AGRICOMPET - Governing the agri-food supply chain: how to improve smallholders competitiveness

First, the success of cooperatives or producer organisations differs substantially across types of co-op or PO, countries and industries, and significant inefficiencies can still be found in their operation. Therefore, WP1 will identify and assess pressing organisational challenges facing POs in the agri-food system, and will benchmark cooperative performance relative to other types of organization. It will then co-create, together with Mediterranean cooperative leaders, solutions to their dilemmas and a road map to continuously and sustainably build capabilities for change in their organizations. Second, the effectiveness of GI systems to facilitate access to local and international markets and to adapt to the sustainability challenges of agri-food chains is conditioned by both their internal governance systems and their institutional environments. Thus, WP2 will seek to identify and explore the feasibility of new or improved governance solutions to improve the functioning of the European GI system and the competitiveness of GI associated producers, assessing (in collaboration with other SC stakeholders) their effectiveness in different institutional settings. Third, taking advantage of e-commerce or accessing public procurement contracts is not easy for smallholders and POs. This is because of high investment risks, lack of awareness of their business models and technology, and regulatory uncertainty. Consequently, WP3 will investigate alternative e-business models for agri-food producers, the critical drivers of smallholders’ e-business transformation, and how public procurement policies can increase SMEs’ participation in public markets and ensure the sustainability of public procurement.