Introduction to special issue: smallholder value chains as complex adaptive systems
Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies
ISSN: 2044-0839
Article publication date: 12 March 2018
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new conceptual framework for smallholder value chains based on complex adaptive systems.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors review the application of the framework to three case studies and explore their implications. The authors reflect on the value of a framework based on complex adaptive systems compared to alternative frameworks.
Findings
The authors argue that the dynamics of smallholder value chains have received insufficient attention.
Research limitations/implications
By focusing on these dynamics and on the capacity for adaptation among value chain actors the framework provides a new perspective on smallholder value chains.
Originality/value
Complex adaptive systems provide a useful framework for analyzing value chain dynamics.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This paper forms part of a special section “Smallholder Value Chains as Complex Adaptive Systems.”
Citation
Orr, A. and Donovan, J. (2018), "Introduction to special issue: smallholder value chains as complex adaptive systems", Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies, Vol. 8 No. 1, pp. 2-13. https://doi.org/10.1108/JADEE-11-2017-0123
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited