Available Sheep Cheese Supply Chain: Governance System of Channels in the Badia of Jordan

Based on field research in the Badia of Jordan and the first of its kind, this study specifically addresses the supply chain, marketing trends available to Badia farmers, the governance system that impact farmers, and the challenges facing them. Available cheese chains included Safeway and Civic Consumer Corporation chains as inaccessible by Badia farmers and wholesalers and Tal Arrimah (TA) Factory chains as accessible by Badia farmers. The data was elicited from archives, semistructured interviews, PRA (Participatory Rapid Appraisal), and survey with 118 participants carried out during the months of March–June 2007. The new trends have driven new organizational and institutional changes that led to the rise and use of contracts. Contracts varied in their attributes of delivery, prices, risk management, and provision of services such as credit and technical assistance. For the TA Factory, contracts remained unwritten and informal and did not set substantial requirements for technology upgrading and investment. The study recommends initiating written contracts for the benefit of the farmers as well as that of produce quality and standards.