Agricultural Marketing Systems Development Programme (AMSDP)

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Agricultural Marketing Systems Development
Programme (AMSDP)

• Linking local learners for improved market
  linkages
• First Mile Project implementation

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AMSDP

• 7 year programme for a total of US48.9 million
  with an IFAD loan of US16.3 million
• Goal is to increase rural poor peoples food
  security and incomes by improving the structure,
  conduct and performance of the countrys crop
  marketing systems

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First Mile Project

• People
• small farmers
• traders
• processors
• Building capacity to form collaborative
  partnerships along market chains

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The challenges

• Access by rural poor people to
• Information and knowledge
• ICTs such as mobile phones, the Internet and
  email
• other key people in the market chain, including
  traders, processors and even consumers

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What does the First Mile do

• Facilitates local learning
• Generates good practices in building market
  chains
• Empowers smallholder farmers to gain access to
  ICTs
• Links producers and buyers

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How does it do it

• Ownership
• Appropriation
• Development of local content
• Networking
• Build on what exists
• Realistic cost and skill requirements

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Three phases of activities

• Phase 1
• Exploration and training
• Facilitation of local learning
• Phase 2
• Training for on-line learning support
• On-line mentoring
• Phase 3
• Identify commodities
• Assessment

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First Mile Linking Local Learners programme
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The role of information broker
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Progress to date

• Direct market linkages achieved between producers
  and traders/processors
• Key partners identified to eliminate middlemen
• Farmer network created
• Information is being exchanged between district
  core teams
• Better use of Linking Local Learner network

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Moving forward immediate challenges to be
addressed

• Building trust
• Poor Internet access
• Limited funds for field work

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Questions

• What are the conditions that need to be in place
  for farmers, traders and processors to see the
  benefits of sharing information, ideas and
  working collaboratively to build fairer and more
  efficient market relations?
• What are the benefits for rural poor people of
  blending old and new technology? What is the
  potential impact for increasing the effectiveness
  and reach of market chains?
• How can local appropriation of ICTs make market
  chains more efficient?
• How can ICTs help rural poor people generate and
  share their local knowledge, particularly in
  relation to market chains?
• What is the role of publicly funded agencies in
  fostering collaboration among rural entrepreneurs
  along a marketing chain?