Rethinking Food Markets and Value Chains for inclusions and sustainability

The Rethinking Food Markets Initiative aims to identify the multiple obstacles to improving smallholder and medium- and small-sized enterprises (MSME)’s returns to participation in higher value food value chains and to adopting sustainable practices. After having conducted scoping analyses of prevailing constraints and the potential and options for better market functioningan obstacles assessment, the initiative is engaging with stakeholders towill identify, test, adapt, and scale bundles of game-changing innovations, incentive schemes and policies to create more equitable and inclusive sharing of income and greater employment opportunities in growing food markets, whileand empowering women and youth and encouraging their participation within agrifood systems and, while reducing the food sector’s environmental footprint. This objective will be accomplished through:Globally integrated food value chains: This strand of work focuses on increasing participation and profitability in three areas: (a) innovations to improve vertical co-ordination among global value chain actors; (b) mechanisms for upgrading product quality, including for food safety and sustainability; and (c) identifying and scaling digital innovations. Domestic food value chains: Researchers are focusing on improving participation and profitability of smallholder farms and agrifood small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in domestic food value chains (DFVCs) and lowering their environmental footprint through interventions in the following areas: (a) improved logistics, inclusive business models and value chain contracts; (b) product quality and food standard certification; (c) reducing food losses; (d) creating an enabling policy environment. Cross value chain services: Researchers are assessing and testing the potential for digital innovations in delivering finance and logistics services through inclusive business models o generate better income and employment for smallholders and agrifood small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly women and youth. Knowledge Platform for Inclusive and Sustainable Food Markets and Value Chains (KISM): The Rethinking Food Markets Initiative has established KISM, a research and knowledge gateway to share cutting-edge research emerging from this multidisciplinary research Initiative and to convene stakeholder dialogues to make sense of this research and improve policy coherence and market reform.