Institutional Innovations for Smallholder Compliance with International Food Safety Standards: Experiences from Kenya, Ethiopian and Zambian Green Bean Growers
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Date
2007Author
Okello, Julius Juma
Narrod, Clare
Roy, Devesh
Type
PresentationLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Many African countries have moved into the production of non-traditional agricultural products to diversify their
exports and increase foreign currency earnings. Accessing developed country markets requires meeting food
safety standards brought about by several demand and supply side factors. Food retailers in the EU, the major
destination market, have developed protocols relating to pesticide residue limits, field and packinghouse hygiene,
and traceability. In this changing scenario where food safety requirements are getting increasingly stringent, there
are worries that companies that establish production centers in LDCs might exclude smallholder farmers. In this
paper, we study the cases of green beans production in Ethiopia, Kenya and Zambia for export to high value
European markets. Though the immediate effect of the imposition of stringent food safety standards has been to
screen away smallholders, there has been continued participation of smallholders in some cases. This paper finds
that emergence of new institutional arrangements have enabled the smallholders to maintain their participation in
high value European markets. In particular, public-private partnerships have played a key role in helping
smallholder farmers acquire training on and certification against European food safety standards. Collective
action in form of producer organizations has enabled smallholders to jointly invest in costly facilities and take
advantage of economies of scale to remain competitive. Producer organizations also allow for cheaper means for
buyers to ensure traceability and are critical in reducing transaction costs of linking up with smallholders.
Key words: international food safety standards, compliance, smallholder farmers, institutional arrangements,
collective action, producer organizations, public-private partnerships.
Citation
Julius Juma Okello, Clare Narrod and Devesh Roy (2007). Institutional Innovations for Smallholder Compliance with International Food Safety Standards: Experiences from Kenya, Ethiopian and Zambian Green Bean Growers. AAAE Conference Proceedings (2007) 483-487Publisher
Lecturer, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya, Research Fellow, Markets, Trade and Institutions Division (MTID), IFPRI, Postdoctoral Fellow, MTID, IFPRI