Triggers of innovativeness in publicly and privately driven agricultural value chains: Case study of cocoa and pineapple in Ghana

This paper uses the multiple case study design approach to assess situations under which actors in the cocoa and pineapple value chains show evidence of innovativeness. Open-ended interviews were conducted with a range of actors in the two case studies. A survey of small-scale pineapple and cocoa farmers was also conducted in the two respective study areas, Akuapem South District and the Tafo Cocoa District, to triangulate findings from the qualitative data.

Manteaw, S. A.; Sakyi-Dawson, O.; Atengdem, P. B.; Sarpong, D. B.; Aligebam, B. B.

2014

English

This paper uses the multiple case study design approach to assess situations under which actors in the cocoa and pineapple value chains show evidence of innovativeness. Open-ended interviews were conducted with a range of actors in the two case studies. A survey of small-scale pineapple and cocoa farmers was also conducted in the two respective study areas, Akuapem South District and the Tafo Cocoa District, to triangulate findings from the qualitative data. The results showed how private sector leadership in value chain functions and service provision had promoted choices and created more space for complex systems of interactions and learning behaviours for actors to translate their challenges into innovative activities. The paper concludes that the capacity of actors in the value chains to exhibit innovativeness is a function of their resourcefulness and the quality of value chain linkages. The implications for policy are that a gradual reduction in public sector participation in value chain functions and support services and a steady expansion of the space for the participation of private sector actors such as processors, and input suppliers, may hold the key to building the capacity of actors to show more evidence of innovativeness to become more competitive.

Triggers of innovativeness in publicly and privately driven agricultural value chains: Case study of cocoa and pineapple in Ghana