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On Farm and Packhouse: Employment at the Bottom of a Global Value Chain *
Author(s) -
Dolan Catherine S.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
rural sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.083
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1549-0831
pISSN - 0036-0112
DOI - 10.1526/003601104322919928
Subject(s) - commodity chain , kenya , supply chain , production (economics) , business , commodity , value chain , flexibility (engineering) , upstream (networking) , value (mathematics) , chain (unit) , downstream (manufacturing) , labour economics , economics , industrial organization , market economy , marketing , microeconomics , engineering , management , telecommunications , physics , astronomy , machine learning , political science , computer science , law
Abstract The fresh vegetables commodity chain linking Kenyan producers with United Kingdom (UK) consumers employs significant numbers of workers in production and processing. This chain is dominated by UK retailers that determine the production imperatives of Kenyan firms upstream in the chain and, indirectly the employment strategies they adopt. This paper explores how competitive pressures are transmitted through the supply chain, and how exporters absorb these risks by placing greater emphasis on organizational flexibility and the elasticity of labor in horticultural production. The paper argues that while the industry provides substantial employment opportunities in Kenya, the commodity chain is dependent upon the “gendered” and insecure forms of employment it creates.