Internal knowledge sharing continues at Landell Mills with agricultural value-chains

Another 'lunch and learn' internal-knowledge session has taken place at Landell Mills with a training on agricultural value chains conducted by Director, Simon Foxwell. Simon used a horticultural value-chain project in Afghanistan being designed by Landell Mills as an example of the different stages involved in a value-chain project and the session was attended by colleagues from across Landell Mills' divisional teams.

Simon began by discussing the common actors in a value chain, from the upstream to the downstream. The session then examined in detail the various factors that should be considered when designing a value-chain project, including: selection of the product; selection of a geographical area; and identifying the potential challenges and opportunities at each stage of the chain, which can be determined by carrying out a value-chain analysis. Simon concluded by looking at the various interventions that can support value chains, opening a debate as to whether donors such as ADB should only finance public goods (e.g. agricultural research facilities), or whether incentives are valid to increase uptake of private goods (e.g. better quality seeds and saplings).