How can we create pro-poor value chain/enterprise development that create dignified employment opportunities to the poor, especially vulnerble and marginalized women?
Most of the the time the Value Chain work tend to exclude this category of the population.

A question close to my heart, and clearly imprtant for many members of our community – check out the personal missions and key questions in our member Profiles … many concern this issue. There is a strong global movement around poverty eradication right now, and both microfinance and enterprise development communities are challenging themselves to have more significant and measurable impact for the poor.

SEEP Network members have been a strong voice for reaching marginalized populations, and many have good experience to share. Have a look at the 2 Promising Practices from MEDA/ECDI in Pakistan and from Mercy Corps in Azerbaijan. Also, have a look at the Key Resources: Value Chain Development and the Poor, by Mary Morgan who facilitated a SEEP working group on the topic. Under SEEP Initiatives you will find the Poverty Outreach Working Group, which will soon release a set of case studies and will launch a disucssion around the topic: how can microenterpsrie development help eradicate poverty?

Some emerging lessons from the value chain work include: develop an institutional committment to the poor, focus on growing but accessible markets, utilize small-scale intermediaries, rather than lead firms, and conduct and apply gender and cultural analysis. Of course, there are many remaining challenges … how to scale up even further, how to intensify impact to help people raise above the poverty line, how to measure impact, transferability to different markets and contexts, how to build capacity fo organization that work with the poor …

What are some of the issues you are struggling with?

I would love to hear yours and others’ reactions to this material, and I invite anyone with a promising practice to please share their experience.

Mary McVay, Facilitator of the Enterprise Development Exchange

I hope my post will be of some use. I started out as an organic producer selling my products localy in Nairobi Kenya in 2000. Within a short period of time, I needed outgrowers and decided to train my own as at that time our organic industry was in it’s infantile stages. As we developed the markets, from shop sales to box scheme and eventually our own shop to now a shop in shop in one of East Africas largest suppermarket chains,we began to create opportunities for many thousands of small scale organic farmers.
In a country where organic was unrecognied, we are now pushing it to become mainstream, and accept that we have alot of work ahead, and that there are thousands of opportunities for the industry ahead. In order to supply a wide range of products to our customers, we had to develop them ourselves and we are now helping others to take the reins on organic chickens, eggs, meats, dairy etc as we concentrate on expanding the and satisfying the markets. My personal goal is to start a value added center to show the farmers the possibilities of producing high value end products. Most of the development agencies favour supporting the farmers as mass producers in the supply chain. I feel this is counter productive as the small scale farmer will always have the highest risks, the lowest income and therefore will always be at the bottom of the pyramid. I favour the approach of recognising the entreprenuers in the farming communities and developing their skills. Many of them are the brokers. I believe transparency through out the value chain will help us respect and develop the brokers position whilst benefitting everyone in the chain.

On another project, I am helping to ‘green’ a garbage dump in the slums of kibera with a group of reformed ex prisoners. We are developing an organic farm that will not only feed the families but also will become a source of revenue for the group. It is a small site, 70 meters x 8 meters.The costs of putting in tanks and drip irrigation in such a small area are not high. Once the project is operational I believe it can be used as a pilot for those seeking funds from micro finance to do similar projects. In this instance, it will not only help from health and environment, but also from the point of food security.

I have attached a few pictures of the reclaimed garbage site, for more on Green Dreams working with small scale farmers, visit my blog http://greendreams.edublogs.org

Dear all ,

This is a photo graph of pro poor in Ramechhap district of Nepal. He is holdong a bio briqutte which he is making for his livelihood. He makes monthy 100 of them and gets monthly around 10 $ from this.

Now the question is why different projects looks business development primaraly in livelihhood approach. Does this investment in training and even subsidizing the equipment cost for production has really helped this pro poor.

Instead in Dolakha district , Briquette has been seen as value chain and there are more then 50 of these pro poor people involved. There is a company ( which includes share of community organization) for marketing them. There demand has been increased from 1000 pcs per year to 50000 pcs per year within two years. Now in dolakha there is vibrant market for Bio briquette ( its used for heating and is produced from collection of forest wastages at the time of sustainable forest management)

A picture speak a ton. Are most of the development project is keeping this picture and making donor happy ….

Lets talk about cases that triggers the market and most of poor are involved rather then photo of one (like i have sent) and saying we investment thousands to him for making him earn hundred

Regards

Suhrid
suhrid chapagain
value chain advisor
nepal swiss community forestry project
Swiss Intercooperation