Ruerd Ruben – författare

Agro-food chains and networks play an increasingly important role in providing access to markets for producers from developing countries. In developing countries companies become integrated into geographically dispersed supply networks that link producers, traders and processors from the South with retailers and consumers in urban centres and in the North. Globalization of trade and integration of supply chains lead to new demands regarding food quality, safety and health.Companies involved in global food and agri-business chains and networks face fast changes in their market and business environment. New procedures and practices for organizing food supply networks – based on co-innovation between primary producers, processors and retailers – are emerging to cope with food grades and standards. Optimizing chain performance asks for cooperation between all agents involved in the supply chain. Agro-food companies communicate consumers’ demands to smallholders to guarantee stable market access. Public and voluntary agencies may provide important contributions for reinforcing the supply-chain environment.This volume combines insights from theory with a large number of business cases to enable a better understanding of the opportunities and constraints that supply-chain integration can offer for stimulating rural development.

Agro-food chains and networks play an increasingly important role in providing access to markets for producers from developing countries. In developing countries companies become integrated into geographically dispersed supply networks that link producers, traders and processors from the South with retailers and consumers in urban centres and in the North. Globalization of trade and integration of supply chains lead to new demands regarding food quality, safety and health.Companies involved in global food and agri-business chains and networks face fast changes in their market and business environment. New procedures and practices for organizing food supply networks – based on co-innovation between primary producers, processors and retailers – are emerging to cope with food grades and standards. Optimizing chain performance asks for cooperation between all agents involved in the supply chain. Agro-food companies communicate consumers’ demands to smallholders to guarantee stable market access. Public and voluntary agencies may provide important contributions for reinforcing the supply-chain environment.This volume combines insights from theory with a large number of business cases to enable a better understanding of the opportunities and constraints that supply-chain integration can offer for stimulating rural development.

"This volume in the Mansholt series presents state of the art discussions on a wide variety of topics in the field of (agricultural) development. More than 20 chapters have been prepared by internationally known scholars and policy analysts, providing a concise overview of a variety of recent debates in development economics. While the background of most contributors is in economic science, the chapters are prepared so that they feed into ongoing policy discussions and are accessible to a wide readership.The contributions in this volume are organized around five themes: prospects for rural poverty alleviation, sustainable management of natural resources, strategies for enhancing food security, markets and the role of the state, and institutions and governance. It is obvious there are many links between these themes, and indeed the integration between them is emphasized in various chapters.This book is prepared as a festschrift or Liber Amicorum for professor Arie Kuyvenhoven. His retirement from the Development Economics Group at Wageningen University, The Netherlands is a good opportunity to take stock of recent developments in the area of agricultural development economics. Therefore, in addition to being a valuable source of information for readers with an interest in development, this volume is also intended as a farewell gift: to Arie, from friends and colleagues."

Twenty years ago, Fair Trade started as an effort to enable smallholder producers from developing countries to successfully compete in international markets. Better access to market outlets and stable prices are considered key principles for sustainable poverty reduction and stakeholder participation based on 'trade, not aid'. While Fair Trade is primarily conceived as a trading partnership - based on dialogue, transparency and mutual respect - seeking greater equity in international trade, it relies on an organized social movement promoting standards for production practices and delivery procedures, working conditions and labour remuneration, environmental care and social policies in supply chains of certified tropical goods.Over the past two decades, sales of Fair Trade products have considerably increased. After the first shipments of coffee, the range of products has gradually broadened to include fruit (particularly bananas, pineapple and citrus), tea, cocoa, textiles, cosmetics and a whole series of other products. Global Fair Trade sales have steadily grown to approximately EUR 1.6 billion worldwide, covering almost 600 producer organizations in more than 55 developing countries that represent close to a million families of farmers and workers. In recent years, efforts have been made towards mainstreaming of Fair Trade involving large international companies and retail chains.While numerous case studies and descriptive overviews are available to illustrate the importance of Fair Trade for producers and their families in developing countries, little quantitative evidence has been presented to review the socio-economic impact of Fair Trade. This collection of articles provides the first balanced in-depth analysis of the real welfare impact of Fair Trade, paying attention to key dimensions of income, consumption, wealth, environment, empowerment and gender. The core articles are based on extensive field surveys in Peru, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ghana, Kenya and Mexico, and provide valuable insights in the contributions and constraints for producers’ involvement in Fair Trade. In addition, attention is paid to the broader implications for international trade regimes and the ethical perspectives on Fair Trade.