Issue 31: March-April 2010 - Value chains

In this issue
IFAD has invested US$ 3.7 billion of its resources in agricultural development in the Asia and the Pacific region. These investments have enabled poor rural people, most of them smallholder farmers, to improve their income, food security and livelihoods. In today's rapid commercialization, industrialization and globalization of agricultural systems we recognize the importance of agriculture, irrespective of the size of the farm, as a business that can provide a way out of poverty for many farmers. But for the agricultural sector to develop, long-term investment is required
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Sharing and documenting good practices in value chain development
In November 2009, IFAD's Asia and the Pacific Division held a 'writeshop' on value chains. The objective was to share experiences in projects dealing with value chain development, define good practices and write case descriptions for further dissemination.
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Shantirhat collection point: one-stop marketplace for fingerling sellers and buyers in Bangladesh
In some parts of Bangladesh, rural communities are creating collection centres where farmers gather their produce and sell to buyers who come from different places
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Supporting processors to export in Fiji
The operations of Nature's Way cooperative have continued despite many challengers and adversities. The cooperative assists producers, including small-scale farmers, and others involved in the commodities pathway, and its activities have generated much foreign exchange for the government and people of Fiji.
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From cultivating to marketing turmeric in Meghalaya, India
The Jaintia Hills District of Meghalaya produces some of the finest turmeric in the world with its "Lakadong" (curcuma longa) variety. Most of the turmeric is cultivated by small and marginal farmers for household consumption and for sale as a cash crop.
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Developing value chains in food-insecure conditions in Laos
The IFAD-supported Rural Livelihood Improvement Programme in the Attapeu Province (2006-2014) is seeking to reach 6,200 poor rural households in Phouvong, Saysettha and Xansai districts.
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Transforming road corridors into growth corridors: creating and supporting marketing cooperatives in Nepal
Nepal has a diverse ecology, from the flat plains of Terai in the south to the snowy mountain peaks in the north. A number of roads have opened up isolated farming communities situated near north-south road corridors, such as the Chhinchu-Jajarkot and Surkhet-Jumla.
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Read also

Linking farmers to buyers in Sri Lanka
A comprehensive approach to develop the coconut value chain in Ben Tre province of Viet Nam
Call to participate in a marketplace of the Investment Forum for Food Security in Asia and the Pacific, 7-9 July 2010
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