Inclusive Futures partner LINC is conducting a social network analysis of the main actors in the Farmers’ Hub Model being used in the Global Labor Program in Kenya.

Social network analysis (SNA) is the process of investigating social structures using networks and graph theory. It characterises networked structures in terms of nodes (individual actors, people, or firms within the network) and the ties, edges, or links (relationships or interactions) that connect them.

The objective of the SNA was to understand how smallholder sorghum farmers with and without disabilities relate with other actors in the sorghum value chain network, specifically farm input suppliers, hub owners, and aggregators. This Systems Thinking approach focused on probing the farmers and other actors to understand the relationships among them and how well they are connected to one another. Ultimately, the findings of the SNA will be used to identify areas of the network where the programme might have the greatest effect on improving the working conditions of people with disabilities in the sorghum agricultural value chain.

SNA is critical to providing an understanding of the existing relationships in the sorghum value chain, particularly because this information has not been gathered or analysed elsewhere.