Universität zu Köln

Krone, Madlen and Dannenberg, Peter ORCID: 0000-0002-4159-6635 (2018). Analysing the effects of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on the integration of East African farmers in a value chain context. Z. Wirtsch., 62 (1). S. 65 - 82. BERLIN: WALTER DE GRUYTER GMBH. ISSN 2365-7693

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

Insufficient access to markets, limited financial transactions, and a lack of information and knowledge often restrict opportunities for small-scale farmers to link up with commercial value chains in Sub-Saharan Africa. Advances in information and communication technologies (ICTs), especially mobile phones and the internet, have expanded the possibility to communicate across geographical distances and to integrate into commercial value chains. By using a novel combination of conceptual considerations on ICTs, value chains, and relational proximity, this paper assesses: 1. How the use of ICTs affects the integration of small-scale farmers into the value chains (by analysing the information and knowledge flow, the financial and market transactions) and 2. to what extent the use of ICTs is on the other side influenced by the value chain context (i.e. the structure and coordination of the chain and the relational proximity between farmer and buyer). Our findings showed that even simple ICTs (phones) can lead to improvements for farmers to integrate into the chain as they facilitate simple information and complex knowledge flow, financial transactions, and market access, even though a greater structural transformation was absent. However, our results showed that the extent of the effects depends on the context in the value chains, in particular their structure, coordination, and the relational proximity between the actors. In this way, this paper contributes to the conceptual discussions on information and communication for development (ICT4D) and the dynamics in value chains.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Krone, Madlen UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Dannenberg, Peter UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-4159-6635 UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-194351
DOI:	10.1515/zfw-2017-0029
Journal or Publication Title:	Z. Wirtsch.
Volume:	62
Number:	1
Page Range:	S. 65 - 82
Date:	2018
Publisher:	WALTER DE GRUYTER GMBH
Place of Publication:	BERLIN
ISSN:	2365-7693
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
Divisions:	Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences > Department of Geosciences > Geographisches Institut
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language GLOBAL PRODUCTION NETWORKS; MOBILE PHONES; MARKET PARTICIPATION; FINANCIAL SERVICES; M-PESA; GOVERNANCE; TRUST; STANDARDS; DISTANCE; IMPACT Multiple languages Economics; Geography Multiple languages
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/19435