Goat producers in Inhassoro follow traditional management practices that lead to low supply of lo... more Goat producers in Inhassoro follow traditional management practices that lead to low supply of low quality goats. This has negative impacts on profitability, and on market access. Traders who buy in the Inhassoro locality buy only small volumes, and buyers from external markets are unaware of potential market supply in Inhassoro. This interaction of production constraints and limited information flows in the value chain was addressed using a system dynamics model for various commercialization scenarios. Simulation results show that improving goat production and animal health practices alone without concomitant improvements in market access have negative impacts on the financial performance of producers and no impact on other value chain actors. However, interventions that both improve market access and animal health have significant positive impacts on the financial performance of all value chain actors. The model's explicit treatment of herd dynamics contribute significantly to these conclusions, particularly the lagged production response inherent in livestock breeding systems.
International Journal of Innovation Management, Oct 25, 2019
This paper examines the role of human capital and establishments’ practices in fostering food ind... more This paper examines the role of human capital and establishments’ practices in fostering food industry innovation across 13 low and middle-income countries. We estimate average marginal effects that also control for the variables traditionally recognized as affecting firm-level innovation, such as R&D expenditures. Our results suggest that establishments’ human capital endowments, such as top managers’ experience in the food industry and employees’ education, alone may not be sufficient to achieve high levels of innovation. In fact, human capital endowments are found to be more effective in delivering innovation when they are combined with establishments’ best practices such as providing employees slack time i.e., allocation of work-time on self-chosen projects of personal interests. Our key recommendation to food firms is to support employee slack time and human capital endowments as mutually reinforcing drivers of innovation.
The International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, Sep 1, 2015
The livestock sector is vital to Botswana's rural economy comprising nearly two-thirds to the nat... more The livestock sector is vital to Botswana's rural economy comprising nearly two-thirds to the national agricultural sector. The goal of this research is to measure competitiveness and identify the factors affecting it, so as to advocate change in Botswana's smallholder livestock systems. The study examines a cross section of farm-level data gathered from 556 randomly selected livestock producers to investigate the profit efficiency and competitiveness of three farm size categories of small holder livestock farmers. Results found a considerable capacity to improve beef profitability. Scale effects on profit efficiency are generally positive, but the results indicate a number of interactions between scale and other variables such as off-farm income and the use of credit. Policy analysis and commercial decisions using models that assume efficiency are therefore presenting a misleading picture, particularly on the elusive subject of Botswana smallholders' beef supply response.
A poster prepared for the ILRI Annual Program Meeting (APM) 2010, held at ILRI campus, Addis Abab... more A poster prepared for the ILRI Annual Program Meeting (APM) 2010, held at ILRI campus, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, April 14-17, 2010
Financial performance of livestock households in central Botswana: Results of a snapshot survey I... more Financial performance of livestock households in central Botswana: Results of a snapshot survey In December 2012, a snapshot survey was conducted in two villages (Taupye and Thabala) and one semi-urban area (Serowe) in Botswana's Central District. The aim was to characterize, using rapid appraisal techniques, value chain actors' knowledge, practices, structure and performance.
This paper reviews current thinking on the role of informal agribusiness in pro-poor development,... more This paper reviews current thinking on the role of informal agribusiness in pro-poor development, and reports on the example of a recent dairy development project (the Smallholder Dairy Project) in Kenya. The project featured collaborative and participatory research, along with training and certification in milk handling practices as a practical mechanism optimizing milk quality and addressing regulatory barriers. It also targeted and helped achieve policy change, which enabled wider piloting of the training and certification activities incorporating a business development service approach by national authorities. Substantial welfare gains were achieved, as demonstrated in a recent impact assessment reviewed in the current paper. Current extensions of the project are described, and subsequent work outlined. Coherence with received wisdom is discussed along with future research topics.
