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Some have found Africa’s participation in world trade to be low. However, a relatively well-developed literature argues that Africa’s trade has been in line with predicted trends and that the continent’s participation in international trade reflects its level of economic activity.

The Feed the Future NAFAKA II: Cereals Market System Development project, funded by USAID and implemented by ACDI/VOCA, developed a strategy to boost agricultural growth in Tanzania’s staple crops by helping individuals form producer organizations.

Growing anti-globalization sentiments and moves toward protectionism threaten to undermine the substantial benefits of global trade — particularly for food systems and nutrition — while doing nothing to address the problems associated with it.

Food safety remains essential to everyone, and blockchain alleviates some of the dangers to the food safety supply chain.

The specialty coffee trend highlights not only the U.S. consumers’ increased preference for higher quality coffee but also an interest in coffee farmers, as achieving higher quality starts with the producer. More than ever, consumers want to know their coffee’s bean-to-cup story.

Tajikistan is on the cusp of achieving its vision of a fully-functional market that allows land-use rights to be bought and sold.

Explore findings from two studies that look at social capital within maize and dairy cooperatives in Rwanda.

Women Empowerment in South Punjab through Investment in Rural Economy (WEinSPIRE) was selected as one of the winners of Chemonics’ recent innovation contest.

At Chemonics, the Economic Growth and Trade Practice and the Education and Youth Practice joined forces to kick off 2018 with the launch of our Market Systems and Youth Enterprise Development Innovation Contest.

Explore findings from research on why some 66% of farmers in malt barley cooperatives in parts of Ethiopia were side-selling.

Network analysis is often cited as a useful tool for analyzing market systems, but can be difficult for large networks. In Bangladesh, the USAID-funded Rice and Diversified Crops (RDC) activity tested an ego-net approach.

With support from the Cooperative Development Program (CDP), Equal Exchange set out to answer if small farmers are really too poor to invest. In 2010, the CDP and Equal Exchange began working together with six farmer organizations in Latin America building member investment and savings programs.

The development-focused investment model that is evolving in South Africa reflects a new model that combines both community cooperative and business partner by means of joint ventures. Read on to learn how this model takes a business approach to development that attracts private investment.

What is changing besides the name? We have a great new look with improved functionality, easier navigation by topics, and a more effective search. And… we’re finally mobile friendly! Hello, Marketlinks.

Recent evidence about firm size and likelihood of growth seems conflicting, with important implications for the kind of program designs donors may seek to support.

In Liberia, a new mobile money provider has been onboarded to a mobile salary payment project, opening up the market to healthy competition.

Learn more about the importance of strengthening input market systems in the lead up to the 2017 SEEP Annual Conference.

Digital services — with their geographic reach, ease of use, and transparency — are driving financial inclusion and alleviating poverty. But are rural women being left behind?

Learn how mobile technology is revolutionizing financial diaries data collection.

In the context of Bangladesh, two of the most influential informal norms are family loyalty and social hierarchy, and these norms permeate many layers of social interaction and structure, including market systems and businesses.

Learn how system mapping can reveal connections between interventions and pathways for synergy in market facilitation practices.

Even in a good year, when the weather cooperates and pests are held at bay, the world’s farmers face another threat: prices.

Market systems conversations should be centered on subsidies — where they are applied, what measures we take to ensure they are “smart,” and how we design subsidies to strengthen development impact.

Read how a project in the Haitian apparel sector is taking on the challenge of demonstrating development projects' indirect, broader systemic impacts.

A few small changes in the market system—collection points closer to home, machines that provide more transparency, and aligning the needs of buyers and producers—can provide all of these benefits because together they solve the market failure.