Paper long abstract:

Meeting new public and private standards is a key requirement for African countries to access the more remunerative segments of global food markets. However, costs of conformity are typically high and the rewards of market access are uncertain. This paper presents a picture of Uganda's rapidly expanding certified organic export sector and reports the results of recent case studies of two exporter-organised outgrower schemes. It attempts to establish the "real" level of entry barriers, the most important components of these barriers, returns to different actors and determinants of these returns. It also considers the long-term economic sustainability of different sorts of enterprise in the sector.