Fruit and vegetable value chains in Africa

Nora Aboushady, Lukas Kornher and Chahir Zaki

Chapter 4 in Africa Agriculture Trade Monitor 2024, 2024-08-29, pp 58 p. from International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Abstract: The patterns of Africa’s participation in fruit and vegetable value chains (FVVCs) clearly reflect the continent’s colonial past. The restructuring of African exports around a few commodities to serve European markets during the colonial period largely undermined the farming of local food crops, including indigenous fruits and vegetables. Postcolonial governments focused on cash crops as the main source of foreign exchange earnings, reinforcing the status quo. However, the mid-1980s witnessed a major shift in global demand away from traditional cash crops and toward high-value products, including fruits and vegetables. This shift was an opportunity for developing countries, including those in Africa, to diversify their exports and reduce their vulnerability to global commodity price fluctuations. Participation in FVVCs can also have positive impacts on employment creation, income mobility, and poverty reduction. Yet, Africa’s participation in FVVCs is undermined by a number of structural challenges, some of which are typical of FVVCs, and some related to long-standing issues facing African economies in general, and the agriculture sector in particular.

Keywords: fruits; vegetables; value chains; exports; employment; poverty; agricultural production; Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024-08-29
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:fpr:ifpric:151913

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