Transformation of the Aquaculture Value Chain in Kenya

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The Kenyan aquaculture sector has undergone a profound structural transformation over the last decade, evolving from a subsistence-based activity into a sophisticated commercial ecosystem. This growth is most evident in the cage-based segment of Lake Victoria, which saw an explosive 1,300-fold increase in production volume between 2014 and 2024.

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High Value Crop Commercialization and Women’s Empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Panel Insights Reinforced by Double Machine Learning and Quasi-Experiments

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We examine how agricultural commercialization relates to women’s empowerment across Ethiopia, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Nigeria using LSMS-ISA household panels (2010–2020), a modified A-WEAI (5DE), two-way fixed effects, Double Machine Learning, and propensity-score matched difference-in-differences. Entry into markets (extensive margin) is consistently associated positively with empowerment where identification is strongest: PSM-DiD shows noticeable gains when households begin selling any crops—especially in Ethiopia, Malawi, Tanzania and Nigeria—and positive correlations when existing sellers add cash crops to sales in Malawi (Ethiopia marginal).

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Does Commercial Small-Scale Aquaculture Drive Inclusive Agricultural Transformation in Odisha?

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This report examines whether commercial small-scale aquaculture contributes to inclusive agricultural transformation in Odisha, India, using mixed methods evidence from market, farm, community, and geospatial surveys, and qualitative “rapid reconnaissance” interviews with 41 value chain actors.

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Social Learning and Peer Influence in Smallholder Commercialization

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This paper examines how peer behavior influences small-scale producers’ (SSPs) decisions to purchase inputs and sell outputs in six sub-Saharan African countries. Using comparable nationally representative panel data and a correlated random effects framework, we assess the extent and shape of social interactions driving input and output market participation.

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Welfare and Opportunities for Small-Scale Producers and MSMEs in Rural Africa: An Econometric Analysis

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This study examines how participation in commercial agriculture and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) is associated with inclusive development outcomes for small-scale producers (SSPs) across six African countries representing diverse income levels.

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The hidden middle of agrifood systems: a systematic review of leading authors and policy recommendations

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This report synthesizes the literature on the Hidden Middle of agrifood systems—the midstream segment that connects producers to markets through processing, logistics, and intermediation.

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Evidence Review: Investments and Policies in Agrifood Chain Linkages

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Agrifood systems are increasingly shaped by activities beyond the farm gate, yet the midstream and downstream segments—known as the hidden middle—remain severely under-researched. This paper presents a review of 276 impact evaluations and systematic reviews to assess what is currently known about effective policies and programs targeting the hidden middle in low- and middle-income countries. While 52% of the studies focus on smallholder-oriented interventions and 21% on public goods, only 27% address the hidden middle, and nearly half of these concern contract farming—a mechanism designed to bypass intermediaries rather than strengthen them. Most intervention categories in the midstream and downstream are supported by fewer than four rigorous studies. Moreover, services like storage, training, and market information are evaluated almost exclusively in the context of producers, ignoring the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that dominate the hidden middle. The paper concludes that addressing this evidence gap is essential to designing inclusive, resilient agrifood systems and calls for a shift in research and policy focus toward the actors and services that connect farms to markets and consumers.

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Fomentando la participación de familias y comunidades indígenas en transiciones agroecológicas: Experiencias de tres territorios en Bolivia, Guatemala y México 

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La agroecología se distingue de otros enfoques de agricultura sostenible al centrarse en el protagonismo de familias agricultoras y organizaciones de base campesina e indígena en los procesos de transformación de los sistemas alimentarios. Este estudio explora diversas estrategias para fomentar la participación de estas comunidades en transiciones agroecológicas en territorios indígenas de México, Guatemala y Bolivia.

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Sistemas agroalimentarios indígenas en transición: Experiencias de tres territorios en Bolivia, Guatemala y México

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Este estudio explora la dinámica de los sistemas agroalimentarios indígenas en transición en tres territorios latinoamericanos: Sierra Norte de Puebla (México), Alta Verapaz (Guatemala) y Torotoro (Bolivia). Mediante encuestas a 569 agricultores indígenas, se examina cómo responden las comunidades locales a las presiones del cambio climático, la vulnerabilidad socioeconómica y la integración en el mercado.

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The Four Indigenous Directions: Towards a Governance of Planet Earth in Balance

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This document is based on Ken Paul's presentation on sustainable governance of planet Earth and the oceans for the meeting “Transformation of food systems: perspectives of indigenous peoples and nations of the Americas” held in Yunguilla, Ecuador, with the participation of representatives of indigenous peoples and nations of the Americas.

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