Sustainability of agricultural and fisheries value chains in EU partner countries

In November 2020, Agrinatura organised a webinar entitled “Covid-19: new challenge or new opportunity to enhance sustainability of agricultural and fisheries value chains in EU partner countries?”. It was organised within the framework of the Value Chain Analysis for Development (VCA4D) programme, which is funded by the European Union (EU). The VCA4D programme involves carrying out analyses of priority value chains in EU-partner countries in order to assess their sustainability and inclusiveness from social, economic and environmental perspectives.

The event was an opportunity for reflection and dialogue between experts involved in the VCA4D studies and policymakers on disruptions which occurred in various value chains (VCs) as a result of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Key findings from case studies presented:

The experts presented evidence from 10 case studies from Africa and South America. It is evident from these cases that the effects of as well as responses to the pandemic differed across VCs and countries.

Part 1 - Introduction to the webinar 

• moderator Dr Gideon Onumah
• Short insights from a panel of VCA4D experts on “what happened” in specific agricultural and fisheries value chains during the “COVID-19 crisis” – 2:10
• See the transcript 02/06/2021: Summary of the VCA4D webinar

1. Case 1/ Ethiopia - Cotton (Gian Nicolay) – 8:23
2. Case 2/ Ecuador - Cocoa (Johan Blockeel) – 13:33
3. Case 3/ Togo - Pineapple (Konga Palassi and Osée Alate) – 16:40
4. Case 4/ Angola - Coffee (Bernardo Piazzardi and Margarida Lima de Faria) - 21:24
5. Case 5/ Mali - Fisheries (Ivonne Acosta Alba) - 32:01
6. Case 6/ The Gambia - Fisheries (Adama Mbaye) - 38:07
7. Case 7/ Colombia – Diary (Gustavo Saldarriaga) - 43:29
8. Case 8/ Ghana – Sorghum (Ricardo Villani and Gideon Onumah) - 48:31
9. Case 9/ Nigeria - Maize (Muhammed Bello and Gideon Onumah) - 58:22
10. Case 10/ Zambia – Maize (Anthony Chapoto) - 1:04:23

Part 2 - Questions & Answers & Wrap-Up: “a synthesis of the evidence emerging from the different cases” 

See the transcript 02/06/2021: Summary of the VCA4D webinar

Part 3 - “In the policy officers’ shoes” - insights, comments and questions: will the Covid-19 crisis change the future?

• Guy Faure, DEVCO C1, Rural Development, Food Security and Nutrition
• Catharina Bamps, Delegation of the European Union to Angola - 07:40
• Katrine Mulvad Thomsen and Frank Isioma Okafor, Delegation of the European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS – 16:14
• Questions & Answers
• See the transcript 02/06/2021: Summary of the VCA4D webinar

Part 4 - Concluding remarks

• Dr Marie-Hélène Dabat & Dr Gideon Onumah