From islands of opportunity to seas of change: scaling inclusive agri-food markets

The context: islands of inclusive business success stories

Growing and changing demands for food, the impacts of climate change, responding to poverty and hunger, and rapid decline of natural resources create a set of interconnected factors that mean ‘business as usual’ is not an option if businesses are to maintain secure supplies and food security is to be assured. Innovation and growth in the agri-food sector must focus on how to scale, secure and distribute supplies in an inclusive and sustainable way, and how to get there fast.

These challenges have been clearly recognised. Change is underway. The last decade has seen an explosion of sustainable value chain initiatives. Business forums along with many leading agri-food companies have set forward-looking strategies and ambitious goals to make business inclusive. Inclusive business means creating profitable business models and strategies that help drive economic opportunities for those who would otherwise be left behind – small-scale farmers, local agribusinesses and the rural unemployed.

In practice, inclusiveness requires the right incentives, building trust within supply chains, joint decision-making and the transfer of skills. In the big picture, scaling inclusive agri-business is about creating the investments, assets and incentives so that smaller-scale producers and rural enterprises can be effective partners in the business of sustainably feeding 9 billion people.

The big question for the coming decades is how to build on these developments to achieve the scale of change needed, and quickly. Where are efforts remaining ‘islands of success’ and where are they adding up to a ‘sea of change’? What inspirational examples are emerging, which ideas could be adapted, mutated or cross-pollinated? And where do those with experience see the opportunities for rapidly putting good ideas into practice at larger scale? Experience is developing rapidly but the lessons and insights often remain fragmented.

Seas of Change: a community of practice for inclusive business

Profitable business will be a major motor of change. However, creating the enabling conditions calls for effective partnerships between business, producer organisations, policy makers, donors, civil society organisations, knowledge institutions and international agencies. Seas of Change (SoC) is a dynamic community of practice that helps these actors to tackle operational challenges and share innovative practices. SoC works with an urgent innovation agenda with practical and workable ways forward for inclusive business. It concentrates on three priority areas for action research, capacity development and exchange: inclusive business models, performance measurement and public-private partnerships.

Aim, objectives and key activities

The overall aim of SoC is to help drive an inclusive approach to agricultural development that can draw more small-scale producers into long term commercially viable markets, create new and fair employment opportunities in the sector and stimulate small and medium enterprise. The objectives are:

The overall aim of SoC is to help drive an inclusive approach to agricultural development that can draw more small-scale producers into long term commercially viable markets, create new and fair employment opportunities in the sector and stimulate small and medium enterprise. The objectives are:

1. To answer the following questions:

• What approaches and models for inclusive agri-food markets are being tried and which are working in what contexts?
• What is the scale of change being achieved versus the scale considered necessary?
• What key hindrances and supporting factors are shaping successful efforts?
• What are optimal roles and responsibilities of business, knowledge institutes, NGOs and policy makers in scaling up inclusive agri-food market development?