Effets des chaînes d'approvisionnement aval sur la gestion des exploitations agricoles. CHAINES D'APPROVISIONNEMENT ET EXPLOITATION AGRICOLE

International audienceThe environment of the farms is changing in recent decades, notably due to a stronger position of actors in the field of processing and distribution. This situation potentially leads to a reduction of leeway for producers to manage their farm and to a growing need for coordination between producers and downstream actors. This development leads to revisit the framework for analyzing the farm and the methods to support farmers. The aim of this paper is to show (i) how the decisions and behaviours of downstream actors influence the management of farms? (Ii) what is the leeway of producers emerging from these interactions? and (iii) how it renews the analytical approaches of farms and methodological support for farms? The article is based on an analysis of the leafy vegetable production in Madagascar, the sugar cane in South Africa, and pineapples in Costa Rica. The authors analyze how interactions between producers and downstream actors affect producers' decisions regarding the choice of crops, timing of crop cycles, crop management, and management of cash-income couples. They show that the leeway of producers may be severely reduced and that many decisions regarding the farm management are shared between these two categories of actors. They analyze the tools used by actors to facilitate coordination of activities and manage the physical, monetary, and information flows. These tools are of various types: specifications, rights to deliver, fee schedule, information system. The article illustrates the need to define for each situation the actors involved in the decision process at farm level and on which components. The implications for future research are finally presented