Call for Papers: Special Issue on ‘Private and Public Strategies for Success in Modern Agri Food Markets in Latin America’

Call for papers for: Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies

Guest Editors

    Alexis Villacis, Arizona State University
    Ernesto Stein, Inter-American Development Bank
    Romina Ordoñez, Inter-American Development Bank
    Piero Ghezzi, Inter-American Development Bank
    Jeffrey Alwang, Virginia Tech

As people become wealthier and switch away from staple grains and starches towards more diversified diets, products such as fruits and vegetables, meats, nutraceuticals and feed grains are facing dynamic demands. Increasingly sophisticated buyers are imposing strict standards and demanding higher-quality products, requiring new capabilities at the firm and the public sector level. Specializing in such products, particularly when countries have comparative advantages in them, has become increasingly attractive. At the same time, pressing environmental concerns over the agricultural sector's carbon footprint have created challenges as well as opportunities for Agribusiness Companies, Agtech Start-ups and governments. Advanced genetics, precision agriculture, big data, and the use of sensors and the internet of things suggests that industrial farming has become a technology-intensive industry. Yet successful integration in modern agriculture and in global value chains is far from automatic.

    What explains successful integration of firms into modern agri-food world markets? What type of strategies are required on the part of participating firms? How can governments support private firms in their quest to succeed? The debate on these issues will benefit from the study of cases from the Latin American and Caribbean region.

    This special issue calls for contributions expanding our understanding of successful cases of modern agri-food exports originated from Latin American and Caribbean firms. We invite submissions looking at private and public strategies behind successful cases of modern agri-food exports, highlighting that modern agriculture does not end within the farm; it requires a complex network of backward, forward and lateral linkages, with specialized economic agents and institutions that enable producers to compete in international markets and respond to changing demands.

    We encourage country studies that describe private and public sector strategies used to reach food export markets, such as the customization of products to the specific requirements of the target markets. Studies can focus on, but are not limited to, large vertically integrated firms, anchor-firms that work with small producers and connect them to international markets, and cooperatives or associations of small producers. We encourage studies to analyze the full value chain involved in the successful cases. The case studies should also highlight the role of the provision of key public goods for having access to foreign markets, including: (i) infrastructure (rural roads, ports, energy, irrigation systems, etc.), (ii) certification, sanitary, and phytosanitary services, (iii) research and extension services, and (iv) trade negotiations. 

Special Issue Timeline 

Authors interested in engaging in a developmental conversation with the guest editors are welcome to contact Alexis Villacis by e-mail. A tentative timeline is reported below: 

Full paper submission deadline: November 30, 2021 

Publication of the Special issue: 2022 

All full papers must be processed through ScholarOne Manuscripts, the dedicated peer review system used by the Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies (JADEE). When submitting your manuscript, please go to https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jadee and ensure you select the correct issue, ‘Private and Public Strategies for Success in Modern Agri-Food Markets in Latin America’ from the dropdown menu. 

To view the author guidelines for the JADEE, please click here. 

Papers that are evaluated to be promising but not ready in time for the publication of the special issue will be arranged to be published in the regular issues of the JADEE.

Contact the Guest Editors 

Alexis H. Villacis, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Morrison School of Agribusiness, W. P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University
E-mail: alexis.villacis@asu.edu 

Ernesto Stein, Ph.D.
Principal Economist
Inter-American Development Bank
E-mail: ernestos@iadb.org

Romina Ordoñez, Ph.D.
Economist
Inter-American Development Bank
E-mail: rominao@iadb.org

Piero Ghezzi, Ph.D.
Consultant, Inter-American Development Bank
E-mail: pieroeghezzi@gmail.com

Jeffrey Alwang, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Virginia Tech
E-mail: alwangj@vt.ed