Publications & guides

At Wageningen University & Research we want our knowledge and insights to create a major impact on society. Therefore we strive to increase the value of our knowledge. Our experts at Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation create this value by bringing knowledge into action.

This brochure gives you an overview of our five action lines, supported with two examples each, in which our inspired and committed experts support various parties worldwide in creating inclusive and sustainable food systems.

French version available

This toolbox has been developed to collate different tools that can be used for food systems analysis. Food systems are not static, but dynamic, ever changing. This toolbox guides you in how to formulate actionable recommendations that can bring about systemic change. It’s a guide for policy makers, researchers and NGO’s.

The toolbox is also available in Spanish.

This guide is meant to help leaders, managers, decision-makers, M&E staff and other development practitioners navigate their organizations and development initiatives more effectively towards sustainable development impact. It provides ideas, theories and tools.

The guide has been written for those directly involved in MSPs to provide both the conceptual foundations and practical tools that underpin successful partnerships. What's inside draws on the direct experience of Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation staff in supporting MSP processes world-wide.

Hardcopies of The MSP Guide can be ordered by sending an e-mail to info.cdi@wur.nl or download the PDF version (4 MB).

This magazine features background stories about the research being done at Wageningen University & Research into the impact of climate change and possible solutions for mitigation and adaptation.

Read the WUR Climate Magazine

This Guide summarises methods that can be used to facilitate the process of reflection on the knowledge and experiences people acquire during a capacity development trajectory or learning process of an MSPs.

Authors: Femke Gordijn with Natalia Eernstman, Jan Helder and Herman Brouwer (2018). See for downloads & ordering hardcopies http://www.mspguide.org/tool/reflection.

The HortiFresh West Africa programme in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, took up a sector transformation approach focusing on integrated intervention, a joint agenda, and the public-private sector. This report highlights the lessons learned from a localised approach, the enabling environment, access to finance, nutrition, outreach, etc. It also critically reflects on the aid-to-trade agenda, working in multiple countries and provides recommendations for future horticulture interventions. Read the publication Horticulture sector transformation in action.

Ethiopia has the agricultural potential to feed its own population and become a major exporter of agricultural goods. The agricultural sector is transforming, however there are still bottlenecks in place that hamper its growth. 

The Bilateral Ethiopian– Netherlands Effort for Food, Income and Trade Partnership (BENEFIT) was established in 2016 to bring together five agricultural development programmes working to improve Ethiopia’s agricultural sector, and is coordinated by WUR. In this brochure you will find its key achievements. 

Kenya is one of many countries transitioning from an aid country towards a trade country, making it more attractive for foreign investments.

The brochure 'Food security investments' offers some practical suggestions to support that transition, focussing on the dairy, horticulture and aquaculture sector. It’s based on the 3R Meta-Analysis Report, which, via a method of meta-analysis, brings together the results of the many 3R Kenya studies.

As the political, economic and social situation in the Sahel Region is deteriorating and affecting the livelihoods of many vulnerable people, deeper understanding of the processes that can help mitigate the conflicts and insecurity in the Region is needed. Problems jeopardizing the livelihoods of people in the Sahel Region require a transdisciplinary approach, fundamental as well as applied research, and strengthening of capacities. Wageningen University & Research (WUR) is committed to contribute to this. How we want to do this you can read in this brochure.

This book aims to increase understanding about and improve the business relationships between farmers and firms: farmer–firm relations. The book is based on the expectation that direct commercial relations between supplying farmers and buying firms will be far more important in the near future than they are at present. At the same time, the book responds to the observation that smooth relations between farmers and firms can be difficult to establish and sustain.

Download the booklet "It takes two to trade: understanding and improving farmer-firm relations in Africa".

These quick scans, commissioned by the Farmer Income Lab, are part of a wider research effort looking at, “What are the most effective actions that lead buyers can take to enable smallholder farmers in global supply chains to meaningfully increase their incomes?”

In Uganda’s West Nile region, refugees from South Sudan and DRC that have been affected by forced displacement live in several refugee settlement. Their presence places a huge strain on existing communities and local resources.

That’s why Wageningen University & Research and partner East West Seed Knowledge Transfer started the NIGI (Nutrition and Income Generation) Intervention here. The project seeks to support refugees and the host community to grow fresh vegetables, which are often completely absent in their diets. Read more about the intervention in the brochure Nutrition and income generation (NIGI) in Uganda’s West Nile Region.

Blockchain Technology (BCT) is still in the early stages of development. A proliferation of BCT experiments within the agri-food sector demonstrate the high level of interest in the technology, both in public and private sectors. This study will provide information on the technology, the decisions that are at the basis of implementing BCT projects, and the potential of BCT for the agri-food sector and value chains originating in low- and middleincome countries (LMICs).

Download the study (2019) "A chain of possibilities".

The world of inclusive agribusiness (IAB) is one of enthusiasm, innovation, and hoped-for structural change in how business is done. Case studies play an important role in learning effectively from these innovations, by making the experiences and lessons gleaned from them accessible and inspiring to others. Yet there is a structural lack of good examples that can  adequately inform and influence investments and new initiatives.

Read the complete guide (2018) "Creating effective case studies : a practical guide to making inclusive agribusiness experiences accessible and inspiring".

5 case studies:

1. Adoption processes of good horticulture practices in northern Uganda
2. Seed companies and the Tanzanian horticulture sector: case study
3. Making Vegetable Markets work for Smallholders in Myanmar
4. Collaborating to boost cocoa production in Indonesia
5. Sandwich of the day: inclusive business relations between farmers’ cooperatives and Subway in Nicaragua

Boef, W.S. de; Subedi, A; Peroni, N; Thijssen, M; O'Keeffe, E. (eds.) 2013. ISBN 978-0-415-50220-7.  Published by Earthscan, Routledge. Paperback and hardback. Download available via Community biodiversity management. 

This guide is a first step towards using a theory of change approach in the design, implementation, and evaluation of change initiatives that include a significant scaling ambition.

Read the complete guide (2016) "Using a Theory of Scaling (ToS) to guide decision making".