Upscaling the impact of sustainability certification initiatives; Enabling conditions and policy recommendations for regional development

Sustainability certification is seen by many as an important means to make supply chains more sustainable. Even though there is some robust evidence on farm-level impacts of certification, and more studies are underway, very little information is available on regional level impacts of certification initiatives. In this study, we offer recommendations to governments, businesses, standard-setting bodies and civil society organisations to help contribute to improvements in impact. Three research questions have been addressed: 1. What impact of initiatives, positive and negative, on farm level but especially on regional level, has been documented on the environment, the society and the economy in production areas? 2. Which contextual factors and regional conditions are required or have proven instrumental for the scaling up of impact and catalysing regional impacts? 3. What can certification initiatives, governments, businesses, international organisations and NGOs do to ensure that the abovementioned conditions are created, supported and promoted? In this study, we refer to the impacts on the regional level as impacts which result from farm-level or local level impacts. To answer the above questions, we reviewed literature sources and conducted semi-structured interviews with stakeholders involved in coffee, cocoa, soy and palm oil supply chains

Wageningen UR in global agri-food chains : commitment to a better quality of life

In the brochure Global Agri Food Chains; Commitment to a better quality of life presents its capabilities, experiences and project examples in global agri-chains

Development impacts of value chain interventions: how to collect practical evidence and draw valid conclusions in impact evaluation

In development policy and practice, support to or interventions in value chains are considered to be instrumental for achieving outcomes such as poverty alleviation. This paper reviews methodological discussions on how to show the effects and workings of value chain support in a context of donors demanding rigorous impact evaluations. The paper starts with a discussion of evaluation methods strongly anchored in ex-post statistical analysis of effect measurements, and argues in favour of a theory-based evaluation protocol, equipped to handle threats to valid conclusions. Value chains are open, multi-layered systems and development outcomes are multi-dimensional and contingent on contextual particularities. Moreover, development interventions in value chains are often time, place and commodity specific and unlikely to be repeated in a similar way, which complicates generalisation and constrains evaluative conclusions. The example of a small-grant fund promoting collective marketing by smallholder organisations illustrates these methodology challenges and shows the value of using a mix of methods for addressing the problems of outcome measuring, impact attribution and generalisations from highly diverse context

Small-scale edible oil milling operations: Alternative business models for Ethiopia

The Ethiopian government is aiming to achieve self-sufficiency in edible oil by 2015. The aim of this research was to develop sustainable business models for millers, increase their competitiveness, and enhance food safety and security in Ethiopia within the changing policy context

Upscaling the impact of sustainability certification initiatives; Enabling conditions and policy recommendations for regional development

Sustainability certification is seen by many as an important means to make supply chains more sustainable. Even though there is some robust evidence on farm-level impacts of certification, and more studies are underway, very little information is available on regional level impacts of certification initiatives. In this study, we offer recommendations to governments, businesses, standard-setting bodies and civil society organisations to help contribute to improvements in impact. Three research questions have been addressed: 1. What impact of initiatives, positive and negative, on farm level but especially on regional level, has been documented on the environment, the society and the economy in production areas? 2. Which contextual factors and regional conditions are required or have proven instrumental for the scaling up of impact and catalysing regional impacts? 3. What can certification initiatives, governments, businesses, international organisations and NGOs do to ensure that the abovementioned conditions are created, supported and promoted? In this study, we refer to the impacts on the regional level as impacts which result from farm-level or local level impacts. To answer the above questions, we reviewed literature sources and conducted semi-structured interviews with stakeholders involved in coffee, cocoa, soy and palm oil supply chains

Impact Evaluation : Taking stock and looking ahead

This report summarises the presentations and discussions of the Conference ‘Impact evaluation. Taking stock and looking ahead’, which took place in Wageningen on March 25 and 26, 2013. The Conference was organised and funded by the Centre for Development Innovation Wageningen UR in collaboration with Learning by Design; the Agricultural Economics Institute, Wageningen UR; and with funding from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGIS) and Hivos. The report describes current issues around impact evaluation and focuses on the following question that was central during the conference: ‘What can be done in design and communication to enhance utilisation of IE findings?’ Report number CDI-13-015