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Power Relations and Upgrading in the Cashew Value Chain of Côte d'Ivoire
Author(s) -
Bassett Thomas J.,
Koné Moussa,
Pavlovic Nathan R.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
development and change
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1467-7660
pISSN - 0012-155X
DOI - 10.1111/dech.12400
Subject(s) - cashew nut , production (economics) , cote d ivoire , quality (philosophy) , product (mathematics) , poverty , yield (engineering) , value (mathematics) , agriculture , economics , agricultural economics , value chain , business , economic growth , agricultural science , supply chain , microeconomics , marketing , geography , philosophy , materials science , mathematics , environmental science , archaeology , computer science , geometry , epistemology , machine learning , humanities , metallurgy
Development organizations are increasingly adopting market‐based approaches to reducing rural poverty and food insecurity in the global South. The value chain approach is particularly popular. Aid donors, governments and non‐governmental organizations are applying value chain concepts originally designed for promoting industrial production to smallholder agricultural production. Cashew development in Côte d'Ivoire illustrates this new approach to rural development in which ‘upgrading’ the production and processing links are top priorities. A core assumption informing this approach is that improvements in product quality at the producer level will yield higher producer prices and incomes. This article examines this assumed quality–price relationship through a comparative analysis of cashew quality and prices in Côte d'Ivoire. The research reveals a disconnect between nut quality and producer prices. The case study demonstrates that power relations are more important than quality in setting producer prices for raw cashew nuts.