A value chain (VC) development approach is a holistic method, which examines all the elements, the players, their complex interlinked behaviour, and their technical, economic, social and environmental performance to devise an upgrading strategy that will improve the chain’s sustainability and resilience to shocks.
The FISH4ACP VC development approach is highly participatory in nature and stakeholders driven. The primary aim is to provide a VC development plan on which all stakeholders agree as they will need to commit resources to the upgrading of the VC throughout and beyond the lifetime of the FISH4ACP initiative. Each VC supported by FISH4ACP has a ten-year upgrading strategy, resulting in an overall action and investment/financing plan for improving the VC with aeras of intervention which should eventually remove the main constraints on the development of the CV. FISH4ACP oversees and supports the implementation of the upgrade strategy up to 2025. In this process, FAO is a neutral facilitator and catalytic coordinator in the project’s analysis and development activities.
The three fish farming VCs supported by the project (farmed tilapia VCs in Côte d’Ivoire and Zimbabwe and catfish VCs in Nigeria) have activities in their upgrading strategy to promote investment and foster access to finance for VC operators, including: linking financial institutions with VC stakeholders, building their capacities, enabling financial institutions to develop suitable products and operators to improve their access to financial services.