The Participatory Market Chain Approach (PMCA) is a flexible R&D approach that engages small farmers, market agents, researchers, and other service providers in a facilitated collective action that aims at identifying and exploiting potential business opportunities that benefit small-scale producers and other chain actors. The approach was developed by the International Potato Center (CIP) and first applied in the Andes before spreading to SSA, Asia and other parts of the world. The PMCA offers a practical way to conduct R&D that supports pro-poor innovation in agricultural market chains. The approach brings the key stakeholders in an innovation process – including farmers, market agents, researchers, and other service providers – together to jointly identify, assess and exploit new business opportunities. Through this interaction, the PMCA triggers innovation processes. Experience indicates that the PMCA is most effective when implemented as part of a multi-pronged gender responsive initiative that includes support for farmer organizations, business development, policy change, and public awareness. When the PMCA is applied with appropriate complementary measures, it can assist smallholders improve their participation in dynamic markets and improve their livelihoods. This course is structured in five topics: Introduction to PMCA, PMCA Phases, Phase !, Assessing the Potential and Planning for Gender Responsive PMCA. Every topic will build up on the previous one, delving into constructive argument and taking into account the available relevant bibliography.
Click here to go to the course page.
-
Introduction to PMCA
The Participatory Market Chain Approach is a framework that specially seeks to empower smallfarmers and strengthen linkages with other producers. In the introduction to this course, we will seek to state the theory and practice on the subject. It can be also easily observed that there could be a clear gender component to the analysis of the PMCA, so here it will be explained how to incorporate gender mainstreaming to the approach.Core readings:Devaux, André, Miguel Ordinola, and Douglas Horton. Innovation for development: The Papa Andina experience. International Potato Center (CIP), 2011.Mayanja, Sarah, et al. "Multi-actor collaboration in value chains: An avenue to innovation?" (2014). -
The PMCA Phases
The PMCA requires the engagement of a diverse set of stakeholders, including smallfarmers, market intermediaries, and final consumers. The proper analysis of this approach is taken into different phases, with key concepts discussed along the way. In this class it will be also discussed and compared the different projects all around the world where this framework has been implemented, from the Andes, to Africa and Asia.Core readings:
Devaux, André, et al. "The Participatory market chain approach (PMCA): from the Andes to Africa and Asia." (2013).
Horton, Douglas, et al. "Developing capacity for agricultural market chain innovation: experience with the ‘PMCA’ in Uganda." Journal of International Development 22.3 (2010): 367-389.
Horton, Douglas, and Katia Samanamud. "Peru’s native potato revolution." (2013).
Horton, Douglas, et al. "The PMCA, business development services and farmer business schools in Indonesia"
Ordinola, Miguel, et al. "The PMCA and potato market chain innovation in Peru."
-
PMCA: Phase 1
Phase one of the PMCA requires the familiarisation with the market chain and the key actors, with special attention to their activities, interests, opinions and challenges. This phase is vital for the rest of the project, since is when all the basic information on which to structure the intervention is gathered. In this topic it will be acknowledge the best ways of gathering, assessing and presenting such information.
Core readings:Bernet, Thomas et al. "Participatory Market Chain Approach" in Innovation for development: The Papa Andina experience. International Potato Center (CIP), (2011): 133-141.
Devaux, André, et al. "Collective action for market chain innovation in the Andes." Food policy 34.1 (2009): 31-38.
Horton, Douglas, et al. "Developing capacity for agricultural market chain innovation: experience with the ‘PMCA’ in Uganda." Journal of International Development 22.3 (2010): 367-389.
-
Assessing the potential value of PMCA
Phase two of the PMCA involves the analysis of market opportunities. In this phase, then, business administration approach is included, specially useful is the SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) Analysis when combined with the PMCA. In this class, it will be thoroughly explain how to do so.
Core readings:
Exercise 4, page 17. Birungii, R., et al. "Pig marketing and institutional strengthening: Uganda smallholder pig value chain capacity development training manual." (2015).Mugisa, B. Akello I., et al. "Using the Participatory Market Chain Approach (PMCA) to Generate Pro-Poor Innovations in the Sweet Potato Sector in Uganda." Agricultural Innovations for Sustainable Development: 54.
-
Planning for Gender Responsive PMCA applications
As it was explained in the introductory topic, the intrinsic relationship of the PMCA with the smallfarmers lends itself to be easily adaptable to include a gender approach. It is expected that after this class, the student will be able to create creating an enable a framework for gender responsive PMCA application, and develop Action Plans accordingly.
Core readings:
Conlago, María, et al. "Gender relationships in production and commercialization of potato seed with small-scale farmers in the Central Andes of Ecuador." Innovation for Development (2011): 346.
