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Food Value Chain Assessment for Circular Food Systems in Africa: The Context Study Report for the RUNRES Project

July 2020

Authors:

Haruna Sekabira

International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

Circular Africa

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Executive Summary In this report we collected and analyzed data from food commodity value chains from three city-regions of the RUNRES project across three different countries namely; cassava in Rwanda, coffee in DRC, and bananas in Ethiopia. Data from South Africa has not been considered as a food commodity value chain was not yet clearly defined. We collected data from randomly selected actors along the respective food commodity value chains from all available actor segments in the respective value chains including; input sellers, farmers, middlemen, processors, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers. Data was collected electronically by project coordinators and enumerators, and was analyzed descriptively by the project scientists. Data was collected from a sample of 2,721 consumer households (1,318 from Rwanda, 809 from DRC, and 594 from Ethiopia), while where available, a sizeable number of households was also interviewed from other actor segments.

Challenges faced by processors in their business activities.

Marital status among consumers in DRC From figure 4, nearly 84% of actors were married, which may imply strong social relationships among actors. Hence, in case of cooperatives' formation that is intended to enhance economies of scale, success may be more possible.

Main crops produced by Coffee farmers in DRC

Overview of other crops produced by Coffee farmers in DRC About 60% of coffee farmers grew coffee as a sole crop in its fields, figure 24, while nearly 40% grew coffee in fields where they grew other crops (intercropping).

Farmers' sources of inputs for their farming activities in DRC

Figures - uploaded by Haruna Sekabira

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