RIU Zambia 'crowding in' the private sector
2 February 2011
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RIU Zambia has started to broker a relationship with one of the working groups of the Private Sector Development Network.
In mid December 2010, Victor Makasa, RIU Zambia country coordinator, attended the network's fifth meeting which focused on agriculture input supplies, and market distortions. In his presentation Victor was able to show how RIU is implementing its voucher system as one way of 'crowding-in' private sector actors and ensuring sustainability and scaling up the use of conservation agriculture among small-scale farmers.
The Conservation Agriculture Innovation Platform in Chipata District saw agro-dealers and NGOs supporting conservation agriculture, tillage and weed control service providers with technical support and other services. Whilst in Monze, a local radio station, Sky FM, produced and broadcast drama programmes which featured conservation agriculture. Six of these radio dramas were sponsored by the MRI Seed Company.
Also in December, the RIU Zambia country team participated in the USAID-funded 'Action for Enterprise' workshop held in Lusaka: Action for Enterprise is part of a broader program to build capacity of NGOs and focuses on promoting increased awareness and application of value chain and market development approaches. The workshop focused on 'Value Chain Programme Design: Promoting Market Based solutions for SMEs'. The workshop helped to enhance the skills of the Zambian country team in facilitating market-based solutions to challenges in both rice value chain and conservation agriculture interventions.
RIU Director Ian Maudlin said:
2 February 2011
Tweet
RIU Zambia has started to broker a relationship with one of the working groups of the Private Sector Development Network.
In mid December 2010, Victor Makasa, RIU Zambia country coordinator, attended the network's fifth meeting which focused on agriculture input supplies, and market distortions. In his presentation Victor was able to show how RIU is implementing its voucher system as one way of 'crowding-in' private sector actors and ensuring sustainability and scaling up the use of conservation agriculture among small-scale farmers.
The Conservation Agriculture Innovation Platform in Chipata District saw agro-dealers and NGOs supporting conservation agriculture, tillage and weed control service providers with technical support and other services. Whilst in Monze, a local radio station, Sky FM, produced and broadcast drama programmes which featured conservation agriculture. Six of these radio dramas were sponsored by the MRI Seed Company.
Also in December, the RIU Zambia country team participated in the USAID-funded 'Action for Enterprise' workshop held in Lusaka: Action for Enterprise is part of a broader program to build capacity of NGOs and focuses on promoting increased awareness and application of value chain and market development approaches. The workshop focused on 'Value Chain Programme Design: Promoting Market Based solutions for SMEs'. The workshop helped to enhance the skills of the Zambian country team in facilitating market-based solutions to challenges in both rice value chain and conservation agriculture interventions.
RIU Director Ian Maudlin said:
"From my first involvement in RIU I was convinced that the private sector had to be an integral part of Research Into Use. Across the 45 elements of the work programme we are increasingly seeing interesting and imaginative ways in which the private sector and social enterprises are helping to solve problems. Often these are what RIU has termed 'bottom billion businesses', by which we mean businesses that supply goods and services to poor farmers and other consumers.
I congratulate Victor and his team at RIU Zambia for the way he is drawing in the private sector."
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