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Introduction
Over the past 60 years, linking smallholder farmers to global and domestic market opportunities has been an important policy and programmatic focus for governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and private companies alike. Recently, approaches to creating market opportunities for smallholder farmers have included the use of "value-chains for development" ([48] United States Agency for International Development (USAID), 2012; [40] Lusby, 2007; [32] International Fund for and Agriculture and Development (IFAD), 2009). This approach has been touted as a way to integrate smallholder farmers into higher-value, globally integrated markets, which promise to increase producer incomes and promote smallholder access to important benefits and services ([48] USAID, 2012; [54] United Nations International Development Organization (UNIDO), 2011; [34] Kaganzi et al. , 2009; [39] Lundy et al. , 2002; [2] Barrett et al. , 2011; [4] Bellemare, 2011).
Much of the recent empirical work looking at the impacts of linking smallholder farmers to higher value markets has focussed on the following: increases (decreases) in producer income and associated welfare impacts ([52] Wollni and Zeller, 2007; [4] Bellemare, 2012), barriers to participation ([23] Henson and Jaffee, 2006; [2] Barrett et al. , 2011; [26] Humphrey, 2005), and gains in productivity, food security, and other spillover benefits ([36] Kennedy and Cogill, 1988; [50] Von Braun et al. , 1989; [19] Govereh and Jayne, 2003; Bellemare, 2012; [48] USAID, 2012; [24] Henson et al. , 2008). This study makes no such evaluation against a particular set welfare or socio-economic indicators comparing participants with non-participants. Instead, we aim to better understand the motivations and perceptions of participants and contemplate the conventional wisdom that value chains for development redistribute risk and provide benefits and services to members that are otherwise difficult or impossible to obtain. Put another way, we ask if farmers participating in higher-value chains perceive greater, or different risks than their conventional counterparts and if they believe they have access to benefits or services they could not access otherwise. We posit that the merit of value chain approach to development depends critically on these questions.
The value chain approach is underpinned by value chain analysis, which considers the complex inter linkages between productive activities at the firm, country, and global level; an exercise which ultimately uncovers the dynamic flow of economic,...