Other dissemination activities

Seminar on 'Economic Impact of Organic Contract Farming in Uganda - Research Results and Policy Implications' (9 December 2008, Muyenga Club, Kampala)

Organic activists, NGOs and some donors have promoted certified organic export production in a number of African countries, and especially in Uganda. There has also been an increased interest in all types of contract farming arrangements for African smallholders, and many organic export operations in Africa are based on such arrangements. On this background, the extent to which certified organic contract farming have positive revenue and productivity effects for smallholders is a question pertinent to the evaluation of both organic agriculture and contract farming as possible routes out of Africa’s problem of agricultural stagnation and decline. In light of the global food crisis, an equally important question is how enrollment into an organic export contract farming schemes affects household food security.

The seminar addressed these questions based on DIIS research on three organic contract farming operations in Uganda, exporting Arabica coffee, cocoa, vanilla and pineapple, and discussed the policy implications. The DIIS research results were presented by Peter Gibbon and Simon Bolwig. Two discussants commented on the background papers: Tom Mugisa, Plan for the Modernisation of Agriculture (PMA) Secretariat, and Todd Benson, International Food Policy Research Institute. The 25 participants, representing government agencies, organic exporters and NGOs contributed to a very lively and qualified discussion during the last hour of the seminar. The seminar was organised by AgroEco Eastern Africa, National Organic Agriculture Movement of Uganda, and Danish Institute for International Studies. The seminar will be followed up by the publication of a general audience article on the issues discussed at the seminar. This work will be lead by AgroEco Eastern Africa.

Programme (pdf file, 266 Kb)
Economics of organics presentation (pdf file, 266 Kb)
Food security and organics presentation (pdf file, 266 Kb)
Benson comments (pdf file, 437 Kb)
Mugisa comments (pdf file, 56 Kb)
SAFE Policy Brief No. 6 (revenue) (pdf file, 34 Kb)
SAFE Policy Brief No. 7 (food security) (pdf file, 18 Kb)

2nd SAFE Workshop and the 1st Policy and Stakeholder Workshop

(Bagamoyo, Tanzania, 8-11 January 2008)

Available here

1st SAFE Programme Workshop

(Morogoro, Tanzania, 11-12 December 2006) (programme, pdf file, 8Kb)

Akyoo, A., E. Lazaro and F. Kilima ‘The Spice Industry and Food Safety standards compliance prospects in Tanzania’

Ashimogo G.C , Nyange D. and Mbiha E. ‘Comparative Profitability, Productivity and Economic Efficiency of Organic and Conventional Farming in Tanzania’

Jensen, M.F. ‘Traceability as an emerging standard: is it a threat to developing country export industries?’

Kadigi, F., N. Mdoe and E. Senkondo ‘Economic Effects of Food Safety Standards on the Livelihoods of Actors in the Nile Perch Export Supply Chain: The Tanzanian case’

Mnenwa, R. ‘Costs and Benefits of Compliance With Eurepgap Standards: The Case Of Vegetable Exports From Tanzania’

Mpenda, Z.,‘An Identification of Food Safety Standard Costs in Nile Perch, Mwanza Region’.

Ponte, S. ‘Food safety and environmental standards in Fish Trade: lessons from Uganda and South Africa’

Other conference papers and presentations:

Bolwig, S and M. Odeke 'Household food security effects of certified organic export production in tropical Africa: a gendered analysis'. International Conference on Organic Agriculture and Food Security’, 3 – 5 May 2007; FAO, Italy.

Gibbon, P. ‘Decoding organic standard-setting and regulation in Europe’, CIRAD, Montpellier, 7 June 2006.

Gibbon, P. ‘The economics of organic agriculture in Uganda’, presented at African Studies Association (UK) Biennial Conference, London, 11-13 September 2006.

Gibbon, P. and S. Bolwig, ‘The economics of certified organic agriculture in tropical Africa: a preliminary analysis’, presented at the Institute for Development Studies, University of Sussex, 30 November 2006.

Gibbon, P. and S. Bolwig 'The Economics of Certified Organic Farming in Tropical Africa: A Preliminary Assessment'. International Conference on Organic Agriculture and Food Security, 3 – 5 May 2007; FAO, Italy.

