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This article analyzes the dynamics and systemic failures of three Senegalese value chains leather, fonio, and Maad (*Saba senegalensis*) through the lens of the value chain approach developed by the French school of industrial economics. Employing a mixed-methods approach that combines 591 questionnaires and 32 semi-structured interviews across the Thiès, Ziguinchor, and Tambacounda regions, the study examines the technical, financial, and socio-economic dimensions of each chain, as well as the systemic failures limiting their development potential. The findings reveal three contrasting value chain configurations and offer three key insights: innovation can occur without an institutional framework; gender shapes sectoral knowledge bases; and institutions suffer from a functional invisibility that disconnects them from the very actors they are meant to support. Failures of the same nature produce contrasting pathways for the sectors, depending on their intensity and combination. These contributions enrich the analysis of value chains in the context of least developed countries.
The role of agricultural extension (AE) is largely documented. It is particularly welcome for economic development in countries like Haiti, where a significant portion of the population is engaged in agriculture. However, it remains undocumented in Haiti. In this empirical study, we analyzed a large sample of 1374 farming households to unveil whether access to AE helped them secure a higher socioeconomic situation. According to our findings, 32.0% of the sample had access to AE during the five years before the survey. The significant factors associated to such access were location, agricultural training, telephone use, financial and social inclusion. The farming households who benefited AE were less food insecure than their counterparts with no such innovation or information access. In addition, this access helped farmers earn higher income (both agricultural and total income). The study recommends that the government should put in place policies that encourage AE for farmers while paying attention to the type of innovations provided. AE programs should value ICT like telephone use and target marginal areas.
This study analyzes the determinants of frugal innovation in informal enterprises in Burkina Faso. The methodological approach adopted is quantitative and is based on data collected from 405 enterprises spread across all thirteen regions of the country. These data were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) and multiple linear regression. The results highlight the predominance of the owner-manager’s psycho-cognitive factors as the main driver of innovation. Whilst the immediate environment also has a notable, albeit more moderate, impact, the study paradoxically reveals that government policy does not significantly influence the propensity to innovate in informal sector enterprises. This finding validates the theory of self-organization in the informal sector and confirms the importance of proximity-based models. It highlights a form of entrepreneurial resilience capable of overcoming the shortcomings of institutional support. This research encourages entrepreneurs to capitalize on their agility and local networks. It also calls for a shift away from current public policies, moving from complex formal support to local technical support, and creating “frugal innovation free zones” with reduced regulatory constraints.
