Welcome to VCA4D's Capacity4Dev page, here you will find information on the project as well as access to the full reports and study briefs produced. Scroll down to see the full list of studies undertaken and two explanatorty videos! 

VCA4D performs value chain analyses (VCAs) across a range of agricultural commodities and countries in order to appraise their contribution to growth and job creation, taking into account the sustainability and inclusiveness of these value chains (VC).

A value chain refers to the sequence of production processes from the primary production to its end uses. It is a system of different types of actors orientated towards the markets (farmers, collectors, processors, wholesalers, retailers…). As such, VCs consider all the stages and all the forms a commodity has to pass through to arrive ‘from farm to fork’!

VCA4D uses a common methodological framework, with the aim of appraising the sustainability of a VC from an economic, social and environmental perspective. This is preceded by a functional analysis, that provides with a general description of the VC, a technical diagnosis of its different stages and an analysis of its governance and power structure.

The methodological framework is intended as a tool for diagnosis and monitoring through the valorisation of quantitative data and evidence-based information. It is built around shedding light on 4 framing questions:

A VCA can be performed at each stage of the projects’ implementation, as it allows policymakers and stakeholders to gain a comprehensive picture of the situation at a specific moment. A VCA4D study and its regular updates can help creating quantitative baselines, capturing changes linked to investments over time (in particular, but not only when working with the private sector), or understanding the real issues at stake in order to better target policies, strategies, policy dialogue and projects.

Each VCA4D study is performed by a team of 4 experts: an agro-economist, a social expert, an environmentalist and a national expert. The experts are researches coming from one of the 30 European Universities or Research centers members of Agrinatura or from its associated centres and partners.

Agrinatura is the European Alliance of Universities and Research centres specialised in agricultural research and capacity building for development. The VCAs therefore take stock, build upon and valorise the substantive knowledge of European research, to make sure that the analyses are scientifically robust, yet independent.   

While the first year of the project concentrated on launching the first VCAs, the next phases will also focus on consolidating lessons learnt, building an information and knowledge management system, and strengthening capacities in partner countries and in Europe to apply and interpret the VCA4D methodology and results.

Agrinatura has established a Project Management Unit (PMU) in Brussels to manage the day-to-day activities of the project.

For any queries, do not hesitate to write to vca4d@agrinatura-eu.eu  

For a short overview on VCA4D, we invite you to watch our presentation video!  

To learn more about the VCA4D methodology please click below!