Scaling up the development impact of agro-industry
published on 29 April 2019
Agriculture and agro-industry play a central role in the economies and societies of developing countries, particularly in Africa, where they account for nearly 16% of GDP and more than half of all jobs. Faced with the environmental, food security and access to employment challenges of a rapidly growing world population, the sector will see its role and responsibilities grow stronger over the coming decades. Under what conditions can agro-industry deploy its potential in the service of sustainable development?
To meet the challenges of the sector, significant investments are needed at all stages of the value chain. Small family farms, which account for 90% of all farms in the world, lack the financing to conduct their activities, increase their yields and secure their incomes. Agro-industry must also be supported to improve processing and storage activities, invest in infrastructure and provide more opportunities for farmers.
Supporting these sectors requires strict control of the environmental and social risks involved and the dissemination of best practices throughout the value chain. The sector's contribution to sustainable development depends on the ability of its stakeholders to provide decent working conditions, ensure equitable distribution of value, promote gender equality, respect the rights of communities, etc.
These topics are at the heart of the new issue of the review Private Sector & Development. In this issue, private actors, such as the Kenyan tea cooperative KTDA or the founder of Les Vergers du Mékong in Vietnam, share their field experience, researchers offer their analysis of the issues and consultants present best practices and discuss the conditions for their implementation.
