CTA Discussion papers
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Item Mapping study of food-grain value chains in Eastern Africa(Report, 2017-12) Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation; Kilimo TrustAgriculture is one of the East African Community’s most important economic sectors. The major staple foods in the region are maize, rice, potatoes, bananas, cassava, wheat, sorghum, millet and pulses. However, agricultural production in the region is prone to the vagaries of climate change, fluctuating food prices, a rapidly growing population in the urban areas and natural resource degradation. Even though governments have intensified efforts to develop agriculture in the region, intra-regional trade in staple food grains is still very low. The main objective of the study is to provide CTA with an understanding of the salient features of the four food-grain value chains in the EAC region, and information and possible entry points about the types of commodities to be supported and the nodes of the food-grain value chains that interventions should focus on.Item Mapping study on the fisheries sector in the IOC region(Report, 2017-12-31) Hanoomanjee, SatishThis study was commissioned by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) to help guide the Centre’s support to the fisheries sector in the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) region in the context of CTA’s East Africa Regional Business Plan and its work on value chains. The study provides an overview of the fish value chains in four countries – Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius/Rodrigues and Seychelles – together with recommendations for future action. Key actors and institutions, value-chain development initiatives, policies and regulatory frameworks are presented and analysed.Item Cash usage behaviour and its implication for digital payments: A case of Ghana and Nigeria's smallholder cassava value chain(Report, 2019-01-17) LHB Associates; Farmerline Ltd.; FLV Logistics; KowreeThis study was commissioned by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) to assess the financial behaviour of cassava farmers in Ghana and Nigeria, in relation to their usage of cash and their interest in mobile payments for their farm products as a gateway to other digital finance products. Data from smallholder farmers were collected through focus group discussions (FGDs) and surveys carried out in the cassava producing regions of Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo and Volta in Ghana, and the communities of Oleh, Olicha and Ozoro in Nigeria.Item Why Invest in ICTs for agriculture?(Report, 2018-12-03) Tetteh Kwasi Nuer, Alexander; Agbeko, Daniel; Worlali, Senyo; Mwangi Thiga, Moses; Ndogo Ndung'u, Simon; Wangari Mutiga, Mary; Babcock, Lee H.With the ability to reach many farmers with timely and accessible content, the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for agriculture (ICT4Ag) has the potential to transform farming and food production, worldwide. ICT4Ag supports new methods in the monitoring and management of soils, plants and livestock (precision agriculture), access to online markets, and improved communication between value chain stakeholders, among others. The services provided are vital in connecting farmers with the information they need to improve their agricultural productivity and reduce poverty. Through case studies and examples of ICT4Ag initiatives from across Asia, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa, the first chapter looks at how ICT4Ag actually works to drive economic development across developing economies.Item A business case for engaging the private sector in climate-smart solutions for smallholder farmers(Report, 2018-09) Mutamba, Manyewu; Ajayi, Oluyede C.Large and growing numbers of poor rural households depend on climate-sensitive agriculture and operate on the margins of the mainstream economy. This combined with a broken public extension service and faltering international development efforts places millions of smallholder farmers at disproportionately high risk from a changing climate. Acknowledging the magnitude of the challenge and the required pace and scale of response, coupled with honest introspection on past performance, has prompted the need to look beyond the public sector for delivering climate-smart solutions. Harnessing the financial, technological and intellectual capital in the private sector to complement public sector-driven climate responses is a new dimension in delivery of sustainable climate-smart solutions at scale.Item Economic impacts of climate change on priority value chains in the Caribbean: Implications for private-sector investment and scaling-up of climate-smart agriculture in the region(Report, 2018-09) Rhiney, Kevon; Ajayi, Oluyede C.To support the implementation of CTA’s flagship project for the Caribbean, this report is aimed at developing capacity-building efforts for specific groups of farmers engaging in specific production activities in priority value chains so they may improve their access to key markets. This report focuses on the threats climate change poses to the production of two priority value chains in the Caribbean – fruit and vegetables, and roots and tubers.Item Mapping livestock value chains in the IGAD region(Report, 2017-11) Guthiga, Paul M.; Karugia, Joseph T.; Massawe, Stella C.; Ogada, Maurice Juma; Mugweru, Lydiah; Ongudi, Silas; Mbo'o-Tchouawou, Michelle; Mulei, LeonardThe study provides CTA with recommendations on the types of value chains to be supported and information on particular nodes that CTA could be involved in. It focuses on the IGAD region, which includes eight member states: Djibouti, Somalia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya, and on a select number of livestock commodity value chains. The study obtained data and information from ongoing and recently completed programmes.