F.7 Number of other value chain actors supported

F.7 Number of other value chain actors supported

VERSION

V6.0 - 2026.03 — Existing with revisions

INDICATOR CODE

F.7

TECHNICAL OWNER

PRG-R

INDICATOR TYPE

Country Level Output Indicator

INDICATOR CLASSIFICATION

Complementary

INDICATOR SCOPE

Programme specific

APPLICABILITY

This indicator applies to WFP value chain development work (aka Smallholder Agricultural Market Support – SAMS), combining procurement and programmatic activities along the value chain to promote improved access to stable and remunerative markets for targeted smallholder farmers. Interventions include but are not limited to: support to smallholder capacity to access productive input and equipment; support to post-harvest loss reduction and processing; capacity strengthening of smallholder aggregation systems; promotion of market access; capacity strengthening of value chain actors, including access to finance and digitalization.

The selection of this indicator is recommended against the following sub-activities in CSPs logframes. Selection of the below sub-activities will NOT trigger the mandatory selection of this indicator:

Smallholder agricultural market support (SMS)

UNIT OF MEASUREMENT & ANALYSIS

Number

DEFINITION

This indicator measures the number of value chain actors other than smallholder farmers or smallholder aggregation systems that WFP and cooperating partners support or collaborate with, as part of value chain development work.

Below are some key terminologies for this indicator:

Value chain actors are those stakeholders involved in the activities required to bring a product from conception, through the different phases of production, delivery to final consumers and disposal after use. Usually, value chain actors are divided into direct actors and indirect actors.

Direct value chain actors are the core actors involved in production, post-harvest, processing, and commercialization.

Indirect value chain actors are those who offer services to the direct actors at various points in the chain, such as input or service suppliers.

Indicator F.7 is intended to measure value chain actors besides tier 1/direct smallholder farmers and aggregation systems, which are measured by indicators T.1 and F.3 respectively. These other value chain actors can include individuals, institutions, private companies, etc.

The indicator measures the following seven types of value chain actors:

Value chain actor type	Definition
End buyers	Individuals or small, medium or large enterprises or institutions that are committed to procuring from smallholder farmers or smallholder aggregation systems. They are intended as the last actors in the chain before the ultimate consumers. WFP SAMS programmes usually cluster buyers in three main groups: - WFP - Private buyers, operating at local, national or international level. They can span from local small-scale retailers to large enterprises operating on the national market, to multinational companies. Retailers of CBT interventions would also fit in this category - Institutional buyers, public sector entities with presence in the domestic market that purchases large quantities/volumes of produce. Usually, an institutional buyer refers to public institutions such as schools, food reserve authorities, the military, prisons, hospitals, food aid organizations and relief development agencies. Typically, these buyers do not have a profit motivation and are usually driven by the need to acquire food products for consumption within their own institutions or as food donations.
Traders	Individuals or small, medium or large enterprises who engage in the transfer of products in any market, either for themselves, or on behalf of someone else. Typically, traders tend to hold products for short periods of time. The same value chain actor type is also available under F.3. Number of smallholder farmer aggregation systems supported by type of support, Traders should be reported under F.7 when they merely play the role of intermediaries, without actively offering to smallholder farmers.
Input suppliers	Agribusinesses that manufacture, distribute and/or sell the inputs and equipment used in agricultural production such as seeds, fertilizers, hoes, threshers, and irrigation systems.
Transporters	Businesses that deal with transportation and logistics services within a food value chain. They take care of the efficient movement of products from one location to another, from the start to the end of the value chain.
Financial service providers	Businesses that manage money on behalf of customers. They include: - banks, credit unions and other consumer finance companies - credit-card companies, e-money issuers and other payment institutions - insurance companies investment firms (e.g. stock-brokers, asset managers, portfolio managers or investment advisers)
Processors	Businesses that deal with food processing, that is the transformation of agricultural products into food, or of one form of food into other forms. Food processing includes many forms of processing foods, from grinding grain to make raw to complex industrial methods used to make tertiary processed food.
Agricultural extension service providers	Providers of agricultural extension services that are defined as the entire set of organizations that facilitate and support people engaged in agricultural activities to solve problems and to obtain information, skills, and technologies to improve their livelihoods and well-being. Typically, they are responsible for conducting training sessions and demonstrations for farmers to explain various agricultural practices and use of a variety of agricultural machineries, tools, implements and equipment. Agricultural extension service providers assist the farmers in establishing forward and backward linkages and increase agricultural production.