The liberalization of beef exports in Botswana is hotly debated among policy makers and relevant ... more The liberalization of beef exports in Botswana is hotly debated among policy makers and relevant value chain actors. While some policy makers argue that such a move might increase prices for producers and make beef unaffordable for consumers, others suggest an open market would reduce the profitability of the beef sector in Botswana. At the same time, these impacts will be mediated by the presence of animal disease and the availability of sufficient feed and water. In this paper, we constructed an integrated system dynamics (SD) model that captures the feedbacks between the biological dynamics of cattle production, the economics of animal and meat marketing and trade, and the impacts that environmental pressures such as rainfall and animal disease have on the system. We used this model to run a series of scenarios associated with market liberalization and animal health shocks to quantify their impacts throughout the value chain, taking into account the feedbacks between biology, markets, and environment on the value chain itself. This approach allows for a holistic evaluation of policy options on different chain actors and whole chain performance, and provides a knowledge base for prioritizing interventions. Model results suggested that although disease control policies benefit all value chain actors, gains from market liberalization come at the expense of substantial losses to Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) and its contracted feedlots. They also suggest that combining market liberalization policy reforms with better animal disease controls greatly improved the financial performance of all value chain actors.
The adequate inclusion of the major dimensions and determinants of livelihoods in multi-topic hou... more The adequate inclusion of the major dimensions and determinants of livelihoods in multi-topic household surveys is essential for deriving appropriate measures of wellbeing and for effective investment design, implementation and evaluation. A review of existing Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) questionnaires reveals that livestock is largely neglected: this challenges the design and implementation of effective investments in the sector, despite about 60 percent of rural households in developing countries being fully or partly dependent on livestock for their livelihoods. This paper presents a short, a standard and an expanded version of a livestock module for multi-topic household surveys, jointly elaborated by the FAO, the ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute) and the World Bank. The standard version of the module consists of a set of questions that help quantify both livestock herds and the various contributions of farm animals to household livelihoods, including cash income, food, manure, draft power and hauling services, savings and insurance, and social capital. The expanded version provides additional details which, depending on the country, may or may not be included in the survey questionnaire. The short version consists of a minimum set of livestock-related questions which is recommended to be included in all multi-topic household surveys. Survey designers can adapt any of the three versions of the module to design a questionnaire that best suits their needs. The paper also draws preliminary lessons from experience in Niger, Tanzania and Uganda, where the livestock modules have been used to enhance the content of LSMS-type survey questionnaires.
The growing demand for animal source food in developing countries, stimulated by population growt... more The growing demand for animal source food in developing countries, stimulated by population growth, gains in real per capita income and urbanization, represents an unprecedented opportunity for the livestock dependent poor to escape poverty. However, because of the dearth of livestockrelated data, the linkages between livestock, economic growth and poverty reduction remain to a large extent unclear, which constraints the design, implementation and monitoring of pro-poor livestock-related policies and programmes. This paper introduces the AU-IBAR, FAO, ILRI, WB Livestock Data Innovation Project, covering Uganda, Tanzania and Niger, and the challenges it faces / the approaches it follows to address data gaps in the livestock sector and improve national statistical systems.
This paper presents the results of a rapid consumer survey undertaken in Uganda. The survey aimed... more This paper presents the results of a rapid consumer survey undertaken in Uganda. The survey aimed at identifying preferred quality and safety attributes, retail forms and retail outlets for major livestock products and by type of consumers. Results of the survey, combined with nationally representative household datasets, allows description of both the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of the developing market for animal-source foods, which is anticipated to provide major business opportunities for small-scale livestock producers in the short and medium terms.
Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Jul 1, 2018
Australia's highly concentrated food retail environment is examined in the context of competitive... more Australia's highly concentrated food retail environment is examined in the context of competitive entry in a small city. Based on a conceptual framework that draws on existing literature, food stores' customers' share of wallet (SOW) is measured in a survey (n=379) which brackets the opening of a new supermarket. A number of variables are recorded in the survey that are not available from other data collection methods. The drivers of SOW are determined using a 2-limit Tobit model which incorporates the direct and interactive aspects of the pathways identified in the Conceptual Framework. At one of the stores (Woolworths), the influence of loyalty schemes is found to vary with customers' perceptions of stores, with implications for enhanced customer targeting by food retail managers. The impact of loyalty programs is found to be mitigated by the entry of a competitor, particularly in the case of priceconscious customers. Senior citizens are found to allocate higher SOW to small rather than large stores, and there are small effects due to the sex of the customer. There are few indications of a bespoke small city model of the drivers of SOW, but a number of interactions are identified for future research.
