PARAGUAYAN SUPERMARKET DEVELOPMENT AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PRODUCE INDUSTRY

In the 1990s, the supermarket sector grew outpacing several times the economy's growth. Even when the sector was dominated by domestic firms and per capita income fell considerable, supermarkets increased their share on national Fresh Fruit and Vegetable (FFV) consumption from 10% in 1992 to 30% in 2001. The article analyses the rise of supermarkets and the impact of its procurement system on the produce industry using a value chain approach. It shows that as supermarket supply chains are buying less from domestic traditional wholesale markets and shifting toward importing, that means steadily falling demand for local suppliers. Also the implementation of international procurement systems put the growers in direct competition with the export markets but in their domestic markets.Marketing,

Supermarkets, New-Generation Wholesalers, Tomato Farmers, and NGOs in Nicaragua

Based on a survey of 145 tomato farmers and interviews with supermarket chains, NGOs, wholesalers, and farmer organizations in 2004, this paper examines the determinants and effects of farmers' participation in supermarket channels, with and without assistance from NGOs in "business linkage" programs. It finds that absent that assistance, the farmers that work with supermarket chains tend to be the "upper tier" of small farmers, better capitalized with various assets. The smaller and less-capitalized farmers that work with supermarkets tend to do so in association with NGO assistance. Despite higher input expenditures and entry requirements, farmers in the supermarket chain earn more. The paper discusses the issue of whether this development program approach is sustainable and can be upscaled, and wrestles with the tradeoff of helping poor farmers gain access to dynamic markets, of making it affordable at a larger scale by national governments with tight budgets, and at the same time field programs that are market-sustainable and market-responsive.Marketing,

Supermarkets and Rural Livelihoods: A Research Method

This document presents a research method to analyze the access of small and medium farmers to the supermarket market, and the effect of such access on the producers' decisions and net incomes. The method was developed for and used in a study carried out in 2004 in three Central American countries.Labor and Human Capital, Marketing,

PARAGUAYAN SUPERMARKET DEVELOPMENT AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PRODUCE INDUSTRY

In the 1990s, the supermarket sector grew outpacing several times the economy's growth. Even when the sector was dominated by domestic firms and per capita income fell considerable, supermarkets increased their share on national Fresh Fruit and Vegetable (FFV) consumption from 10% in 1992 to 30% in 2001. The article analyses the rise of supermarkets and the impact of its procurement system on the produce industry using a value chain approach. It shows that as supermarket supply chains are buying less from domestic traditional wholesale markets and shifting toward importing, that means steadily falling demand for local suppliers. Also the implementation of international procurement systems put the growers in direct competition with the export markets but in their domestic markets

Cattle Producer' Participation in Market Channels in Central America: Supermarkets, Processors, and Auctions

This paper focuses on the determinants and effects of the participation of cattle producers in the supermarket channel, export processor channel, and traditional auction channel. It begins with the analysis of the market channels using qualitative data from 50 interviews of retailers, processors, auction market managers, and other key informants in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, two widely differing cases. It then analyzes patterns and supplies of producers by channel using farm level data (from the authors' survey of farmers in 2004) from 300 farms in the two countries

Cattle Producer' Participation in Market Channels in Central America: Supermarkets, Processors, and Auctions

This paper focuses on the determinants and effects of the participation of cattle producers in the supermarket channel, export processor channel, and traditional auction channel. It begins with the analysis of the market channels using qualitative data from 50 interviews of retailers, processors, auction market managers, and other key informants in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, two widely differing cases. It then analyzes patterns and supplies of producers by channel using farm level data (from the authors' survey of farmers in 2004) from 300 farms in the two countries.Industrial Organization, Livestock Production/Industries,

Supermarkets, New-Generation Wholesalers, Tomato Farmers, and NGOs in Nicaragua

Based on a survey of 145 tomato farmers and interviews with supermarket chains, NGOs, wholesalers, and farmer organizations in 2004, this paper examines the determinants and effects of farmers' participation in supermarket channels, with and without assistance from NGOs in "business linkage" programs. It finds that absent that assistance, the farmers that work with supermarket chains tend to be the "upper tier" of small farmers, better capitalized with various assets. The smaller and less-capitalized farmers that work with supermarkets tend to do so in association with NGO assistance. Despite higher input expenditures and entry requirements, farmers in the supermarket chain earn more. The paper discusses the issue of whether this development program approach is sustainable and can be upscaled, and wrestles with the tradeoff of helping poor farmers gain access to dynamic markets, of making it affordable at a larger scale by national governments with tight budgets, and at the same time field programs that are market-sustainable and market-responsive

Supermarkets and Michoacan Guava Farmers in Mexico

This paper analyzes the participation of small farmers in the fresh fruit and vegetable supply systems of supermarkets in Mexico, using the case of small-scale guava farmers in the state of Michoacán. Three findings emerge. (1) The most important determinant of access of these farmers to more modern markets is their territorial (spatial) context and the way in which those territories interact with different markets, followed by fixed capital assets. Farm size, education and participation in organizations are not significant determinants. (2) Farmers working in the more modern markets compared to those in the traditional markets, are labor-constrained and overuse chemical inputs to a lesser extent. (3) Farmers that have accessed the more modern market channels, have substantially higher net income per hectare. Policies and projects aimed at promoting the inclusion in more modern markets of small-scale farmers such as those producing guava in Michoacán, must act on the territorial dimension of the problem of inclusion/exclusion, and not restrict themselves to actions aimed at improving the supply chains or the capacities of the households or their farms and organizations