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Building African Agribusiness through Trust and Accountability

Kristin Franklin (Bureau for Food Security, USAID, Washington, District of Columbia, USA)
James Oehmke (Bureau for Food Security, USAID, Washington, District of Columbia, USA)

Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies

ISSN: 2044-0839

Article publication date: 14 May 2019

439

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the social institutions of trust, accountability and corporate shared value in creating an enabling environment for private sector investment in African agricultural and food systems.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses mixed methods. A value chain framework models interactions among stakeholders in the agriculture, agribusiness and food sectors. The social institutions of accountability and trust are introduced into the model, followed by a Rwanda premium coffee value chain case study.

Findings

The conceptual and case study results show that best practices can increase smallholder farmer, agricultural service provider, financial intermediary, and food processor investments in and benefits from the agriculture sector.

Research limitations/implications

Further research is needed on the economic foundations of development cooperation based on trust, accountability and shared values, best practices and the link with desired societal outcomes, such as the sustainable development goals.

Social implications

Mutual accountability processes, as they are maturing in Africa, are at the cutting edge of creating processes where multiple stakeholders, including agribusiness, can come together to make joint commitments to a shared development agenda, and where stakeholders hold themselves and others accountable for meeting these commitments.

Originality/value

This is the first paper to bring together cutting-edge advances in corporate shared values, trust and accountability in the context of African agricultural and agribusiness development.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

All opinions are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of USAID. The authors thank David Hong of One Acre Fund, and Dan Clay and David Ortega of Michigan State University for useful discussions and sharing information.

Citation

Franklin, K. and Oehmke, J. (2019), "Building African Agribusiness through Trust and Accountability", Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies, Vol. 9 No. 1, pp. 22-43. https://doi.org/10.1108/JADEE-01-2018-0005

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited

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