Kadigi, R.M.J; N.S.Y. Mdoe and E.M. Senkondo ‘Compliance to Food Safety Standards, a Stick and Carrot-The Case of Nile Perch Fishery in Tanzania.’ Paper to be presented at the 2007 World Water Week, Stockholm, Sweden, 12-18 August 2007.

Larsen, M. N. ‘Quality Standards in International Tea Markets: Challenges and Consequences for Smallholders and Tea Processors in Developing Countries’, presentation to the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore, India, 12 March 2007.

Larsen, Marianne Nylandsted - Department of Geography and Geology, University of Copenhagen, "The role of quality standards in governing the value chain for tea", presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers (AAG), Boston, part of the Paper Session: Governing Global Value Chains and Networks, 16 April 2008.

Mdoe, N.S.Y; R.M.J. Kadigi and E.M. Senkondo ‘Food Standards, Fish Exports and Livelihoods: The Case of Nile Perch Exports in Tanzania.’ Poster Paper Presented at the RUFORUM Regional Biennial Meeting for Universities, Mangochi, Malawi, 24-30 April 2007.

Ponte, S. ‘Fair and Sustainable Coffees: What is in them for producers?’ presentation at the workshop ‘Fair Trade and Consumption,’ Copenhagen Business School (15 May 2007).

Ponte, S. 'Greener than thou: Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, fish trade, and the political economy of conservation in South Africa,' paper presented at the African Studies Association (UK) Biennial Conference, London, 11-13 September 2006.

Ponte, S. 'Standards, labels and global value chains', presentation to the Department of Economics, University of Western Piemonte, Novara, Italy, 30 May 2006.

Ponte, S. 'Private standards, public regulation: Ecolabels, fish and BEE in South Africa,' presentation at the FAU (Association of Development Researchers) conference, Copenhagen Business School, 10-11 May 2006.

Ponte, S. 'Kvalitetskaffe- produktudvikling og rentabilitet', presentation to Kaffeklubben, Copenhagen, 15 March 2006.

Ponte, S. 'Fair and Sustainable Coffees: What is in them for producers?', presentation at the workshop 'Fair Trade and Consumption', Copenhagen Business School, 15 May 2007.

Ponte, S. and J. Ewert, 'Wine: An industry in ferment', presentation at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, organized by the Department of Sociology and the Trade Law Centre for Southern Africa, 26 September 2007.

Ponte, S. 'Governance in the value chain for South African wine', presentation at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, organized by the Department of Sociology and the Trade Law Centre for Southern Africa, 26 September 2007.

Ponte, S. 'A framework for incorporating poverty and the environment into value chain analysis: Conceptual issues', presentation at the workshop 'Incorporating poverty and the environment into value chain analysis', Programme on Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), School of Government, University of the Western Cape, South Africa, 24-25 October 2007.

Ponte, S. 'Uganda fisheries: The challenges of EU import regulation, sustainability and media perceptions', presentation at the Economic Policy Research Institute (EPRC), Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda (17 January 2008).

Ponte, S. 'Disjunctures and fragmentations in Global Value Chains: Reflections on ‘quality’ in (South African) wine', presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers (AAG), Boston (18 April 2008).

Ponte, S. 'Performing the Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy: Case Studies on Food Safety and Sustainability,” conference paper prepared for the First ISA Forum of Sociology, Sociological Research and Public Debate; Session 16: The ‘Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy’: Critical perspectives, Barcelona, 5-9 September 2008.

Ponte, S. 'Integrating poverty, environment and gender into value chain analysis: A conceptual update', presentation at the mid-term workshop of the IDRC/ODI programme 'Productive Strategies for Poor Rural Households to Participate Successfully in Global Economic Processes', Long Xuyen, Vietnam, 28 November 2008.

Ponte, S. 'Value chain analysis, poverty and the environment: An integrative approach,” presentation at the World Fish Centre, Penang, Malaysia, 1 December 2008.

Riisgaard, L. 'Social standards in cut flower value chains: Standard competition, localisation of standard agendas and interaction with local worker organizations', presented at the PhD-course 'Globalisation and the impact of outsourcing on firms, industries and labour in developing countries' at the Copenhagen Business School, 31 May 2006. The same paper was also presented at the PhD-course 'Relating primary data to structures, concepts and theories', at the Department of Geography, University of Copenhagen, 19-21 June 2006.

Riisgaard, L. 'Standards and cut-flowers in Tanzania: Fieldwork findings and research design', Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania, 10 May 2006.

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