Finance needs of the agricultural midstream and the prospects for digital financial services

Finance needs of the agricultural midstream and the prospects for digital financial services PDF Author: Ambler, Kate
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Book Description
Recent literature suggests that agricultural value chains are changing rapidly and places an increasing focus on the importance of actors and activities taking place in the “midstream” of these value chains, after production and prior to final sale. This article discusses the financial needs of midstream actors in agricultural value chains, emphasizing differences across midstream activities and highlighting how value chain characteristics can influence both financial needs and potential remedies. The paper concludes with a discussion of the prospects of digital financial services to alleviate financial needs of midstream actors.

Finance needs of the agricultural midstream and the prospects for digital financial services

Finance needs of the agricultural midstream and the prospects for digital financial services PDF Author: Ambler, Kate
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 36

Get Book Here

Book Description
Recent literature suggests that agricultural value chains are changing rapidly and places an increasing focus on the importance of actors and activities taking place in the “midstream” of these value chains, after production and prior to final sale. This article discusses the financial needs of midstream actors in agricultural value chains, emphasizing differences across midstream activities and highlighting how value chain characteristics can influence both financial needs and potential remedies. The paper concludes with a discussion of the prospects of digital financial services to alleviate financial needs of midstream actors.

Financial access of midstream agricultural firms in Africa: Evidence from the LSMS-ISA and World Bank enterprise surveys

Financial access of midstream agricultural firms in Africa: Evidence from the LSMS-ISA and World Bank enterprise surveys PDF Author: Ambler, Kate
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 24

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Book Description
The midstream of agricultural value chains are rapidly changing in response to shifting domestic and international demand. While the performance of this segment may have important implications for the entire sector, evidence on midstream actors and their financial needs remain thin. We use data from both the Living Standards Measurement Study – Integrated Surveys on Agriculture and the World Bank Enterprise Survey from seven African countries to identify these agricultural midstream firms and assess their access to formal credit, comparing them to other, non-agricultural midstream firms. We find that the identified agricultural midstream firms are larger and more productive than their non-agricultural midstream counterparts and are less likely to report barriers to accessing credit, though overall access levels remain low. Among agricultural midstream firms, those owned or managed by women are more likely to report barriers to accessing credit. Taken together, these findings help build our understanding about the financial needs of micro-, small-, and medium-size enterprises in the agricultural midstream.

Financial Needs and the Prospects of Digital Financial Services in the Agricultural Midstream: Phase 1 Synthesis

Financial Needs and the Prospects of Digital Financial Services in the Agricultural Midstream: Phase 1 Synthesis PDF Author: Ambler, Kate
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 6

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Book Description
Agricultural commodity value chains (AVCs) are critical for providing income to farmers, creating em ployment opportunities, generating export revenue, and providing affordable and healthy food for con sumers. Agriculture employs 42% of people in South Asia and 53% in sub-Saharan Africa (World Bank, 2022), while agricultural growth has been shown to be three times more effective at poverty reduction than growth in other sectors (de Janvry and Sadoulet, 2009). Though the majority of existing literature has focused on producers and consumers, recent research suggests that value added in the “mid stream” of value chains, the actors between farmgate and final vendors, may be as large as 40% of the total gross value in the agricultural sector (Reardon, 2015; AGRA, 2019). This midstream is comprised predominantly of small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) including traders, transporters, and processors whose potential for growth may be considerably untapped.In general, the high seasonality, geographic dispersion, and unpredictable output of the agricultural sector can make it especially difficult for the financial needs of the midstream to be met, challenges well documented and studied among small-scale producers. While there has been recent, increasing atten tion on the midstream actors in AVCs, focus on their financial needs is rare. If, in fact, they lack much access to financial products, an increase in access could lead to increased employment opportunities in the midstream, as well as more robust growth. Additionally, recent years have seen the emergence of a number of digital financial services (DFS), including mobile money and digital payment systems, digital credit, and digital marketplaces, all of which hold potential for alleviating meaningful constraints among midstream actors in AVCs. The aim of this project was to take stock of what is known about these midstream AVC actors, their fi nancial needs, and the potential of DFS to help meet those needs. In this synthesis, we summarize les sons from the project’s first phase, which included a literature review, analysis of existing microdata, documentation of previous data targeted at the midstream, and interviews with other experts in the field. We intend to use the lessons from this initial phase to prepare for specialized data collection tai lored to and targeting ident

Value chain surveys: What do they cover, and how well?

Value chain surveys: What do they cover, and how well? PDF Author: Ambler, Kate
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 10

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Book Description
While agricultural value chains are rapidly evolving (Reardon, 2015; Reardon et al., 2021; Barrett et al., 2022), research attention has increasingly taken notice of the important role played by actors in the ag ricultural midstream. The agricultural midstream consists of activities that take place after production but before final sale to consumers, with existing literature highlighting transportation, trading/wholesaling, processing/packaging, and storage as key activities (Reardon, 2015; Ambler et al., 2022a). However, even as research on the agricultural midstream has been growing, little is known about the poten tial financial needs or capabilities of midstream actors (Ambler et al., 2022a; Bellemare et al., 2021; Reardon and Minten, 2021). If midstream actors face meaningful financial constraints in growing their businesses, it can hinder employment opportunities, increase consumer food prices, depress agricul tural producer prices, or constrain growth more broadly.

