This document discusses engaging farming communities in markets through experiences from the TFTGR project. It outlines how markets and diversity have changed over time from local diverse systems to global commodity markets. It describes the problem setting of the TFTGR project and key aspects of a market approach for native fruits. It provides 12 steps to guide interventions, including participatory identification of crop attributes, value chain mapping, and rapid market appraisals. Preliminary results from projects in Sarawak and Sirsi are presented, showing improved understanding of packaging, labeling, and buyers. Lessons learned emphasize a participatory approach, trust-building, and understanding consumer wants.

1. Markets for Native Fruit
Diversity
How to engage farming communities in markets?
- experiences from the TFTGR project 23 Nov 2013
B4FN, Rome, Italy
Hugo Lamers

2. Outline
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Markets and diversity over time
Problem setting – TFTGR project
Key aspects of a NUS-based market approach
4 focus areas
Major problems to tackle
12 key elements or steps to guide activities
7 guidelines
Cycle of interventions
Preliminary results from the field
Some conclusions and lessons learned

3. Markets and diversity over time
Grain market Teheran, Iran 1893
1.
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Green revolution, 1950ies
New interest in diversity, 1990ties
Emergence of global commodity or bulk markets (~1820 onwards):
Lower transportation costs, improved farming techniques, new fertile lands
Shift from home use towards producing for markets (quantity + distance)
Shift from diverse agro-systems to mono-cropping systems
2. Emergence of formal & commercial seed sector (the green revolution)
 Yield orientation, economies of scale, specialization, high external input use
 Focus on few crops & varieties with low intra variability
 Farmers abandon landraces and minor crops

4. Markets and diversity over time
3. Monopolization in conventional food/bulk markets (since 70ties)
 Emergence of integrated and shorter food chains with dominant players
 High impact risks in bulk markets (harvest failure, product failure)
 Market power shift towards supermarket chains & international processors
 Standardization of products – focus on quantity, low costs, requirements
 New contract formats: contract farming; out-growers; cooperatives
4. Emergence of new or differentiated consumer demands (since 90ties)
 Income of households and education level increased worldwide
 Dislike of monopolization and standardization in conventional food markets
 Raising interest in quality & exclusivity
 Raising interest in natural & original products (origin areas)
 Nutrition & health
 Transparency and traceability (know the farmer)
 Localized & cultural based preferences
 Long-term sustainability (PPP, social, water use, carbon footprint)

5. Problem setting - TFTGR project
 Territorial approach – selected 36 villages in fruit tree diversity
hotspots ‘those farming communities that still have a wide range of
fruit species and varieties that others already lost’
 Community-based Biodiversity Management (CBM) – multitude
of activities and interventions that combined help farming
communities to make self-directed decisions in the management
and use of their local diversity in a sustainable manner
 Focus on participatory methods – how to facilitate and engage
such communities in markets in an effective manner?
Higher level of complexity:
1. Which crop?
2 How to engage?
3.Which market?

6. Key aspects of marketing
to explain to farming communities and women groups
 A bulk production market has often low value, high competition, overproduction and volatile prices which you cannot influence resulting in
insecure income for farmers.
Advantage is that it requires little investment or effort.
 We focus on innovative niche markets and use local fruit diversity or
unique species or varieties to develop novel products and innovative
market concepts by:
A. Product differentiation; i.e. how to make my product different and more
attractive then competitors by product design and quality, package, price,
promotion
B. Consumer segmentation; i.e. how to create strong customer
relationships and target a specific consumer group that is most interested to
buy my product
Disadvantage is it requires substantial investment and effort.

7. Agro-biodiversity and markets
Export
A
Sold in wholesale markets in major
cities (inter state/province)
B
Sold in local village
markets
Home
consumption
5-8
High distant
market value
20-30
C
200-800
High local market value
D
> 1.000
Limited market value ~ high use or agronomic value
E
Limited use value ~ high optional or future value

8. Agricultural biodiversity and markets
Export
A
Sold in wholesale markets in major
cities (inter state/province)
B
Sold in local village
markets
Home
consumption
5-8
20-30
C
High distant
market value
200-800
High local market value
D
> 1.000
Limited market value ~ high use or agronomic value
E
Limited use value ~ high optional or future value

9. Major problems encountered when
marketing ABD:
• How to identify which species, variety or product has market
potential for local or distant markets?
• How to identify promising crop attributes?
• How to identify market trends or know what traders or
consumers want/prefer?
• How to identify constraints & problems in the value chain?
• How to overcome unstable & low quality of produce?
• How to achieve aggregation & constant supply demanded
by traders?
• How to find trustworthy and long-term buyers and traders?

