Smallholder Challenges of Social and Economic Upgrading in Agricultural Value Chains: A Cross-country, Cross-crop Comparison

This study is based on field research conducted by an international team of researchers investigating the opportunities for social upgrading of smallholder farm owners and tenants and their workers in the Global South. The main objective has been to assess the influence of crop characteristics, end markets, and value chain governance (including product and process standards), as well as national political, economic, and cultural contexts, on the conditions of farmers and farmworkers. Accordingly, the selected crops differ along the axes of domestic versus international end markets and short versus long shelf-life: coffee (cash crop), rice (staple crop), and mangoes (perishable crop). The selected countries are Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Ghana, India, Pakistan, and Vietnam. Our main findings relate to the importance of collective action by key stakeholders, including smallholders and a supportive state, for economic and social upgrading.