The formation of associations is often part of a nongovernmental organization’s exit strategy. In an effort to generate ownership among beneficiaries, extend the lifespan of a project and ensure sustainability, ‘association-building’ is back in fashion in development speak. But when the dust settles and the last of the donor money has been dispersed, how …»
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 2 comments | Category: From The Field |  Tags: association-building - investment - low capacity - sustainability. 
In my last post, I spoke of my attempt to improve the profit margins of small agricultural businesses by strengthening the linkage to a Zambian chemical company. Bulk purchasing would allow these small business owners to improve profit margins, by sharing transportation costs and receiving a larger discount from input supply companies. I worked …» Comment | Category: Failure Reports | Tags: agricultural input shops - chemical company - improving profit margins - incentive - market facilitation - trust-building. 
I spent much of my first 6 months in Zambia with the owners of small agricultural input shops. These individuals were recruited and trained by a large non-governmental organization, in the belief that increased access to agricultural inputs, such as seeds and fertilizers, will lead to greater productivity and …»  1 comment | Category: Failure Reports | Tags: agro dealer - association of agro dealers - business - failure - mismanaged expectations - profit margin. 
Somehow the cardinal rule of real estate has not been incorporated into the business model of many new agro-input businesses that are opening in Zambia. This defiance is created with a lack of baseline market surveys to assess the appropriateness of locations for agro-input shops. This results in a lack of …» 2 comments | Category: From The Field | Tags: agro-input shops - baseline survey - business - competition - location. There is a common acknowledgment among those working closely in development projects in African countries that the numbers conveyed to donors are not a realistic representation of field realities. Donors request monitoring and evaluation systems, and rightly so, there is a need to ensure that their monies are being used as allocated and projects …» Comment | Category: From The Field | Tags: innovation - monitoring and evaluation - uneven playing field - unrealistic. 
A group of young men in their 20s sit under a tree on the side of the road in the town centre, seeking shelter from the rays of the midday sun. A few feet away they display their products for sale- a handful of 5 and 10kg bags of hybrid maize. I manage …» 
Agro-input suppliers are part of the latest technique used by governments, donors and non-governmental organizations in an effort to increase the access of small-scale farmers to farming inputs. The reasoning is that an increase in the use of inputs will lead to an increase in yields, and consequently, an improvement of farmer income and …» 2 comments | Category: From The Field | Tags: agro-input shops - business expansion - high capacity. It would not be controversial to say that it is common for donors and upper-level management at non-governmental organizations to be somewhat disconnected to field level realities. The emergence and appreciation of monitoring and evaluation systems which identify appropriate indicators demonstrates the existence of this gap, and also an attempt to better align perceptions …» Comment | Category: From The Field | Tags: donor constraints - field realities - innovation - monitoring and evaluation. |
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