Smallholder marketing cooperatives and smallholders’ market access: lessons learned from the actors involved

Summary

Purpose: This article explores the views of Smallholder Marketing Cooperatives’ (SMCs) leaders and staff, to gain insight about the particular roles SMCs play in facilitating smallholders’ market access. Design/methodology/approach: The authors conceptualized and executed two international workshops in which participants from 42 SMCs from 24 countries deliberated their lessons learned from real-life experiences. Findings: Participants defined three core issues to be tackled by SMCs to play their role related to facilitating their members’ market access: good FO governance and management; access to capital and networking. They highlighted that smallholders’ market access improves not only as a result of SMCs networking and negotiation with key actors in the public and private sectors, but also due to improved interrelationships among SMCs and other types of Farmers’ Organizations (FOs). Peer-to-peer relationships with other SMCs are critical for mutual learning, collaboration and collective action. Practical implications: Peer-to-peer relationships among SMCs are crucial for them to overcome the internal and external social dilemmas SMCs are bound to face while improving smallholders’ market access. This goes beyond the three kinds of relationships that scholars have pointed out thus far needed for effective FO development (relationships with members; the public sector and civil society; and with market players). This can be promoted and supported by development programmes. Originality/value: Most SMC studies concentrate primarily on their efficiency in production and marketing activities. This research proposes looking beyond this perspective, using a qualitative approach to explore the real-life experiences and views of actors involved.