similar to those observed in previous studies.
Climate change is likely to exacerbate the dry conditions already experienced in southern Africa. When rainfall does come, it is likely to be in bursts of greater intensity, leading to erosion and flood damage. However, these predictions have had very little influence on policy in southern African countries. Computable general equilibrium (CGE) model simulations for Namibia indicate that over 20 years, annual losses to the Namibian economy could be up to 5% of GDP, due to the impact that climate change will have on its natural resources alone. This will affect the poorest people the most, with resulting constraints on employment opportunities and declining wages, especially for unskilled labour in rural areas. Namibia must take steps to ensure that all its policies and activities are 'climate proofed' and that it has a strategy to deal with displaced farmers and farm workers. The need to mainstream climate change into policies and planning is clear, and it is the responsibility of industrialized nations, who have largely created the problem of climate change, to help Namibia and other vulnerable countries cope with climate change impacts and plan for a climate-constrained future. Le changement climatique risque d'exacerber les conditions de sécheresse déjà présentes en Afrique du sud. Les rares épisodes de pluie se manifesteraient en qualité d'averses d'intensité d'autant plus accrue, produisant des dégâts d'érosion et d'inondation. Cependant, ces prédictions ont peu de traction politique dans les paysd'Afrique du sud. Des simulations d'équilibre général calculable pour la Namibie indiquent que dans plus de 20 ans, les pertes annuelles pour l'économie namibienne pourraient être de l'ordre de 5% du PNB, uniquement à cause de l'impact potentiel du changement climatique sur ses ressources naturelles. Ceci affecterait surtout les pauvres, produisant des contraintes sur les opportunités d'emploi et une baisse des salaires, surtout pour la main d'oeuvre non qualifiée dans les zones rurales. La Namibie doit prendre des mesures pour faire en sorte que toutes ses politiques et mesures soient « climatiquement sûres » et qu'une stratégie soit en place pour aborder le problème de déplacement des fermiers et de la main d'oeuvre agricole. Le besoin d'intégration du changement climatique aux politiques et à l'aménagement est clair, et ce sont les nations industrialisées, ayant largement créé le problème du changement climatique, qui devraient avoir la responsabilité d'aide à la Namibie et autres pays vulnérables dans la lutte contre les impacts du changement climatique et l'anticipation d'un futur affecté climatiquement.
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