The Market Facilitation Initiative is an offshoot of the Market Development Working Group, which serves as a flexible working group for member-driven enterprise and market development work. Originally established in 2005, the MDWG evolved from the Business Development Services Working Group, active from 1996-2005.

Publications

BDS in Conflict Environments: Neglected Potential?
HIV/AIDS and BDS Virtual Information Gathering Session
Enterprise Development: Defining the Field
Market Development in Crisis Affected Environments
Economic Support and Income-Generating Programming for HIV and AIDS-Impacted Communities
Value Chain Development and the Poor
Think piece on SEEP Value Chains and the Poor Working Group
Reaching Low-Income Women with Enterprise Development Services

More Information

Current Focus: Market Facilitation – Moving from Market Assessment & Design to Action, in partnership with Livelihood Network (www.livelihoods.org)

Goal: To expand practitioner-led learning on market facilitation practices and tools.

Rationale: A wide body of guidance and tools on market research and program design is available, but far fewer resources exist on implementation.

Key questions: How can we work effectively through markets, build relationships, use subsidies strategically, promote market adoption? What are the pros and cons of different approaches to market facilitation?

Outputs for 2008:

• Review of facilitation literature within the development, private, and public sectors
• Summary of challenges and opportunities as identified by practitioners
• Development of case studies and vignettes
• Compilation of existing and new tools and resources

Facilitators:
Tracy Gerstle tgerstle@vchfinternational.org and
Lucho Osorio luis.osorio@practicalaction.org.uk

For more information, contact: Melissa Nussbaum
nussbaum@seepnetwork.org

Past Activities & Publications:

• Case studies and analysis of market development in crisis-affected areas
• On-line discussions on reaching low-income women, people impacted by HIV and AIDS, and people affected by crisis
• On-line guide to Business Development Services and Resources (now closed)