Global Partnership Program

1. Global Partnership Program Inter-Regional Design Workshop September 11 – 15, 2006 Cairo, Egypt Tom Remington Catholic Relief Services

2. Presentation Outline • Catholic Relief Services • CRS-CIAT-FoodNet Agroenterprise Learning Alliance • Lessons learned & Looking to the future

3. CRS • Relief & Development Agency of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops • Large ($500 million) & Global (80 countries) • “CRS is the hub of the largest and most effective agriculture relief and development network in the world” • Either not seeing or refusing to see the need to embrace a market approach – need to move CRS out of the ‘comfort zone’

4. Shift from Food Security to Agroenterprise • First discussion in September 2001 in Entebbe • Learning Alliance with CIAT and FoodNet in 2002 • 8 countries in East & Southern Africa • 6 workshops from 2002 to 2006

5. Internal Results Completed the RAeD roadmap • Territory identification • Interest group formation • Market opportunity identification • Market chain analyses • Integrated agroenterprise activities

6. Country Performance • MOIs identified high value commodities – Ethiopia & Madagascar • MCAs resulted in paralysis • Eventual coalescence around the dual purpose pulses & legumes • Facilitated MCAs to move forward • More effective engagement of the IARCs

7. MOI - Commodity Focus • FFV – market gardening • Characterized by: • High costs – especially irrigation • Local markets • Challenge to scale • Start with current commodities • Farming system intensification • Institutional and farmer co-evolution – learning together • Pulses/Legumes but also Roots/Tubers • Low barriers to entry (financial and human)

8. From Effective to Efficient(and then Expansion) • Navy bean in Ethiopian Rift Valley • Two market premium varieties • Two export brokers • 3000 farmers • Chickpea & Pigeonpea in Northern Tanzania • 3 chickpea and 4 pigeonpea varieties • 2400 farmers

9. Agroenterprise Learning Alliance Embraced by CRS • Both the topic and the approach • From a learning to an action alliance in East Africa • New learning alliances in Southeast Asia, West Africa & South Asia (ongoing multi-institutional alliance in Latin America) • Farmer Group integration • Strategy for scaling up and scaling out

10. Greater Focus on Farmer Organizations • Identified gap in the learning alliance • Perceived strength of CRS & NGOs • Led to a CRS-CIAT Farmer Group Study Tour • 3 countries (Uganda, Bolivia, India) • Different types (CIAL, SHG, FFS, Market Groups etc.)

11. Farmer Group Internal Savings & Lending Financial Capital Self Help Group Social Capital Agriculture Learning Human Capital Agroenterprise Physical Capital Natural Resource Management Natural Capital

12. Farmer Group Focus • On the Farm Family • Small informal groups • Build on and strengthen existing social capital • Multi-functional • Flexible

13. Scaling Up & Out • Preparing Millions for the Market • Three scaling labs • India • Ethiopia • Tanzania • Increased scope • 35 countries in 7 CRS regions

14. The CRS Niche • Focus on farmers ‘left behind’ • Initially, focus on the dual purpose commodities • Informal first order farmer groups • Strong partnership with research for technology access and evaluation • Emphasis on internal savings & lending • Objective of both scale and scope