Linking smallholder producers to modern agri-food chains: case studies from South Asia, Southease Asia and China

Although agriculture is no longer a major contributor to national GDP in many Asian countries but poverty levels are still high. It is well established that agriculture plays a major role in poverty reduction. But it requires improvement in skills and asset position of agricultural producers, mainly smallholder producers and linking them to dynamic agri-food markets. Rapid changes are taking place in developing countries and emerging economies, with implications for the ability of agriculture to contribute to economic growth, poverty reduction and sustainable rural development. Small-scale agriculture, which supports livelihood of most of the rural poor, is perhaps ill-equipped for these changes. Tensions run especially high in Asia where agri-food systems have been undergoing modernization and restructuring. This book examines the issues and concerns related to modernization and restructuring of food supply chains through country-based case studies and tries to understand processes and impact of restructuring through a comparative in-depth empirical analysis in China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The papers address important questions such as what restructuring is occurring and what distinct market channels do farmers face and how do they differ? What determines participation of smallholder producers in different supply channels? What is impact of farmers’ participation on technology and income? What institutional, technological, economic and other policy reforms are necessary to enhance their effective participation in emerging and restructuring agri-food markets? Experiences and lessons from these case studies are important not only for enabling farmers to participate in modern supply chains, but also for modernizing agriculture and ensuring better supply of safe foods. It is hoped that insights provided in the book will be useful for policy planners, researchers, developmental organizations and agribusiness community with a keen interest in improving market access of smallholder farmers, thereby supporting smallholder production system.