Presentation by John Agandin, IFPRI, Research Officer at 2017 GSSP Policy Dialogue, Accra, Ghana.

1. Are Value Chain Committees
Effective?
John Agandin
Research Officer, IFPRI-GSSP
September 26, 2017
LABADI BEACH HOTEL, ACCRA, GHANA

2. Essence of Value Chain Committees
• Facilitate interaction among agricultural value chain actors
• Avenues for information exchange and mutual assurances to minimize
the risks in various transactions – lender-producer, trader-producer,
producer-input dealer etc.
• Activities: Crop budgets/credit, service/inputs contract, market etc.
• Ultimate aim is to increase smallholder productivity and income
(credit/yields/quality)
• This is based on information from interactions with members of 3 crop-based VCCs and 15
DVCCs in 6 regions and over 600 farmers

3. Key findings
The interactions of value chain committees have not changed relations
between/among actors.
• Traders in the committees are not buying more/on better terms than they
previously did
• Adoption of technologies and productivity growth have not changed (2 + 1
fertilizer regime, use of own seeds and yields of 8 – 12 bags per acre).
• Banks are not lending more than they previously did (Few groups/limited
numbers accessing limited amounts at a time).
• Contracts with processors/exporters have not increased
• Committees are not doing anything beyond the projects (without
transportation and other allowances, no meetings)

4. The Fundamental Issues
• Given the low yields/margins in maize production, there is little
incentive for actors in the value chain to hold regular interactions on
their own.
• Increasing interaction and communication between actors may not be
enough to solve the fundamental issue of low yields/productivity.
Conclusion
• “Seek ye first the kingdom” of productivity (technology improvement
and varieties).