Value-Added Agriculture

 

Before we started down the road to value-added agriculture, we understood where the road will lead us. 

Value-added agriculture is a movement that has created a life of its own.  It is an idea that has the potential to change production agriculture and rural Zambia.

 

However, we need to define What is Value-Added Agriculture? Generally there are five ways, farmers have of adding value.  For a more specific definition, we define value-added agriculture using USDA Definition.

​

However, to be successful in this movement we must look further into this concept of adding value.  For example, there is a difference between capturing value and creating value.  Regardless of whether we capture value or create value, the bottom line is that we get paid for providing value. If Wilderness Farms do not provide value to the system, there is no reason to expect a return. So the process of creating a successful Wilderness farms business involves the search for providing value.  Providing value can be in the form of marketing a unique product, filling a market niche, simplifying the supply chain, providing a service, lowering costs, providing contract farming to peasant farmers and many other ways.  The more value we provide, the more return we can extract from the marketplace. 

 

At Wilderness Farms Value-added agriculture generally focuses on production or manufacturing processes, marketing or contract farming or services that increase the value of primary agricultural commodities, perhaps by increasing appeal to the consumer and the consumer's willingness to pay a premium over similar but undifferentiated products. Usually, a value-added addition is a worthwhile investment because it generates higher return, allow penetration of a new, potentially high-value market, extend the production season, or perhaps create brand identity or develop brand loyalty.

 

Applications

Wilderness Farms applications can be submitted by independent producers, farmers, peasant farmers and rancher cooperatives, agricultural producer groups, and majority-controlled producer-based business ventures for the development and marketing of new or enhanced value-added agricultural products (including organic agricultural production). The program is administered by Wilderness Farms head office.

​

​

​

​

​