Browsing by Author "Bjorn Van, Campenhout"

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    ICTs to address information inefficiencies in food supply chains
    (John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 2022-05-17) Bjorn Van, Campenhout
    Abstract In developing countries, incomplete and/or asymmetric information contributes to inefficiencies in food supply chains. Various products and services have emerged that rely on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to facilitate information flows between agro-input providers, farmers, traders, and consumers. However, not all initiatives are equally effective and many struggle to reach scale. In this article, I review some of the earlier services that generally targeted farmers with price information to reduce search costs and increase their bargaining power vis-a-vis traders. I reflect on the reasons why these initiatives often led to disappointing results and provide examples of (complementary) interventions that look more promising. Furthermore, I highlight some of the dangers of relying too much on ICT-mediated information, such as exclusionary networks, bias in crowdsourced data, and “fake news.” Finally, I explore why ICT applications that address information inefficiencies seem to be less successful than innovations that address other barriers to efficient and inclusive food supply chain development, such as risk or credit constraints.
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    Leading the way – foreign direct investment and dairy value chain upgrading in Uganda
    (John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 2021-01-26) Bjorn Van, Campenhout; Bart, Minten; Johan, F. M. Swinnen
    Driven by increased demand from both local and export markets and facilitated by far-reaching liberalization and privatization policies, the dairy sub-sector in Uganda has undergone significant changes in the last decade. With a comparative advantage in milk production, the southwest of Uganda has started to attract considerable Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in processing capacity, mainly targeting the export market. As a result, processing capacity increased five-fold and dairy became Uganda's third most important export product, coming from negligible amounts a decade earlier. In this study, we use data collected at different nodes within the value chain to identify some of the key innovations in these value chains. This is done by comparing the area that received the bulk of FDI to a similar area that did not. Furthermore, we also provide an econometric analysis that focuses on the integration of value chain actors into modern value chains more broadly defined. We find that dairy value chains are transforming rapidly, but innovations are more pronounced in areas that received the bulk of FDI. Our analysis further underscores the importance of milk collection centers, which often take the form of farmer cooperatives, in providing many of the support services that enable other actors in the value chain to produce sufficient milk, and maintain milk sanitation levels necessary for a modern export sector to emerge.