Analyzing Market-based Opportunities in the Mango Supply Chain of Davao City: A Rapid Market Assessment

Products and services become meaningful when available and positioned from the customer’s perspective. Exploring the supply chain of mango in Davao City, Southern Philippines, unveils different nodes having different characteristics and buying requirements. We analyzed market-based opportunities in the mango supply chain to inform mango producers which attractive markets they should prioritize as well as identified opportunities for improvement in production and marketing. We utilized a rapid market assessment (RMA) approach to identify the different market nodes and their characteristics. Snowball sampling was used to determine the respondents for this study. A total of 28 face-to-face interviews were done using a semi-structured questionnaire. From the producers’ point of view, we assess the relative attractiveness of the nodes by employing a simple scoring method on the data on volume of requirement, buying price (at the time of interview), support services provided to farmers, and stage of node life cycle. Results show that the exporters’ node has the highest attractiveness score followed by direct wholesalers, primary wholesalers, and processors. We recommend the following practical suggestions for producer groups to target these attractive markets: (1) improve overall quality of mangoes; (2) perform sorting and grading; (3) adopt cost-effective postharvest technology; and (4) develop cost-effective off-season production farming system

Market Orientation in Agricultural Value Chain Development Projects

The concept of market orientation has largely been overlooked in value chain guides, manuals and handbooks incorporated in agricultural research for development projects. This is somewhat surprising given proven positive relationships between market orientation and the performance of business organisations in both developed and developing countries. Whilst the term “market orientation” has a number of conceptualisations, all include intelligence gathering as being fundamental to successful outcomes. Seventeen guides recommending value chain approaches in agriculture published over the period 2006–2019 were reviewed for the inclusion of market orientation principles to identify the approach recommended for intelligence gathering. Few mentioned the term “market orientation” or recommended intelligence-gathering activities consistent with the concept of market orientation. We argue that the inclusion of market orientation in value chain projects in developing countries may enhance outcomes for smallholders by creating a culture of market orientation in community organisations, which can drive an inquisitive learning culture, community information collection, decision making and experimentation. Research to identify the challenges and benefits of incorporating a more complete inclusion of market orientation principles into value chain projects in developing countries is recommended

From knowing it all to learning to engage – Experiences from Australian interventions in agricultural research and development in Vietnam

The Australian Assistance in Development organisation (AusAID) funded three projects over the last ten years as part of the Collaboration for Agriculture and Rural Development Program (CARD) with the initial objective to introduce Integrated Pest Management (IPM) based on mineral spray oil into citrus production in Vietnam. This objective later evolved from IPM to a broader Integrated Crop Management (ICM) approach and eventually to the introduction of procedures for Good Agricultural Practice (GAP). In this paper we discuss the evolution of the collaborative approaches in the consecutive projects, departing from making Vietnamese researchers introduce a preconceived, externally developed concept in their local socio‐economic and natural environments, to gradually facilitating the local partners to review potential innovations, test and adapt them, and develop management systems that suit the local conditions. This process resulted in linkages and interactions amongst local and international experts across disciplinary boundaries and between local stakeholders themselves. The final outcome of 15 years of collaborative work extended far beyond IPM, ICM and GAP resulting in the improved capacity of all stakeholders including farmers, extension and technical personnel from government organisations, non‐government organisations and private industry, scientists from research institutes and universities and representatives of local governments to respond to the local specific needs of farmers and the policy requirements of agricultural and rural development in Vietnam. The major outcome for Australian researchers was the realisation that humans (farmers) with their culture, habits and behaviours are a crucial part of the system in which our knowledge and technologies are to be utilised

Impact of nC24 horticultural mineral oil deposits on oviposition by greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

The impact of nC24 horticultural mineral oil deposits on oviposition by greenhouse whitefly on tomato leaves was determined in laboratory choice and no-choice tests. The deposits significantly suppressed oviposition. No eggs were laid on leaves treated with aqueous emulsions of 20 mL of oil/L of water in the choice test and on the leaves treated with 10 and 20 mL of oil/L in tbe no-choice test. The relationships between oviposition and oil concentration (0, 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 mL of oiI/L) in sprays in the choice test suggested that deposits of sprays containing > I0 mL of oil/100 L of water would completely suppress oviposition for 2 d after the application of spray. In the no-choice test, deposits of sprays containing 5 mL of oil/L reduced oviposition by 97% over 2 d

Towards a holistic framework for impact assessment of agricultural research for development – understanding complexity in remote, culturally diverse regions of Vietnam

Since the late 1990s, there has been a great deal of investment by both the Vietnamese government and international development agencies in the economic development of the Northwest Highlands of Vietnam. A shift towards a research for development approach, targeting the immediate use of research outputs for development purposes, became more visible especially since the late 2000s. This paper describes the results of a study that aimed to review and analyse the theories and practice of AR4D impact assessment approaches and the merits and limitations of such approaches to AR4D in the Northwest Highlands of Vietnam. The study employed documentary research, focus group discussions with farmers and in-depth interviews with key informants, while thematic analysis was used for data analysis. The study concludes that a holistic approach towards impact assessment is best suited to an economically and culturally diverse region such as the Northwest Highlands of Vietnam, and suggests a framework for impact assessment that is based on a comprehensive livelihoods perspective

Towards a holistic framework for impact assessment of agricultural research for development – understanding complexity in remote, culturally diverse regions of Vietnam

Since the late 1990s, there has been a great deal of investment by both the Vietnamese government and international development agencies in the economic development of the Northwest Highlands of Vietnam, a highly diverse region experiencing variable stages of transition towards more market-oriented development and social change. A shift towards a research for development approach, targeting the immediate use of research outputs for development purposes, became more visible especially since the late 2000s. It is important to understand the contribution of agricultural research toward rural development, not only in terms of knowing the extent and sustainability of the impacts achieved but also for informing appropriate agricultural policies and research for development strategies in the future. However, the impact assessment of existing agricultural research for development (AR4D) initiatives in the highlands of Vietnam remains problematic considering both the formulation of suitable objectives and the selection of appropriate methods that match those objectives. This paper describes the results of a study that aimed to review and analyse the theories and practice of AR4D impact assessment approaches and the merits and limitations of such approaches to AR4D in the Northwest Highlands of Vietnam. The study employed documentary research, focus group discussions with farmers and in-depth interviews with key informants, while thematic analysis was used for data analysis. The study concludes that a holistic approach towards impact assessment is best suited to an economically and culturally diverse region such as the Northwest Highlands of Vietnam, and suggests a framework for impact assessment that is based on a comprehensive livelihoods perspective