Global Value Chains and Agrifoods Standards: Challenges and Possibilities for Smallholders in Developing Countries

July 31, 2012

Joonkoo Lee | Gary Gereffi | Janet Beauvais

The rise of private food standards has brought forth an ongoing debate about whether they work as a barrier for smallholders and hinder poverty reduction in developing countries. This paper uses a global value chain approach to explain the relationship between value chain structure and agri-food safety and quality standards and to discuss the challenges and possibilities this entails for the upgrading of smallholders. Part of the Special Feature on “Agriculture Development and Nutrition Security.”