The International Journal of Logistics Management, Jul 2, 2020
Purpose-This paper aims to address the association between the quality and quantity of informatio... more Purpose-This paper aims to address the association between the quality and quantity of information in supply chains and the costs and benefits of generating, using and sharing it. Design/methodology/approach-The authors' conceptual framework draws on multiple disciplines and theories of the value and use of product information. Controllable aspects of information, its quality and quantity, are the focus of the study as drivers of firm and chain performance. Structural equation models of constructs at two stages of the Australian red meat supply chain are employed, using data from a survey of 81 sheep and cattle breeders and commercial producers. Findings-Information quality influences performance more for some product attributes than others and is more influential than is information quantity. Information sharing for many attributes generates benefits only at high cost. Investment in measurement and transmission technologies is supported for intrinsic and extrinsic measures of quality. Differences in respondents' evaluation of information quality are interpreted as evidence of persistent chain failure. Originality/value-To the authors' knowledge, this is the first attempt at quantifying and comparing the benefits and costs of information sharing across multiple stages of a supply chain and the first to assess quantitatively the role played by information quality and quantity in generating costs and benefits.
The analysis of value chains has augmented our knowledge on the complexities, inter-linkages, dis... more The analysis of value chains has augmented our knowledge on the complexities, inter-linkages, distributional benefits, and institutional arrangements of production and marketing channels in developing countries. However, the analysis remains relatively qualitative and case-specific, with limited ability to rank or assess the impact of alternative interventions or to analyze sufficiently the complex market dynamics and feedbacks present in livestock systems. This paper offers theoretical and applied insights on ways to improve the analytical rigor of the value chain methodology that combines both qualitative and quantitative approaches.
ABSTRACT An integral part of the pig and pork value chain in Uganda is trader activity. This arti... more ABSTRACT An integral part of the pig and pork value chain in Uganda is trader activity. This article reports on a study that quantifies the nature of these traders in Mukono district, a major pig and pork marketing site adjacent to Kampala, Uganda. Little guidance is available from the literature about the sampling of traders for this kind of research, and the second task addressed by this study is to test sampling mechanisms and report on their influence on the statistical results generated. Different sources of sampling frame provided different samples, with some limited overlap. The two samples exhibited distinctly different profiles of traders.
Goat producers in Inhassoro follow traditional management practices that lead to low supply of lo... more Goat producers in Inhassoro follow traditional management practices that lead to low supply of low quality goats. This has negative impacts on profitability, and on market access. Traders who buy in the Inhassoro locality buy only small volumes, and buyers from external markets are unaware of potential market supply in Inhassoro. This interaction of production constraints and limited information flows in the value chain was addressed using a system dynamics model for various commercialization scenarios. Simulation results show that improving goat production and animal health practices alone without concomitant improvements in market access have negative impacts on the financial performance of producers and no impact on other value chain actors. However, interventions that both improve market access and animal health have significant positive impacts on the financial performance of all value chain actors. The model's explicit treatment of herd dynamics contribute significantly to these conclusions, particularly the lagged production response inherent in livestock breeding systems.
International Journal of Innovation Management, Oct 25, 2019
This paper examines the role of human capital and establishments’ practices in fostering food ind... more This paper examines the role of human capital and establishments’ practices in fostering food industry innovation across 13 low and middle-income countries. We estimate average marginal effects that also control for the variables traditionally recognized as affecting firm-level innovation, such as R&D expenditures. Our results suggest that establishments’ human capital endowments, such as top managers’ experience in the food industry and employees’ education, alone may not be sufficient to achieve high levels of innovation. In fact, human capital endowments are found to be more effective in delivering innovation when they are combined with establishments’ best practices such as providing employees slack time i.e., allocation of work-time on self-chosen projects of personal interests. Our key recommendation to food firms is to support employee slack time and human capital endowments as mutually reinforcing drivers of innovation.
The International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, Sep 1, 2015
The livestock sector is vital to Botswana's rural economy comprising nearly two-thirds to the nat... more The livestock sector is vital to Botswana's rural economy comprising nearly two-thirds to the national agricultural sector. The goal of this research is to measure competitiveness and identify the factors affecting it, so as to advocate change in Botswana's smallholder livestock systems. The study examines a cross section of farm-level data gathered from 556 randomly selected livestock producers to investigate the profit efficiency and competitiveness of three farm size categories of small holder livestock farmers. Results found a considerable capacity to improve beef profitability. Scale effects on profit efficiency are generally positive, but the results indicate a number of interactions between scale and other variables such as off-farm income and the use of credit. Policy analysis and commercial decisions using models that assume efficiency are therefore presenting a misleading picture, particularly on the elusive subject of Botswana smallholders' beef supply response.
