Agro-industrial processing zones in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review of institutional models, implementation status, and reported outcomes

Abstract

Background : Agriculture remains central to low- and middle-income countries’ (LMICs’) economies but is constrained by low productivity and limited value addition. Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs) and related agro-industrial parks have emerged as mechanisms for structural transformation, yet evidence on their governance, implementation, and outcomes remains fragmented. This scoping review, therefore, aimed to map the evidence on SAPZs in LMICs, with a particular focus on their governance and institutional models, implementation status, and reported outcomes. Methods : A scoping review was conducted using the Arksey and O’Malley framework as enhanced by Levac et al ., reported following PRISMA-ScR, with Population–Concept–Context eligibility criteria. PubMed, Google Scholar, AgEcon Search, CAB Abstracts, Scopus, and 10 organisational repositories were searched for English-language peer-reviewed and grey literature published from 2000 to 2026. Records were screened in Rayyan by three reviewers, charted, and appraised with design-specific tools (AACODS, SANRA, MMAT, and JBI). Findings were synthesised descriptively and thematically. Results : Out of the 2191 records identified, 27 were included. SAPZs’ maturity was heterogeneous, spanning planning, implementation, and operational stages concurrently. Public-led governance dominated at planning, diversifying towards specialised authorities, private investors, and producer organisations as SAPZs matured, with financing shifting correspondingly from public and development partner sources towards blended and commercial investment. Outcomes were predominantly projected rather than measured. Market access and exports had the strongest empirical support, whereas food security and social inclusion showed marked ambition. Weak institutional coordination and unreliable raw material supply were the most consistently reported barriers. Conclusion : Our findings support viewing agro-industrial processing zones as an evolving policy instrument whose development warrants stronger independent and longitudinal evaluation before their effectiveness and longer-term development benefits can be established. Progress towards operation does not, by itself, establish success, and current evidence remains insufficient to determine whether anticipated benefits are sustained or equitably distributed. Future research should prioritise independent, zone-level, and longitudinal evaluation, with standardised outcome measures and clearer attribution, to establish whether substantial investments translate into sustained agro-industrial transformation.