10. PMCA – Concepts & approach

11. 12 steps to guide interventions:
1. Sketch or theatre play ‘the blue square mango’ or ‘the spike-less durian’ to explain
the concept of a value chain, to jointly discuss problems & bottlenecks and to built
trust & collaborations among stakeholders
2. Participatory identification of promising crop attributes and products by evaluating
traditional uses, recipes and related traits & characteristics
3. Joint assessment of potential products and markets by Impact Filter
4. Participatory Value Chain Mapping to provide insight into the value chain
5. Rapid Market Appraisal to identify market trends, niche markets, consumer
preferences and market potential for local and distant markets
6. Identify and link farmer and women groups to entrepreneurs or potential buyers that
are interested to develop and test new products and innovative market concepts as
advisors and collaborators

12. 12 steps to guide interventions:
7. Identify the market potential of products by defining potential buyers, end-consumers
and market trends or consumer preferences which you can embrace or incorporate
into the product.
8. Creating regular value chain stakeholder workshops & meetings to develop sample
product, design brand and labels, develop packaging, test processing equipment,
facilitate registration (product, organic, GI), design post-harvest quality insurance
(HACCP) and improve collective action together with entrepreneur or potential buyer
9. Conduct product evaluations by tasting events during fairs, workshops or events:
10. Detailed product evaluation by lab analysis of biochemical components; nutrients,
micro-nutrients, vitamins, anti-oxidants, essential oils, medicinal properties etc.
11. Develop action plans or a simple business plan to evaluate economic viability of the
business start-up with farmer or women groups.
12. Develop simple and effective community-based conservation strategies by
designing or appointing diversity blocks (in field of custodian farmers, the school
garden or community forest) or the marking of source trees for all local available fruit
species and varieties to ensure accessibility for all farmer households.

13. 7 guidelines developed
1. Identification of crop attributes
2. Impact filter to select most promising products
3. Identifying private sector partners
4. Sketch or theatre play to explain concepts and foster collaborations
5. Value Chain Map to understand the market
6. Rapid Market Appraisal to learn about what customers want
7. Assess market potential by identifying end-consumers, buyers, trends &
preferences
8. Conduct taste panels for product evaluation
9. Organizing stakeholder meetings

14. Cycle of interventions on
community level
1. To explain concepts and foster
collaborations between stakeholders
2. To understand level of market
knowledge within community and to
identify gabs and constraints
3. To learn about what customers want
and collect relevant market
information
4. To improve products

15. Theatre play – ‘square mango’
1. Value chain has many functions & actors
2. Listen to customers demands
3. Improvement achieved through collaboration

16. Value Chain Map
1. Provides overview/insights of market knowledge
2. Identify knowledge gabs
3. Identify constraints or potential market channels

17. Rapid Market Appraisal
1. Insights of available competitive products
2. Consumer preferences (product, label, packaging)
3. Volumes and market channels
4. Potential buyers’ requirements

18. Preliminary outputs - Sarawak
Before
After
?

19. Preliminary outputs - Sirsi
“Before the value chain analysis and rapid market appraisal we were not aware
about the different aspects of packaging, labeling and marketing. We were
supplying it to College of Forestry, Sirsi, our neighboring villagers and relatives.
We were under the impression that our product (mango pickle) is really costlier
compared to other producers. However, now we know that there is quite a huge
demand to our pickle and several other potential buyers. Quality of the product
also appreciated by the super market manager and cooperative society
administrators. This brought us more confidence we would certainly continue
with producing the pickle in larger scale”
Mrs. Nagaveni and Mrs Parvati Siddi from Kalgadde – Kanchigadde village said
the following, “the theatre play clearly demonstrated the actual market
situations of the village as of today. We, the farmers always suffer from the
existing situation. Normally we get very less price by these middle men and
traders as it is righty explained in the street play. To overcome such problem
we need to work together with as many stakeholders”.

20. Case study – pork curry
(moo chamuang)

21. Case study - mango diversity box

22. Conservation & trade

24. Case study - mango diversity box
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Eosta and mangobagh still interested
Key markets are Germany, UK and India
Bottle-neck is ripening process of varieties
Stakeholder meeting planned in Jan 2014

25. Lessons learned
TRUST
0. Short introduction to markets and diversity
the Market Approach to Conserve Agricultural Biodiversity
1. Identification of crop attributes
2. Impact filter to select most promising products
3. Identifying private sector partners
4. Fostering collaborations between traders and farmers
5. Value Chain Map to understand the market
6. Rapid Market Appraisal to learn about what customers want
Source: Bernet et al 2003 Marketing Approach to Conserve Agricultural Biodiversity

26. Lessons learned
Participatory market approach as part of CBM
Advantages
Disadvantages
Direct positive impact on the Localized impact
ground
Little budget
Substantial time
Sustainability through
empowerment & selfdirection
Self-imposed limitation in
finding value chain solutions
due strict geographical
approach
Directly embedded in a
conservation model to
mitigate negative effects

27. Thank you!

28. What is already done by others?
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CIP/CIAT: Participatory Market Chain Approach http://cipotato.org/publications/pdf/003296.pdf
GIZ: Value links - http://www.valuelinks.org/
DFID: Value chains for the poor http://www.valuechains4poor.org/
FAO: Contract farming http://www.fao.org/ag/ags/contract-farming/library/en/
SNV/Agriprofocus: Gender in value chains http://genderinvaluechains.ning.com/
UKAID/SDC/SIDA: Markets for the Poor Hub- http://www.m4phub.org/
SDC: Market approaches to development - http://poverty.ch/
ILO: Value chain development http://www.ilo.org/empent/areas/valuechain-development-vcd/lang--en/index.htm
USAID: http://microlinks.kdid.org/good-practice-center/value-chainwiki/costaleo-value-chain-analysis-example

29. Case study – white kokum jam
Garcinia indica