Can value chain analysis support public heath nutrition? a case study of the fruit and vegetable sector in Fiji

Background: For the poor, a diverse, locally acceptable, nutrient-rich food supply is often inaccessible, leading to the consumption of low quality diets. Value chain analysis (VCA) has been proposed to support the identification of solutions to food supply problems, however little evidence of its usefulness for this purpose exists. This case study aimed to determine how fruit and vegetable value chains in Fiji – where poor diets and high rates of diet-related disease have been identified – contribute to product accessibility and acceptability in urban areas and to assess the benefit of VCA in identifying opportunities for intervention. Methods: Focus groups were used to establish the fruit and vegetable attributes acceptable to and valued by consumers. Following this, a series of workshops, interviews, and observations with chain actors and stakeholders were used to map three exemplar fruit and vegetable chains and assess their ability to make acceptable and valued fresh products accessible to the urban population. Results: Urban Fijians are motivated to consume fresh, local produce, but often find the supply to be inconsistent, low quality, and unaffordable. Value chain characteristics that contribute to these supply challenges include poor infrastructure (e.g. roads and water supplies), limited access to agricultural inputs, sub-optimal post-harvest care and handling, and strained relationships between chain actors. Discussion: Several points in the exemplar chains where targeted intervention could lead to improved accessibility and acceptability were identified. These findings suggest a benefit to the use of VCA as a tool for identifying promising solutions to nutrition problems.