The MAA is the next step in the PFID Model and is designed to link farmers to markets where higher value opportunities can be seized.
The MAA is typically completed after the value chain is assessed and recommendations for the involvement of small farmers are formulated. This has proven to be a long process with a number of challenges.
Challenges at the farmer level
It is now widely recognized that farm households are not necessarily homogeneous units of decision making. Profound changes in the opportunities for income earning on the farm, either through improved technology or through different choice of markets, may have profound implications for a number of household activities such as division of labor and budget allocations (von Braun et al., 1989). Therefore, the analysis at the farm level consists of profoundly assessing assets such as land size and quality, and the geographic location of farmers with respect to the gathering places for their target markets.
Challenges at the network level
Experience and research have shown that farmers affiliated to production and marketing organizations are more likely to leapfrog from traditional agriculture to more profitable market venues as they improve their access to information, inputs, credit and technical assistance collectively. Understanding the dynamics within these organization permits the identification of different manifestations of network assets and how they have made possible for small farmers to leapfrog from lower paying to higher paying markets. This requires a thorough analysis of the farmer’s linkages upstream and downstream in the value chain such as the number of input suppliers, the type and number of buyers and the different enabling environment actors (supporting NGO’s, fee-based services, etc.) they have access to.
Export readiness assessment for market opportunities identified
When buyer and supplier are put together, a number of limiting factors surface that are not apparent in the early stages of MAA. Some of these aspects may be associated to language barriers or psychological advantages of the buyer (generally a more sophisticated individual) over the seller (a rural individual with less sophisticated personal and character traits). Some of these limiting factors can be highly subjective, yet crucial in determining the willingness to engage in long-term mutually beneficial relationships. PFID-F&V’s remarkable achievements are in terms of supporting growers surmount some of these barriers, or advising to walk away from opportunities that do not look feasible under the current scenarios. This is summarized in a readiness to export analysis where subtle factors can be identified and appropriate measures recommended for every opportunity.
