African Association of Agricultural Economists. Shaping the Future of African
Agriculture for Development: The Role of Social Scientists. Proceedings of the Inaugural
Symposium, 6 to 8 December 2004, Grand Regency Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya
Competitive Strategy through Innovative Partnerships at the Regional Level: The Case of Tomatoes
and Soybean Value Chains in Northern Togo.
A. Maatman, A. Konlambigue1 and T. Yatombo2
Abdou Konlambigue , Economist
International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development (IFDC - Africa Division)
BP: 4483 Lomé, Togo, Email: akonlambigue@ifdc.org, Tel: (228)221-79-71I
Abstract: Agricultural intensification is widely seen as a condition sine-qua-non for overall economic
growth and food security in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Though attention is shifting from technology
development to more market-oriented approaches, the best examples of agricultural intensification seem to
happen relatively independent of interventions from the development circuit. This paper argues that
agricultural intensification and market development may be stimulated through grassroots and regional-
level efforts when care is taken not to substitute for responsibilities that belong to farmers, traders, and
other stakeholders themselves. An approach is required that carefully addresses the factors influencing the
competitiveness of agricultural enterprises. A major role of ‘facilitating institutions’ may be to develop
efficient relationships between farmers - and their complex multi-purpose farming systems – and traders
and processors - engaged in commodity specific trade and processing market segments. Finally,
competitiveness is not something to win for today – it crucially depends on innovation and continuous
learning. The paper present cases from Northern Togo, where effective linkages have been established
between farmers, traders, processors and rural bankers and NGOs. The paper concentrate on three cases:
tomato production and marketing, soy bean processing, and the