A poster prepared for the ILRI Annual Program Meeting (APM) 2010, held at ILRI campus, Addis Abab... more A poster prepared for the ILRI Annual Program Meeting (APM) 2010, held at ILRI campus, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, April 14-17, 2010
Financial performance of livestock households in central Botswana: Results of a snapshot survey I... more Financial performance of livestock households in central Botswana: Results of a snapshot survey In December 2012, a snapshot survey was conducted in two villages (Taupye and Thabala) and one semi-urban area (Serowe) in Botswana's Central District. The aim was to characterize, using rapid appraisal techniques, value chain actors' knowledge, practices, structure and performance.
This paper reviews current thinking on the role of informal agribusiness in pro-poor development,... more This paper reviews current thinking on the role of informal agribusiness in pro-poor development, and reports on the example of a recent dairy development project (the Smallholder Dairy Project) in Kenya. The project featured collaborative and participatory research, along with training and certification in milk handling practices as a practical mechanism optimizing milk quality and addressing regulatory barriers. It also targeted and helped achieve policy change, which enabled wider piloting of the training and certification activities incorporating a business development service approach by national authorities. Substantial welfare gains were achieved, as demonstrated in a recent impact assessment reviewed in the current paper. Current extensions of the project are described, and subsequent work outlined. Coherence with received wisdom is discussed along with future research topics.
The liberalization of beef exports in Botswana is hotly debated among policy makers and relevant ... more The liberalization of beef exports in Botswana is hotly debated among policy makers and relevant value chain actors. While some policy makers argue that such a move might increase prices for producers and make beef unaffordable for consumers, others suggest an open market would reduce the profitability of the beef sector in Botswana. At the same time, these impacts will be mediated by the presence of animal disease and the availability of sufficient feed and water. In this paper, we constructed an integrated system dynamics (SD) model that captures the feedbacks between the biological dynamics of cattle production, the economics of animal and meat marketing and trade, and the impacts that environmental pressures such as rainfall and animal disease have on the system. We used this model to run a series of scenarios associated with market liberalization and animal health shocks to quantify their impacts throughout the value chain, taking into account the feedbacks between biology, markets, and environment on the value chain itself. This approach allows for a holistic evaluation of policy options on different chain actors and whole chain performance, and provides a knowledge base for prioritizing interventions. Model results suggested that although disease control policies benefit all value chain actors, gains from market liberalization come at the expense of substantial losses to Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) and its contracted feedlots. They also suggest that combining market liberalization policy reforms with better animal disease controls greatly improved the financial performance of all value chain actors.
The adequate inclusion of the major dimensions and determinants of livelihoods in multi-topic hou... more The adequate inclusion of the major dimensions and determinants of livelihoods in multi-topic household surveys is essential for deriving appropriate measures of wellbeing and for effective investment design, implementation and evaluation. A review of existing Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) questionnaires reveals that livestock is largely neglected: this challenges the design and implementation of effective investments in the sector, despite about 60 percent of rural households in developing countries being fully or partly dependent on livestock for their livelihoods. This paper presents a short, a standard and an expanded version of a livestock module for multi-topic household surveys, jointly elaborated by the FAO, the ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute) and the World Bank. The standard version of the module consists of a set of questions that help quantify both livestock herds and the various contributions of farm animals to household livelihoods, including cash income, food, manure, draft power and hauling services, savings and insurance, and social capital. The expanded version provides additional details which, depending on the country, may or may not be included in the survey questionnaire. The short version consists of a minimum set of livestock-related questions which is recommended to be included in all multi-topic household surveys. Survey designers can adapt any of the three versions of the module to design a questionnaire that best suits their needs. The paper also draws preliminary lessons from experience in Niger, Tanzania and Uganda, where the livestock modules have been used to enhance the content of LSMS-type survey questionnaires.
