s:1899:"TI Putting value chain development into perspective: Evolution, blind spots and promising avenues 
AU Stoian, D. 
AU Donovan, J. 
AB Donors, NGOs, and government agencies have long embraced market-based development approaches for achieving economic growth and poverty reduction. Over the past two decades, value chain development (VCD) has taken the lead among such approaches. This chapter reviews the evolution of these approaches since the 1980s, with emphasis on the contributions and interactions of researchers and practitioners. Adopting  the  lens  of  ‘issue-attention  cycles’,  we  show  how  1)  excitement  is  built  up  over  a  given  approach,  funding  becomes  available,  and  proliferation  kicks  in;  2)  disenchantment  follows  as  awareness  builds  on  the  complexity,  trade-offs,  and  resources required to address these; and 3) interest declines, funding sources dry up, and  attention  moves  to  new  (or  rebranded)  approaches.  Researchers  have  spurred  these  cycles  by  coining  new  terms,  designing  tools,  and  assessing  impact,  with  limited accountability for VCD outcomes. Practitioners, in turn, have promoted own VCD  frameworks  and  tools  and  trumpeted  their  success  in  implementation,  while  showing  limited  appetite  for  scrutiny.  More  impactful  VCD  will  require  productive  interactions between researchers, practitioners, and funding agencies, lasting presence on the ground for supporting smallholders and SMEs, and safe spaces for (self-)critical  reflection.  Review  of  what  has  worked  in  previous  cycles,  and  what  has not, is needed to build on proven elements of VCD approaches while addressing evident shortcomings. Shared commitment to continuous improvement with a long-term view and evidence-based achievements will extend the length of issue-attention cycles, if not eliminate them altogether. 
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