We apply a value chain approach to examine how blackberry producers in Ecuador can improve production and marketing practices to obtain more favorable prices. Results show that general upgrading actions are associated with improved producer prices, and specific activities, such as seeking information from reputable sources can lead to substantial welfare improvements. The paper goes beyond most value chain studies which treat participation in a ‘modern’ value chain as a discrete state. Ecuador's blackberry industry is evolving incrementally with no clearly discernible ‘modern’ market chains. Instead, producers incrementally make improvements in multiple dimensions. Relatively low‐cost practices, many of which do not imply substantial risk or investment, are associated with price improvements. Obstacles to participation in incremental value chain upgrading activities are not insurmountable. In particular, scale of production is not a limiting factor: small‐scale producers are not precluded from adopting improved practices and they do not suffer in terms of price received.

中文翻译：

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安第斯山脉的价值链：为厄瓜多尔的黑莓生产商进行升级

我们采用价值链方法来研究厄瓜多尔的黑莓生产商如何改善生产和销售方式以获得更优惠的价格。结果表明，一般的升级行动与生产者价格的上涨有关，而特定的活动（例如，从信誉良好的来源寻求信息）可以带来实质性的福利改善。该论文超越了大多数将“现代”价值链的参与视为离散状态的价值链研究。厄瓜多尔的黑莓产业正在逐步发展，没有清晰可辨的“现代”市场链。取而代之的是，生产者在多个方面逐步进行改进。相对低成本的做法与价格提高相关联，其中许多做法并不意味着存在重大风险或投资。参与增量价值链升级活动的障碍并非无法克服。特别是，生产规模不是一个限制因素：不排除小规模生产者采用改进的做法，而且它们在收到的价格方面也不会受到影响。