Supermarkets contracts and smallholder farmers: Implications for income and multidimensional poverty

Three rounds of panel data from smallholders in Kenya showed a 40% increase in household income. One important finding, relevant to public private engagement, is that poorer farmers did not benefit as much in absolute terms. This illustrates the enormous scope for public private partnerships to harness supermarket contracts to include marginalised smallholders. It also shows that efforts must be taken to ensure that profits are fairly distributed and driven towards farmers. The study offers helpful, practical insights into how  smallholders are connected with contracting schemes. Multidimensional poverty measures are assessed for impact.