Prices can also be regulated through interventions in the physical market by government agencies and companies. Upgrading rice value chains and strengthening the function of key actors including input suppliers, producers, processors, traders, wholesaler and importers, is therefore paramount for building access for poor farmers to profitable urban markets and realising the potential contribution of the rice sector to transformative economic growth. The study of the rice network (Chapter 4) shows that women occupy peripheral positions in the value chain, which limit their ability to grow their profits or influence prices.