Inputs Subsystem Study

Abstract

The USAID Uganda Feed the Future Value Chain (FTF-VC) project uses a market facilitation approach to impact the value chains that serve smallholder farmers in Uganda. This study focuses on the “inputs subsystem”: the part of the value chain that enables farmers to access inputs such as fertilizer and seeds. We aimed to understand whether and to what extent expected changes were occurring in the last four years of FTF-VC work by asking “How has the inputs “subsystem” been changing over time?” We focus on changes in key behaviors and relationships targeted by the FTF-VC project, and how they have manifested in three types of actors (see Figure 1): wholesalers and input dealers (or “agrodealers”), farmers, and output value chain actors (such as collectors / village agents or traders) who are involved in the inputs value chain.