This framework report, with accompanying country studies, identifies the roles, types and needs of SMEs in food systems.
Food related businesses represent over 30% of all the enterprises that Argidius grantees support- the largest represented sector. Having made significant traction building an understanding of how enterprises, regardless of sector, can be generically supported to grow, Argidius have begun exploring whether an intentional sectoral focus can achieve deeper impact goals.
ISF Advisors were commissioned to develop a food systems framework to help Argidius better understand the roles of SMEs within food systems, how they might be better supported to grow, to effectively contribute to more impactful, resilient, and sustainable systems, and how Argidius might effectively engage. The framework was tested in three countries with very different food systems, Guatemala, Colombia and Uganda. We’ve found the framework and country studies insightful in guiding our thinking on where and how we can deepen our engagement with SMEs in food systems and hope, by sharing this work, it might help others when thinking about how and where to effectively engage.
The framework and its application helpfully reveals the types and profiles of SMEs present in food systems; how the presence of different types of SME varies dependent on country context and in particular the stage of value chain development; how there are different segments of agri-SMEs which tend to have different support needs; and some of the key organisations both globally, and nationally in the two countries profiled, working on supporting food systems and agri-SMEs.
