Tropentag, October 11 - 13, 2005 in Stuttgart-Hohenheim "The Global Food & Product Chain – Dynamics, Innovations, Conflicts, Strategies"

The Sectoral Project “Agricultural Trade” of GTZ: Pilot Cooperation with Projects / Programmes that Promote Value Chains

German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), Division of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, Germany

Abstract

The value chain approach, a growing topic of debate in development research and development policy in recent years, looks at the issue of how production and trade chains are structured and how they can be regulated and managed. In German international cooperation, too, there are various projects at the planning or implementation stage that make specific reference to the value chain concept or to similar approaches (clusters, business linkages). However, an overall conceptual platform and intervention practices systematically based on this kind of platform are lacking. Preliminary conceptual work also needs to be carried out in order to integrate the approach into development-policy strategies such as poverty reduction and trade liberalisation.
The sectoral project “Agricultural Trade” of GTZ analyses experience with the promotion of value chains, and gives specific recommendations on how to integrate the concept into trade projects and development strategies. The purpose is to provide the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implementing organisations with some guidance in the design of projects.
Pilot cooperation with selected projects/programmes that promote value chains in Africa, Latin America and Asia will be presented.

Keywords: Africa, agricultural trade, Asia, developing countries, Latin America, pilot projects, value chains

Contact Address: Doris Guenther, German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), Division of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, Eschborn, Germany, e-mail: doris.guenthergtz.de