Publication database

This case study shares experiences from private sector-led programmes in Côte d'Ivoire and Cameroon. It aims to develop awareness of IFC’s Agribusiness Leadership Programme (ALP) used with SCOPEinsight’s farmer organisation assessment tool (SCOPE Basic). Based on the experences described, it identifies seven “implementation lessons” that off-takers, NGOs and capacity-builders may wish to heed. 

Foreign companies operating in a ‘host’ country’s private sector play an important role in fostering inclusive development in these nations. This PhD thesis, exploring the contributions of the Dutch private sector to inclusive development in Kenya’s three most important sectors, tea, flower and renewable energy, finds that private companies operate in a very specific context and must adapt to existing local circumstances that are often not automatically inclusive.

What if world-leading organizations teamed up to develop, experiment with, and scale technology and business solutions to global poverty? This report is a reflection of the Practical Impact Alliance (PIA)’s journey and what MIT D-Lab learned from building and supporting the PIA network. The insights are also relevant for other intrapreneurs, practitioners, and network operators seeking to drive innovation, build capacity or foster collective action in the inclusive business or international development sectors.

This case study shares lessons learned from a capacity building project with farmer organisations in Kenya and Rwanda. The project stems from a five-year partnership program between MasterCard Foundation and a financial institution in Kenya which targeted agricultural value chain actors to offer mobile-based financial inclusion and information to smallholder farmers. 

Food and nutrition security remain at the top of development priorities in low income countries. This is especially the case for smallholder farmers who derive their livelihood from agriculture yet are often the most deprived. Inclusive agribusinesses have been championed as a key strategy to address local constraints that limit smallholders’ participation in regional and global value chains, thereby enhancing their livelihood, and food and nutrition security, accordingly. This paper explores the potential food and security contribution of inclusive agribusiness in Makueni county, Kenya. It focus on the smallholders’ constraints and needs, exploring the extent to which these are addressed by such purported pro-poor approach.

This case study looks at the attempt of Kirana Megatara – the largest producer of crumb rubber in Indonesia – in increasing the sustainability of rubber value chains. While the case study showcases certain good practices, it explores in particular the factors that hinder achieving positive impact at scale. This case study delivers important lessons about the centrality of (1) commercial incentives, (2) the alignment of stakeholders’ definitions of success and (3) understanding the value-adding functions in existing markets to the success of scalable and inclusive value chain projects.