Information and communication technology in small scale business based agricultural value chains in Sub-Saharan Africa - examples from Kenyan and Tanzanian horticulture

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Although agriculture in most developing countries is dominated by small scale businesses, relatively few of them managed to integrate into international value chains. One exception can be found in the Kenyan export horticultural sector. In most other small scale business based African agricultural value chains, like in Tanzania a larger export orientation in horticulture has not taken place yet, but commercial production is increasing and public as well as donor activities support this development. At the same time, Kenyan, Tanzanian and other small scale businesses in the Global South are facing a new significant development: the broad spread of information and communication technology (ICT). So far the influences of this development on commercial small businesses are not clear and are the subject of controversial discussions. This study aims to analyze and explain to what extent the proliferation of mobile phones, internet and other ICT solutions is changing the organization and coordination of Kenyan and Tanzanian commercial horticultural value chains with a focus on small scale farmers and traders. The results shall contribute to the general theoretical debate on value chains in the Global South and explore the dynamics of their coordination and organization. The study is based on conceptual approaches on ICT in the Global South and Value Chain concepts. The empirical background shall be given by qualitative and quantitative surveys in two case studies: the highly commercialized Mt. Kenya region (Kenya) and the commercializing Mwanza region (Tanzania).