Employment and inclusiveness in agricultural value chains: what structures for what outcomes?

Abstract Agri-food value chains (AVCs) are major drivers of economic growth and employment worldwide. However, not all AVCs create employment in quantity and quality in the same way, and their inclusiveness potential is not equal according to their key features. The purpose of this article is twofold. First, it proposes a framework to analyze the links between AVCs’ structure, employment, and inclusiveness. Second, it applies an evidence-based method to score and calculate indicators for 42 AVCs in Africa, Latin America, and Asia that illustrate a diversity of situations. The results show that primary production remains the core stage of job creation. The ability of AVCs to create employment and the quality of those jobs, including inclusiveness, are far from being interlinked. AVCs that combine domestic and export markets, a significant size and contributions from processing and trade, and a substantial and fair value-added share, have the strongest positive link on employment and inclusiveness.