Partnering for inclusive development: a case study of deliberative capacity in a soy value chain partnership in Kenya

As partnerships become an increasingly prevalent discourse within International Development, this research builds upon existing scholarship analyzing agribusiness partnerships in specific, utilizing the ‘Partnerships Capacities’ framework (Vellema et al., 2019), honing in on the pillar of Deliberative Capacity through a gender lens. The key research question aims to answer how deliberative capacity influences how women—as both farmers and entrepreneurs—are included in the soy value chain. This research operationalizes value chain inclusion through the framework of ‘Terms of Inclusion (Vellema et al., 2022). Through a collaboration with the partnerships incubator 2SCALE, this research uses a case study of a soy value chain partnership in Western Kenya to explore these dynamics, finding women’s inclusion in the value chain is very linked to the deliberative capacity of the partnership. This research concludes with observations about the connections between the two theoretical frameworks, the gaps and recommendations for additions based on the research findings, and the nuances of women’s value chain inclusion dependent on the roles they occupy within the partnership structure.