This project aimed to accelerate the adoption of Zero-Till seed drills (including the Happy Seeder) to reduce crop residue burning and boost sustainable food energy water security.

Stubble burning, combined with the traditional practice of tillage prior to crop establishment has a detrimental impact on soil health and quality. The development of Conservation Agriculture (CA) practices, characterised by the direct sowing of crop into standing (retained) stubble, is termed Zero-Till and provides a real alternative to traditional farming techniques. The Happy Seeder developed specifically for the intensive rice-wheat cropping system of the Indo-Gangetic Plains (with significant project investment by ACIAR) is presented as the single most viable option for direct sowing of wheat crops into standing rice stubble. As State Governments move towards enforcing a ban of the burning of stubble across India, it is likely that there will be an increased motivation by farmers to adopt the Happy Seeder. However, experience to date has indicated that Happy Seeder adoption has been less than optimal, there is a need to identify how farmer adoption can be accelerated.

Over the past decades, there has been an extensive transformation in global agri-food value chains, resulting in advances in efficiency, food quality, and food safety. Despite this transformation, many farmers and labourers active as primary producers in these chains have not experienced improvements in their living standards. Based on a study conducted in 2020 by KIT Royal Tropical Institute and Oxfam Novib, this paper explores value chain approaches that reduce social inequality and enable smallholder farmers and labourers to have decent livelihoods.

The agricultural supply chains (ASCs) are exposed to unprecedented risks following COVID-19. It is necessary to investigate the impact of risks and to create resilient ASC organisations. In this study, we have identified and assessed the ASC risks caused by disruptions. These threats were assessed using Fuzzy Linguistic Quantifier Order Weighted Aggregation (FLQ-OWA). The findings reveal that supply risks, demand risks, financial risks, logistics and infrastructure risks, management and operational, policy and regulation, and biological and environmental risks have a significant impact in ASC depending upon the organisations scope and scale. Various strategies such as adoption of industry 4.0 technologies, supply chain collaboration and shared responsibility is identified for sustainable future. Theoretical and managerial implications are provided based on the outcomes of the study.

This book looks to fill the gap in the discussions on value chains which have been ongoing for nearly two decades: the need to shed light on how value chain concepts and ideas are translated into development programming and interventions for achieving greater impact at scale. As CGIAR researchers, we felt a commitment for examining value chains from the perspectives of governments, donors, NGOs, and businesses interested in smallholder engagement in value chains.

Dietmar, Jon, and I have been engaged with Practical Action Publishing over the years and highly appreciate their dedication to better development practices, as well as the capacity to get development-oriented books into the hands of practitioners and researchers quickly. We hope that this book encourages reflection on current value chain development (VCD) approaches and on possible innovations in design, implementation, and assessment of VCD outcomes and impacts.

The evaluation found that project design has improved over time, reflecting a better understanding of the value chain concept. However, analytical gaps remain. Few designs have been supported by market intelligence to prioritize the choice of commodities and steps within the value chain in order to achieve pro-poor outcomes.

The evaluation suggests that it is possible to reach out to poor and very poor producers through value chain approaches, but this requires specific attention. The most convincing pro-poor outcomes occurred in projects where IFAD had experience and where multi-stakeholder platforms were created to enable dialogue between value chain actors.

The evaluation recommends that a corporate strategy be prepared for IFAD’s support to pro-poor value chain development that clarifies the objectives and principles of engagement as well as the resources required. It suggests a “programmatic” approach to value chain development, recognizing the need for long-term engagement. Finally, the evaluation emphasizes the importance of promoting an inclusive value chain governance and regulatory environment.