LightCastle Partners Joins SFSA to Analyze Key Agro-Value Chains for Nutrition-Sensitive Value Chain Commodities (NSVC) in Rangpur Region

LightCastle Partners has recently signed a contract with Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA) Bangladesh to conduct a comprehensive value chain mapping exercise for selected nutrition-sensitive value chain commodities (NSVC) in Rangpur, Bangladesh.

Nutrition in City Ecosystems (NICE), a Swiss private-public consortium comprising Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, ETH Zurich, Sight and Life and Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture supported by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, is committed to improving healthy nutrition through sustainable food production and diversified diets in urban areas.

LightCastle has been onboarded to closely assess the value chains, which include brinjal, bitter gourd, zinc-enriched rice, mango, and eggs and gain insights into the dynamics of these value chains, from production to consumption, to visually represent production locations of NSVC commodities on a holistic map, integrating NICE Farmers’ Hubs, and utilizing satellite data and geographical resources.

The Study Objectives include:

• Value Chain Actor Identification: Identify key value chain actors and comprehend how they negotiate on crucial factors such as quality, quantity, and price.
• Mapping Sales Points: Pinpoint both formal and informal sales points in urban and peri-urban areas, mapping the flow of produce, and analyzing price variations along the value chain.
• Destination Analysis: Investigate the destination points of the selected value chains, extending from Rangpur to other major markets and secondary cities.
• Demand Dynamics: Assess historical demand trends for the chosen commodities, integrating demand projections into the value chain analysis to evaluate market changes and status.
• Gender and Youth Inclusion: Evaluate the roles of women and youth in each value chain.
• Recommend Intervention Blueprint: Ultimately, the study aims to create a blueprint for intervention within the value chain, aligning with the overarching goal of improving nutrition and sustainable food production.

This study is set to unfold over a period of 2.5 months, with activities spanning across the Rangpur district with ambitions to deliver insights and recommendations and enhance sustainable food production and nutrition in urban food systems.