Value Chain Development

In the Private Sector Development community, ‘Value Chain Development’ (VCD) refers to an approach which takes a product or commodity as the basis for analysis; most often, the product is agriculture-based.

Users of the approach analyse the whole trajectory for that product, from inputs through farming, harvesting, processing and transport, to sale to the consumer. The analysis helps users to identify interventions that help producers and traders to meet market demand – in more pro-poor ways. Users typically take a systemic perspective, aiming to address the root causes of market malfunction (rather than being a solution in search of a problem). This is likely to require a wide range of technical skills and the ability to manage an initiative that involves many stakeholders.

This page references selected key documents and guidance. For more specific resources on making supply chains more sustainable and resilient in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, please refer to the DCED knowledge page on Promoting economic recovery and resilience in the context of COVID-19.

At a glance: Short reads on VCD

Briefing paper           Introductory video

An introduction to value chain structure and dynamics, and some lessons learned for VCD.

Take a read

A three-minute video outlining the ILO’s approach to VCD.

Take a watch

Other useful links

Examples of multi-stakeholder alliances based on value chains

For an overview of Engaging the private sector through multi-stakeholder platforms (DCED, 2017), click here.

Photo credits: Drik/Katalyst