Welcome to the Value Chain Development Wiki
These wiki pages codify good practice in value chain development drawing from research conducted under the leadership of the USAID Microenterprise Development team by the ACDI/VOCA AMAP BDS consortium and many other contributing organizations, academics and institutions.
USAID’s approach to enterprise development has evolved from facilitating markets for business services to a broader value chain perspective. The premise of USAID's new approach is that enterprise development can create wealth in poor communities and promote economic growth by sustainably linking large numbers of micro- and small enterprises (MSEs) into international, national and/or local value chains. To achieve this goal, the approach calls for linking small firms to economic growth opportunities, while ensuring both the incentives for and the capability to compete in and benefit from market participation. The Key Elements of the Value Chain Approach details the rationale and background for USAID's new approach to enterprise development.
The Value Chain Development wiki is a tool to engage and share experiences amongst peers; it will only be truly useful if people like you—who design, implement and support value chain development programs—contribute to it. Conceptually, the pages are organized around the structural and dynamic elements of the value chain framework and the project cycle, providing annotated links to relevant papers, tools and project examples.
The Value Chain Framework
The Value Chain Framework comprises the structure and dynamics of the value chain.
- End Markets
- Business Enabling Environment
- Vertical Linkages
- Horizontal Linkages
- Supporting Markets
- Value Chain Governance
- Inter-firm Relationships
- Upgrading
The Value Chain Project Cycle
The Project Cycle is a step-by-step process for designing and implementing programs with principles of value chain development, an approach that promotes economic growth by sustainably linking large numbers of micro- and small enterprises (MSEs) into competitive industries.
- Value Chain Selection
- Value Chain Analysis
- Competitiveness Strategy
- Design and Implementation
- Monitoring and Evaluation
Resources
In the Resources section users may find links to various value chain development-related materials.