Reducing vulnerability is one of the drivers behind this book, which discusses how to include small-scale farmers’ groups in the ownership of the companies that market or add value to their produce. Following the introductory chapter, Farmers as shareholders describes the experiences of four companies – in Ghana, Peru, Rwanda and the Netherlands – that are partly owned by the farmers who supply them with cocoa, coffee, tea or cotton.
How did they become shareholders, and what were the benefits and the challenges? Written for ethical investors, international enterprises with branches in Africa, policy-makers, donor programme officers and others, this book presents lessons learned on improving value chain coordination by stimulating producer shareholding.
"The subject is even more interesting and relevant in the present time in which unbridled shareholder capitalism combined with excessive risk-taking have wreaked such socio-economic havoc…The experiences presented in this bulletin should encourage us to think about how we can reshape a globalizing economy and distribute its revenues in a more equitable way. " Hans-Willem van der Waal, Managing Director, Agrofair (quoted from the preface of ‘Farmers as shareholders’)
http://www.kitpublishers.nl/smartsite.shtml?&id=33693&ItemID=2764
