This study not only demonstrates application of modern organization management tools in agri-business operations around credit, but also provides important clues toward improving performance of credit in this country.

Today’s food and agribusiness managers operate in a rapidly changing, highly volatile, international, high technology, consumer-focused world. This new edition of Agribusiness Management was written to help prepare students and managers for a successful career in this new world of food and fiber production and marketing. Agribusiness Management uses four specific approaches to help readers develop and enhance their capabilities as agribusiness managers. First, this edition of the book offers a contemporary focus that reflects the issues that agribusiness managers face both today and are likely to face tomorrow. Specifically, food sector firms and larger agribusiness firms receive more attention in this edition, reflecting their increasing importance as employers of food and agribusiness program graduates. Second, the book presents conceptual material in a pragmatic way with illustrations and examples that will help the reader understand how a specific concept works in practice. Third, the book has a decision-making emphasis, providing contemporary tools that readers will find useful when making decisions in the contemporary business environment. Finally, Agribusiness Management offers a pertinent set of discussion questions and case studies that will allow the reader to apply the material covered in real-world situations. The bottom-line on this fourth edition of Agribusiness Management: this book is contemporary, solid on the fundamentals, practical and applicable. It provides students and adult learners with an essential understanding of what it takes to be a successful agribusiness manager in today’s rapidly evolving, highly unpredictable marketplace.

FAO’s previous contribution to the development of contract farming saw the publication in 2015 of the UNIDROIT/FAO/IFAD Legal Guide on Contract Farming, which focused on the bilateral relationship between an agricultural producer and a contractor. This Legislative Study develops that research and focuses on the regulatory frameworks for contract farming, aiming to highlight different possible approaches for different contexts. Responsible contract farming can be a powerful tool for small scale farmers in developing countries to move towards larger scalecommercial production. It can create economic wealth, contribute to supply chain efficiency through the production of higher quantities of better quality products, and contribute to achieving domestic food security objectives. Maximizing these benefits while minimizing the inherent risks of contract farming is reliant upon the forging of an enabling environment, a key part of which is the domestic regulatory framework. This Legislative Study provides guidance to domestic regulators and other interested readers on how to appraise and potentially reform domestic regulatory frameworks to achieve responsible contract farming. Recognising that different countries and contextual realties may benefit from different regulatory solutions, this Study provides several examples, supported by representative case studies, on how contract farming can be regulated, without promoting a single solution as the most appropriate. Please visit FAO’s Contract Farming Resource Centre, http://www.fao.org/in-action/contract-farming/en/, which is a regularly updated website hosting a variety of material on contract farming both from FAO and from other recognized authors.

This book deals with an agricultural production and marketing system known as contract farming (CF). In this system, a public or private agency purchases the crops of independent farmers through contracts, often providing inputs, technical assistance and marketing. CF has a long history in developed countries and has spread to the Third World. The book uses case studies from North America, Latin America and Africa to assess the experience to date and provide guidelines for the use of CF in the future.

An increasing number of African smallholders are moving from subsistence farming to selling at least part of their output. To shift successfully to a more commercial footing they need a lot more than the production advice traditionally provided by extension services. They need to understand how markets work. They also need advice on postharvest handling, help with business planning and marketing, assistance with organization, information on prices, links to buyers and credit, help with contracts and standards, and many other types of assistance. These agricultural business development services are provided by a mix of private companies, NGOs, cooperatives and government agencies in what is called a pluralistic extension system . Farmers and other clients such as input stores, small-scale processors and traders get some services for free, paid for by donors or the government. Others are subsidized: the farmers pay part of the cost. For still others, the farmers must pay the full cost. That leads to questions of sustainability (what happens when the donor s money runs out?), accountability (whom do the service providers listen to: the farmers, or the source of the funds?), and inclusiveness (how to ensure that women, the poor and disadvantaged get the services they need but cannot afford?). This book describes the two dominant approaches to providing services: supply-driven (where the funder decides what services should be offered), and market-driven (where more emphasis is put on market forces). It looks at how 12 business service providers from across Africa run their businesses. It describes the seven different business models that they pursue, and examines the features of each one. Based on their experiences, it proposes a new, needs-driven approach, which aims to overcome the shortcomings of both the supply-driven and the market-driven approaches by taking the needs of clients as a starting point for policy and action."

This introductory textbook provides an overview of the concepts necessary for an understanding of agricultural and agribusiness law. The text will help students of land-based industries with little or no legal background to appreciate and identify issues which may require referral or consultation with legal counsel. Each concise chapter addresses a different legal issue that those employed in agriculture and agribusiness may face, and both federal law and representative examples of state law are included. In addition to traditional topics such as contracts, property law and estate planning, the book also covers more contemporary issues such as organic certification, animal law, genetically engineered crops and food safety. Agricultural law extends beyond those directly engaged in farming to those in agribusiness who provide services and inputs to farmers, buy farmers’ products, store or transport products, manufacture food products, and serve as intermediaries between farmers and consumers. The book will therefore also serve as a reference and a guide for those employed in agribusiness as well as agriculture.

This volume presents a state-of-the-art overview of the rapidly evolving field of agribusiness, highlighting the most current issues, concepts, trends and themes in research, practice and policy. With a particular emphasis on technology, product and process innovation, the authors cover a wide array of topics relating to such issues as research and development, technology transfer and patents and licensing, with particular respect to the roles of academic institutions, private organizations and public agencies in generating and disseminating knowledge. Featuring case studies of innovative initiatives across the industry, this book will appeal to researchers, business leaders, university administrators and policymakers concerned with the multi-faceted implications of this dynamic and controversial sector.

This book aims to typify the extent to which contract farming is helping small farmers to access markets and meet increasingly stringent requirements, not only of "modern" food manufacturers, retailers, exporters and food service firms,by also in non-food sectors such as biofuels and forestry. It also seeks to clarify differences in the functionality of contracts depending on commodity, market, technology, public policies and country circumstances. Conceptual issues are discussed and a series of case study appraisals based on real world examples from developing regions are presented. The issuesraised by the case study authors and the key messages synthesized in the initial book chapter bring new insights and contributions to further enrich knowledge on contract farming as a tool for inclusive market access in development countries.

Nowadays, agricultural-food system has been experiencing major changes which are driven mainly by recent developments in consumer preferences and attitudes, technological improvements, food safety issues and related regulations. The advanced agro-food sec