Development researchers' lunch with Assistant Professor Martin Prowse

Tobacco, traceability and transformation: What can value chain analysis tell us about Malawi’s main industry?

Smallholders grow the majority of Malawi’s main export crop – burley tobacco. This presentation reports findings from value chain analyses for the 2003/4 and 2009/10 seasons. The comparison shows smallholder profits in 2003/4 were limited by two main factors: a cartel of leaf merchants at auction and inefficient marketing arrangements. In 2009/10, there was greater competition at auction, improvements in marketing, tighter state regulation (including minimum prices) and much more contract farming. Leaf merchants have rapidly expanded contract farming due to manufacturers growing obsession with credence concerns and litigation. Contract farming offers merchants the ability to meet manufacturers’ compliance and traceability requirements. It offers an opportunity for process and product upgrading by smallholders but threatens to exclude poorer growers.
The presentation concludes by reflecting on the political economy of the tobacco industry and reflects on the role leaf merchants can play in diversifying Malawi’s economic base.

To read more about Martin Prowse's research, please see these articles:

Registration: Please email development@adm.ku.dk before noon 23 April 2014.

See a map over the Department of Geoscience and Natural Resource Management to find the location.

All interested researchers from UNCPH or other universities are welcome.

The University’s Working Group for Development (WG-Development) has decided to sponsor a num­ber of development researchers’ lunches where researchers in the de­ve­lop­ment field will be given the possibility of networking.

The University of Copenhagen hosts an impressive array of development research and has a good number of internationally recognised research groups that form parts of wide­spread international networks. It is the aim of the initiative that by getting to know each other’s research areas, this can facilitate synergy across disciplines and enhance the possibilities of interdisciplinary research. This is in many cases essential for successful applications for external funding.

The set-up:
Every lunch will be preceded by a general presentation/discussion followed by a short break before we continue to a sandwich lunch sponsored by WG-Development. Even if you are unable to attend the presentation/discussion, you are very welcome to attend the lunch.

Time: 
The general presentation/discussion begins at 11:30 am and ends by 12:15 pm. The lunch be­gins at 12:15 and ends at 13:00 pm. We will be very strict with regards to keeping this sche­dule; meaning that if you arrive for the lunch at 12:15 pm you will not feel that you are crashing into a formal presentation/discussion.

Frequency: 
We will, as a rule, organise one lunch on the third Thursday in every month. If there is a particular interest in ‘ad hoc lunches’ – for instance to meet with interesting guests who are vi­si­ting the University – we will also be happy to organise this.

Language: 
Presentations and general discussions will be conducted in either English or Danish.

Need to sign up before the lunch: 
WG-Development is spon­soring sandwiches, soft-drinks and coffee/tea so we need to have a fair idea about the number of par­ticipants. Therefore, please sign up for the lunch. If, however, you have not signed up, we would still be happy to see you at the lunches!

Specialised lunches: 
If an inter-disciplinary group of development researchers want to jointly pur­sue a specific theme (eg. work on a research funding application or discuss a specific research theme), WG-Development may also be willing to sponsor these lun­ches.

We look forward to seeing you.

The University of Copenhagen Working Group for Development;
Professor, Head of Department Niels Elers Koch, chairman
Professor Esther Fihl, representative from the Faculty of Humanities
Professor Morten Broberg, representative from the Faculty of Law
Professor Andreas de Neergaard, representative from the Faculty of Science
Professor Finn Tarp, representative from the Faculty of Social Sciences
Professor Flemming Konradsen, representative from the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Associate Professor Stig Jensen, representative from the Faculty of Theology