The growing demand for animal source food in developing countries, stimulated by population growt... more The growing demand for animal source food in developing countries, stimulated by population growth, gains in real per capita income and urbanization, represents an unprecedented opportunity for the livestock dependent poor to escape poverty. However, because of the dearth of livestockrelated data, the linkages between livestock, economic growth and poverty reduction remain to a large extent unclear, which constraints the design, implementation and monitoring of pro-poor livestock-related policies and programmes. This paper introduces the AU-IBAR, FAO, ILRI, WB Livestock Data Innovation Project, covering Uganda, Tanzania and Niger, and the challenges it faces / the approaches it follows to address data gaps in the livestock sector and improve national statistical systems.
This paper presents the results of a rapid consumer survey undertaken in Uganda. The survey aimed... more This paper presents the results of a rapid consumer survey undertaken in Uganda. The survey aimed at identifying preferred quality and safety attributes, retail forms and retail outlets for major livestock products and by type of consumers. Results of the survey, combined with nationally representative household datasets, allows description of both the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of the developing market for animal-source foods, which is anticipated to provide major business opportunities for small-scale livestock producers in the short and medium terms.
Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Jul 1, 2018
Australia's highly concentrated food retail environment is examined in the context of competitive... more Australia's highly concentrated food retail environment is examined in the context of competitive entry in a small city. Based on a conceptual framework that draws on existing literature, food stores' customers' share of wallet (SOW) is measured in a survey (n=379) which brackets the opening of a new supermarket. A number of variables are recorded in the survey that are not available from other data collection methods. The drivers of SOW are determined using a 2-limit Tobit model which incorporates the direct and interactive aspects of the pathways identified in the Conceptual Framework. At one of the stores (Woolworths), the influence of loyalty schemes is found to vary with customers' perceptions of stores, with implications for enhanced customer targeting by food retail managers. The impact of loyalty programs is found to be mitigated by the entry of a competitor, particularly in the case of priceconscious customers. Senior citizens are found to allocate higher SOW to small rather than large stores, and there are small effects due to the sex of the customer. There are few indications of a bespoke small city model of the drivers of SOW, but a number of interactions are identified for future research.
The International Journal of Logistics Management, Jul 2, 2020
Purpose-This paper aims to address the association between the quality and quantity of informatio... more Purpose-This paper aims to address the association between the quality and quantity of information in supply chains and the costs and benefits of generating, using and sharing it. Design/methodology/approach-The authors' conceptual framework draws on multiple disciplines and theories of the value and use of product information. Controllable aspects of information, its quality and quantity, are the focus of the study as drivers of firm and chain performance. Structural equation models of constructs at two stages of the Australian red meat supply chain are employed, using data from a survey of 81 sheep and cattle breeders and commercial producers. Findings-Information quality influences performance more for some product attributes than others and is more influential than is information quantity. Information sharing for many attributes generates benefits only at high cost. Investment in measurement and transmission technologies is supported for intrinsic and extrinsic measures of quality. Differences in respondents' evaluation of information quality are interpreted as evidence of persistent chain failure. Originality/value-To the authors' knowledge, this is the first attempt at quantifying and comparing the benefits and costs of information sharing across multiple stages of a supply chain and the first to assess quantitatively the role played by information quality and quantity in generating costs and benefits.
The analysis of value chains has augmented our knowledge on the complexities, inter-linkages, dis... more The analysis of value chains has augmented our knowledge on the complexities, inter-linkages, distributional benefits, and institutional arrangements of production and marketing channels in developing countries. However, the analysis remains relatively qualitative and case-specific, with limited ability to rank or assess the impact of alternative interventions or to analyze sufficiently the complex market dynamics and feedbacks present in livestock systems. This paper offers theoretical and applied insights on ways to improve the analytical rigor of the value chain methodology that combines both qualitative and quantitative approaches.
ABSTRACT An integral part of the pig and pork value chain in Uganda is trader activity. This arti... more ABSTRACT An integral part of the pig and pork value chain in Uganda is trader activity. This article reports on a study that quantifies the nature of these traders in Mukono district, a major pig and pork marketing site adjacent to Kampala, Uganda. Little guidance is available from the literature about the sampling of traders for this kind of research, and the second task addressed by this study is to test sampling mechanisms and report on their influence on the statistical results generated. Different sources of sampling frame provided different samples, with some limited overlap. The two samples exhibited distinctly different profiles of traders.
Uploads
Papers by Derek Baker