Agricultural Value Chain Finance

Agricultural Value Chain Finance PDF Author: Calvin Miller
Publisher: Practical Action Publishing
ISBN: 9781853397028
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
`This is a "must read" for anyone interested in value chain finance.---Kenneth Shwedel, Agricultural Economist --Book Jacket.

The State of Food and Agriculture 2021

The State of Food and Agriculture 2021 PDF Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
ISBN: 9251343292
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 182

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Book Description
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerability of agrifood systems to shocks and stresses and led to increased global food insecurity and malnutrition. Action is needed to make agrifood systems more resilient, efficient, sustainable and inclusive. The State of Food and Agriculture 2021 presents country-level indicators of the resilience of agrifood systems. The indicators measure the robustness of primary production and food availability, as well as physical and economic access to food. They can thus help assess the capacity of national agrifood systems to absorb shocks and stresses, a key aspect of resilience. The report analyses the vulnerabilities of food supply chains and how rural households cope with risks and shocks. It discusses options to minimize trade-offs that building resilience may have with efficiency and inclusivity. The aim is to offer guidance on policies to enhance food supply chain resilience, support livelihoods in the agrifood system and, in the face of disruption, ensure sustainable access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to all.

World Development Report 1994

World Development Report 1994 PDF Author:
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 9780195209921
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
World Development Report 1994 examines the link between infrastructure and development and explores ways in which developing countries can improve both the provision and the quality of infrastructure services. In recent decades, developing countries have made substantial investments in infrastructure, achieving dramatic gains for households and producers by expanding their access to services such as safe water, sanitation, electric power, telecommunications, and transport. Even more infrastructure investment and expansion are needed in order to extend the reach of services - especially to people living in rural areas and to the poor. But as this report shows, the quantity of investment cannot be the exclusive focus of policy. Improving the quality of infrastructure service also is vital. Both quantity and quality improvements are essential to modernize and diversify production, help countries compete internationally, and accommodate rapid urbanization. The report identifies the basic cause of poor past performance as inadequate institutional incentives for improving the provision of infrastructure. To promote more efficient and responsive service delivery, incentives need to be changed through commercial management, competition, and user involvement. Several trends are helping to improve the performance of infrastructure. First, innovation in technology and in the regulatory management of markets makes more diversity possible in the supply of services. Second, an evaluation of the role of government is leading to a shift from direct government provision of services to increasing private sector provision and recent experience in many countries with public-private partnerships is highlighting new ways to increase efficiency and expand services. Third, increased concern about social and environmental sustainability has heightened public interest in infrastructure design and performance.

Digital technologies in agriculture and rural areas

Digital technologies in agriculture and rural areas PDF Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
ISBN: 9251315469
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 152

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Book Description
This report aims to identify the different scenarios where the process of digital transformation is taking place in agriculture. This identifies those aspects of basic conditions, such as those of infrastructure and networks, affordability, education and institutional support. In addition, enablers are identified, which are the factors that allow adopting and integrating changes in the production and decision-making processes. Finally identify through cases, existing literature and reports how substantive changes are taking place in the adoption of digital technologies in agriculture.

COVID-19 and global food security: Two years later

COVID-19 and global food security: Two years later PDF Author: McDermott, John
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN: 0896294226
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description
Two years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the health, economic, and social disruptions caused by this global crisis continue to evolve. The impacts of the pandemic are likely to endure for years to come, with poor, marginalized, and vulnerable groups the most affected. In COVID-19 & Global Food Security: Two Years Later, the editors bring together contributions from new IFPRI research, blogs, and the CGIAR COVID-19 Hub to examine the pandemic’s effects on poverty, food security, nutrition, and health around the world. This volume presents key lessons learned on food security and food system resilience in 2020 and 2021 and assesses the effectiveness of policy responses to the crisis. Looking forward, the authors consider how the pandemic experience can inform both recovery and longer-term efforts to build more resilient food systems.

Project Finance for the International Petroleum Industry

Project Finance for the International Petroleum Industry PDF Author: Robert Clews
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0128005297
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 416

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Book Description
This overview of project finance for the oil and gas industry covers financial markets, sources and providers of finance, financial structures, and capital raising processes. About US$300 billion of project finance debt is raised annually across several capital intensive sectors—including oil and gas, energy, infrastructure, and mining—and the oil and gas industry represents around 30% of the global project finance market. With over 25 year's project finance experience in international banking and industry, author Robert Clews explores project finance techniques and their effectiveness in the petroleum industry. He highlights the petroleum industry players, risks, economics, and commercial/legal arrangements. With petroleum industry projects representing amongst the largest industrial activities in the world, this book ties together concepts and tools through real examples and aims to ensure that project finance will continue to play a central role in bringing together investors and lenders to finance these ventures. - Combines the theory and practice of raising long-term funding for capital intensive projects with insights about the appeal of project finance to the international oil and gas industry - Includes case studies and examples covering projects in the Arctic, East Africa, Latin America, North America, and Australia - Emphasizes the full downstream value chain of the industry instead of limiting itself to upstream and pipeline project financing - Highlights petroleum industry players, risks, economics, and commercial and legal arrangements