skills for preparing farmer groups to engage successfully with markets and a digital field agent...
TRANSCRIPT
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Skills for Preparing Farmer Groups to Engage Successfully with Markets
and aDigital Field Agent Platform
Rupert Best, Sept 201213 November 2012
TOPS/FSN Regional Knowledge Sharing Meeting
1
Reaching the Vulnerable Through Market-Based Approaches
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Reaching the Vulnerable Through Market-Based Approaches
• Discuss some of the main challenges• Explore practical solutions
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Objectives of session
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Challenges to Market-based Approaches for the Vulnerable
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• Micro-level– Access to:
• Productive assets• Markets• Knowledge and technology
• Meso-level– Absence of appropriate support
services• Macro-level
– Public and private policies that exclude the vulnerable
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CRS’ journey to embracing a market-based approach
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• 2002 - initiated a concerted effort to embrace a market-oriented approach
• 2006 – found that our efforts to develop market skills were not having the desired results
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What skills do farmers need to engage with markets?
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2006 study in 3 continents revealed:• Need for 5 key skill sets
COMBINED• Need for ‘minimum data set’ to
measure performance– Where, who, what, how much,
profit?
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5 Skill Sets
Core skills
Cross-cutting skills
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Economic strengthening pathway and skills integration
7Source: USAID Microlinks. Value Chain Development Wiki
‘… investing household assets in income-generating opportunities is unwise.’
‘….the value chain approach is most relevant as households begin to look for opportunities to grow their assets and expand household income.
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Testing the approach in Latin America
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• First run out 2009-2012– 4 countries in Central America– 1 project, 14 partners– Targeted 15,000 vulnerable HH– Final evaluation just completed
• Over 70% coverage of financial skills
• Under 30% coverage of collective marketing skills
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Field testing in Southern Africa
• Co-development with members of a multi-stakeholder Learning Alliance since 2009
• 5 Skills and Digital Field Agent Platform
• Testing in 4 countries• 7 projects and about 12
partners
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Development of bespoke materials
• 5 Skills manuals• E-learning courses
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Distance learning to improve the efficiency of field agent training
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Distance learning allows real time evaluation of learning programs
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Distance learning / training
materials
Farmer registration
Business planning
Profitability analysis
Crop monitoringTrack and
Map
Project set up
Baseline / impact
MEAS Learning products
IFormBuilderDigital forms Brainhoney
LMS Platform
The ICT Enabled Extension Worker
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Register clients
Develop business plan
Profit analysis
Production schedule
Farm visit log
On Farm Calculators
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Relevance
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• More effective approach– Avoid ‘coordination failure’
• More sustainable– Savings and loans provide
cohesion (glue)• More scalable
– Use of ICTs– Private Service Provider model
• High interest– Min. Ag. extension systems – Alliance for Commodity Trade in
East and Southern Africa
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Measures of resilience
• Capacity for innovation • Ability to identify and
select profitable enterprise options
• Regular savings and their investment in assets
• Restoration and improvement of natural resources
• Permanence of democratic organizations
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0
2
4
6
8
10Group organization
Savings and loans
Natural resources management Marketing
Innovation
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5