• What we do
  • The People
  • About Us
  • Why Innovation Africa
  • Contact Us
Innovation AfricaCreating the Future Today
  • Feature Articles
  • Innovation
  • Agriculture
  • ICT
  • Technology
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Health
  • Store
  • Contact Us
Menu
  • Feature Articles
  • Innovation
  • Agriculture
  • ICT
  • Technology
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Health
  • Store
  • Contact Us
  • Why don’t more NGOs use the ‘making markets work for the poor’ approach? 5 questions for Emma Proud

    June 6, 2013 Editor 0

    “Direct delivery” development is simple. Livestock are sick; let’s distribute vaccinations. People need more food; let’s train farmers.

    You’ve probably seen an ad campaign imploring you to donate to such a cause. The images tug at your heartstrings and technology lets you to make an instant donation. Despite that direct delivery is far from being the singular approach to development, it is the most traditional and therefore the most well known.

    As a result, more nuanced approaches, such as market development, are often unfamiliar territory. Unlike direct delivery, which relies on quick-fix solutions to problems, market development relies on research and analysis to identify the root cause of the issue. People are hungry, but the lack of food is just the surface of the problem. It may be that there aren’t enough working tractors to till more land, so farmers are stuck using the same small, worn out plots, seeing poorer results each season. Developing the market means an NGO would seek to create sustainable relationships between local actors, like traders, farmers, shopkeepers and companies, to address that problem. It’s a lot like being a psychologist, a research analyst and a match-maker rolled into one.

    Global Envision spoke with Emma Proud, Mercy Corps’ in-house market development advisor, to dissect how the agency uses the “Making Markets Work for the Poor” approach, or M4P.

    What exactly does ‘market development’ mean? What makes it different from direct delivery?
    With direct delivery you see a problem and fix it. With market development, however, you try and understand why the problem is not already being fixed by existing actors. You take a systemic approach, looking beyond the problem to understand what the constraints and barriers are, so that you can identify a place to intervene that will positively and sustainably change the system.

    What kind of situations can M4P be used in?
    It can be used in any situation. Markets exist and work in the most extreme environments, in the middle of the worst rapid- and slow-onset crises. And of course, also during normal times when they may operate but not work effectively for the poor, for the vulnerable, for women.

    If the approach is as pragmatic as it sounds, why isn’t every NGO, government and donor employing it?
    It’s really interesting — I think as soon as you start reading about it, it makes complete sense. However, time, skills and donor expectations are often why people don’t use it. M4P is rooted in market research and analysis which requires a longer time frame and a more flexible approach. Having the right staff to carry out this research and build relationships with local actors is essential. You need people who are inquisitive and look for different solutions if one fails. With M4P there’s also less control, which can be a problem for people working with short program cycles who need to get results within that tight timeframe.

    What is the biggest challenge of using M4P?
    Impact takes a long time to see. You’re not doing it immediately and you’re relying on other people, so it can take a long time to figure what change has happened or for change to happen. And then measuring that change is one of the biggest challenges.

    Giving animals vaccines keeps them healthy, but if there’s no veterinarian in the area, it’s tough to get vaccines for the next generation of livestock. Photo: Jeffrey Austin for Mercy Corps

    Go to Source

    Related Posts

    • The differentiated impacts of organizational innovation practices on technological innovation persistenceThe differentiated impacts of organizational innovation practices on technological innovation persistence
    • The moderating effect of perceived job characteristics on the proactive personality – organizational citizenship behavior relationshipThe moderating effect of perceived job characteristics on the proactive personality – organizational citizenship behavior relationship
    • West Africa: Monsoon Project to Benefit Crops and HealthcareWest Africa: Monsoon Project to Benefit Crops and Healthcare
    • Disruptive innovation as a driver of science and medicine.Disruptive innovation as a driver of science and medicine.
    • Algorithms Can Save Networking from Being Business Card RouletteAlgorithms Can Save Networking from Being Business Card Roulette
    • Using bacteria batteries to make electricityUsing bacteria batteries to make electricity
    Sovrn
    Share

    Categories: Development

    Tags: direct delivery, Emma Proud, making markets work for the poor, market development

    Focus Your Strategy By Assessing Others’ Exit an Unprofitable Line of Business

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

Subscribe to our stories


 

Recent Posts

  • Entrepreneurial Alertness, Innovation Modes, And Business Models in Small- And Medium-Sized Enterprises December 30, 2021
  • The Strategic Role of Design in Driving Digital Innovation June 10, 2021
  • Correction to: Hybrid mosquitoes? Evidence from rural Tanzania on how local communities conceptualize and respond to modified mosquitoes as a tool for malaria control June 10, 2021
  • BRIEF FOCUS: Optimal spacing for groundnuts in smallholder farming systems June 9, 2021
  • COVID-19 pandemic: impacts on the achievements of Sustainable Development Goals in Africa June 9, 2021

Categories

Archives

Popular Post-All time

  • A review on biomass-based... 1k views
  • Can blockchain disrupt ge... 795 views
  • Apply Now: $500,000 for Y... 791 views
  • Test Your Value Propositi... 749 views
  • Prize-winning projects pr... 721 views

Recent Posts

  • Entrepreneurial Alertness, Innovation Modes, And Business Models in Small- And Medium-Sized Enterprises
  • The Strategic Role of Design in Driving Digital Innovation
  • Correction to: Hybrid mosquitoes? Evidence from rural Tanzania on how local communities conceptualize and respond to modified mosquitoes as a tool for malaria control
  • BRIEF FOCUS: Optimal spacing for groundnuts in smallholder farming systems
  • COVID-19 pandemic: impacts on the achievements of Sustainable Development Goals in Africa
  • Explicit knowledge networks and their relationship with productivity in SMEs
  • Intellectual property issues in artificial intelligence: specific reference to the service sector
  • Africa RISING publishes a livestock feed and forage production manual for Ethiopia
  • Transforming crop residues into a precious feed resource for small ruminants in northern Ghana
  • Photo report: West Africa project partners cap off 2020 with farmers field day events in Northern Ghana and Southern Mali

Tag Cloud

    africa African Agriculture Business Business model Business_Finance Company Crowdsourcing data Development East Africa economics Education Entrepreneur entrepreneurs Entrepreneurship ethiopia ghana Health_Medical_Pharma ict Information technology Innovation kenya knowledge Knowledge Management Leadership marketing mobile Mobile phone nigeria Open innovation Organization Research rwanda science Science and technology studies social enterprise social entrepreneurship south africa Strategic management strategy tanzania Technology Technology_Internet uganda

Categories

Archives

  • A review on biomass-based hydrogen production for renewable energy supply 1k views
  • Can blockchain disrupt gender inequality? 795 views
  • Apply Now: $500,000 for Your Big Data Innovations in Agriculture 791 views
  • Test Your Value Proposition: Supercharge Lean Startup and CustDev Principles 749 views
  • Prize-winning projects promote healthier eating, smarter crop investments 721 views

Copyright © 2005-2020 Innovation Africa Theme created by PWT. Powered by WordPress.org