Supported: this can entail support, collaboration or engagement.

RATIONALE

WFP value chain development work adopts a holistic approach by which all the actors participating in a value chain needs to collaborate and strengthen their performance to the benefit of the entire value chain.

By measuring the number of value chain actors, other than smallholder farmers and aggregation systems, with which WFP collaborates, this indicator gives an indication of WFP’s capacity to engage and catalyse other market players that are essential for the appropriate functioning of the value chain.

DATA SOURCE

Data on this indicator can be extracted from records of meetings, engagement sessions organized with the value chain actors.

In cases traders are being contracted as suppliers by WFP for local and regional procurement, WINGS is the data source for the measurement of those value chain actors. They are classified as “traders” in WINGS.

INDICATOR CALCULATION FOR REPORTING

The indicator values are reported by type of value chain actors (other than smallholder farmers and aggregation systems). There are seven different types. The values (planned and actuals) are aggregated for reporting in the annual country report.

DATA ENTRY AND DISAGGREGATION IN CORPORATE SYSTEMS

Each reporting year, data is entered into COMET Other output plan (Planned) and Completion Reports (Actuals).

Planned and Actual values are reported by

Sub-activity
Location

The indicator is disaggregated by seven value chain actor types. It is mandatory to report a value for at least one type if the indicator was selected in the Logframe. COs can report against any of the value chain actor types that are applicable to their context.

End buyers
Traders
Input suppliers
Transporters
Financial service providers
Processors
Agricultural extension service providers

The value chain actor types under F.7 were devised based on the most common typologies of value chain actors that WFP and cooperating partners work with and are by no means exhaustive or mutually exclusive.

PLANNED FIGURES

Planned figures are estimated in the first quarter of the first year of CSP/ICSP implementation for the duration of the CSP and inserted in the COMET Other Output Plan (OOP).

For each subsequent years, the planned figures can be revisited in the first quarter of the current reporting year.

FREQUENCY OF DATA COLLECTION

The frequency of data collection (monthly, quarterly, bi-annually or annually) depends on the CO programme approach.

Each CO can decide on how to collect data for this indicator; this may be directly or with the support of a cooperating partner (CP). If through a cooperating partner, the CO will agree with the CP on frequency of data collection and submission to WFP.

At minimum, the data should be collected annually for corporate reporting.

INTERPRETATION

The indicator shows how many value chain actors are engaged in WFP value chain development work and can indicate the scale and outreach of WFP value chain development programmes.

REPORTING EXAMPLE(S)

“In 2026 WFP collaborated with a total of 27 other value chain actors to support smallholder farmers adding value to their produce. Such actors included 13 input suppliers, 10 processors and 4 transporters who provided services to supported maize producers.'“

INDICATORS COLLECTED & ANALYSED AT THE SAME TIME

The following output and outcome indicators must be reported along with this indicator:

T.1 Number of people (Tier 1) receiving direct food/cash-based/commodity vouchers/individual capacity strengthening transfers (disaggregated by sex, age group, residence status, modality and activity) (SMS sub-activity)

In addition, as applicable, the following output indicators may be reported along with this indicator:

T.2 Number of people indirectly benefiting (Tier 2) from an asset, knowledge and capacity, commodities or services delivered through WFP programmes (SMS sub-activity)
F.3 Number of smallholder farmer aggregation systems supported by type of support
T.7 Quantity, value and capacity of non-food items for which WFP facilitated access
F.5 Number of meetings, workshops, fairs, events organized to facilitate market linkages
F.6 Number of contracts/ commercial agreements facilitated

To assess the medium and long-term effect of the above output results, as applicable, it is recommended to report on the following outcome indicators:

VISUALIZATION

N/A

LIMITATIONS

The indicator only reports the number of contracts/commercial agreement facilitated but does measure the value and volume of sales, nor the extent to which smallholder farmers benefit from the market transactions. Outcome indicators mentioned above may complement this information.

FURTHER INFORMATION

SAMS Programme Guidance Manual (PGM)

For any further information, please contact HQ.SAMS@wfp.org.

Documentation Index

F.7 Number of other value chain actors supported