Program Quality

First Agro-enterprise Learning Alliance in Southern and Eastern Africa: Summary of Workshop Outputs

For the first time in Southern Africa, CRS and key partners held an Agroenterprise Learning Alliance workshop. The workshop, held 10-14 August 2009 in Mangochi, Malawi, brought together staff of 16 national and international organizations that are currently engaged in linking smallholder farmers to markets.  The international organizations represented at the workshop included CRS, ACDI/VOCA, Land ‘O’ Lakes, CNFA, PCI and CARE.  A representative from USAID in East Africa also participated. 

As there are many actors with varying interventions in agroenterprise in the region, the purpose of this workshop was to see best how to work together and learn together. Key objectives were to:

• Understand the agroenterprise program demands and learning needs of the participating agencies, CRS country programs and partner agencies;
• Review the different methodologies (and ICT) that CRS and other partner organizations are currently using to link smallholder farmers to markets;
• Discuss the strengths and gaps of the different agroenterprise methods, and identify potential complementarities and synergies between them;
• Agree on approaches for developing one or more “hybrid” methodologies that would be applied and evaluated in on-going or new development programs; and
• Agree on a format for a continuing “learning alliance” that would bring all of the participating organizations together regularly to evaluate methodologies at the field level, share learning and continuously strive to refine and improve methodologies for linking smallholder farmers to markets over the next 5 years[1].

Outputs and Action Plans:  The general format of the various agroenterprise methodologies did not differ significantly among the organizations present.  A way forward, then, might “hybrid” methodologies to examining agreed areas where changes could strengthen actual implementation of activities in the field. 

• CRS, ACDI/VOCA, Land ‘O’ Lakes (LOL), PCI, CNFA, and CARE agreed to form an agroenterprise learning alliance (AE LA) for southern and eastern Africa.  Through this AE LA we plan to work jointly to improve our methodology and approaches for linking smallholder farmers to markets.   This AE LA will be open to the participation of other interested organizations.  The AE LA will be managed by a Steering Committee that will include representatives of all participating international organizations. 
• Learning needs were presented by individual countries, and collated into proposed  regional training programs for southern and eastern Africa
• There was agreement by all participants to initiate joint work across organizations in the AE LA to develop a common agenda on three issues of common concern.  The three initial issues to be addressed are:
  • Developing a basic training course on AE for new staff.  Ultimately the AE LA will seek to set common standards by which individuals can be “certified” as trainers in AE.
  • Systematically linking AE and savings-led microfinance approaches. 
  • Developing a common set of data and indicators for monitoring and evaluation of AE projects  - e.g., number and location of farmer groups, number of members disaggregated by gender, type and volume of product sold by groups (and members), prices received, etc.

The above objective will be achieved through the sharing of methodologies and on-the-ground experiences among members, and though collaboration of members to address special issues.  This collaboration is expected to involve the joint study, innovation, field testing and evaluation of approaches and technology by the members, across countries and organizations, in a collaborative way.  Results and learning will be shared in annual meetings and/or through publication on shared web sites.

Questions? Contact Geoff Heinrich gheinrich@saro.crs.org.

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